Ben Wallace

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Ben Wallace
Position Power forward/Center
Height 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Weight 240 lb (109 kg)
Team Chicago Bulls
Nationality Flag of United States United States
Born September 10, 1974
White Hall, Alabama
College Virginia Union
Draft undrafted
Pro career 1996 – present
Former teams Washington Bullets/Wizards (1996-1999)
Orlando Magic (1999-2000)
Detroit Pistons (2000-2006)
Awards NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
For the British MP, see Ben Wallace (UK politician).

Ben Wallace (born September 10, 1974 in White Hall, Alabama) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls. Nicknamed Big Ben, he plays the positions of center and power forward and is listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and 240 lb (109 kg). He is a four-time winner of the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, a feat only equalled by Dikembe Mutombo, and is regarded as one of the finest defensive players in the game. Wallace was considered by many to be the cornerstone of the Detroit Pistons' success in the 2000s, culminating in a championship in 2004. On July 13, 2006, Wallace signed a four-year, US$ 60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls[1]. Wallace also recently appeared on the cover of Muscle & Fitness magazine.

Contents

[edit] Basketball career

Wallace played college basketball on the junior college level at Cuyahoga Community College for two years before transferring to Virginia Union, a Division II school. As an undrafted player, he was signed as a rookie free agent by the Washington Bullets on October 2, 1996 after playing in Italy.

In 1999, Wallace was traded to the Orlando Magic along with Tim Legler, Terry Davis, and Jeff McInnis for Ike Austin. On August 3, 2000, he was traded along with Chucky Atkins to the Detroit Pistons for Grant Hill, in what was at the time considered a one-sided trade; Hill had planned to sign with Orlando as an unrestricted free agent, but the sign and trade deal allowed Hill to receive a slightly more lucrative contract while Detroit received at least some compensation for losing its marquee player. But since the deal, Wallace has had by far the more successful career. He has been considered the quintessential defensive specialist, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05, and 2005-06 seasons. In the 2001-02 and 2002-03 seasons, he led the league in both rebounds and blocked shots. In 2003, he was voted by fans to his first NBA All-Star Game as the starting center for the Eastern Conference. He became the first undrafted player to ever start an All-Star Game. He, along with Chauncey Billups, captained the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship team.

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars promised Wallace that when his old contract expired, the Pistons would make Wallace the highest-paid Piston of all time, and Ben indicated that this show of good faith would be all he would need to re-sign with the Pistons. Dumars kept his promise, extending Wallace a four-year deal reportedly worth $48 million to $50 million, the richest in team history. But despite the Pistons' integrity, on July 3, 2006, Wallace agreed to a four-year deal worth $60 million with the Chicago Bulls. The deal became official July 13, and Wallace was introduced to the Chicago media as the team's newest member the same day.

[edit] Player profile

Wallace plays the center position and is lauded as a prime defensive presence [1]. As of September 2006, he has been voted as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times. He is somewhat undersized for a center, his 6-9, 240 lb. frame statistically resembling more of a forward; he himself admits his actual height is 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)[2].

However, he compensates for this by his impressive physique (even measured against the standards of his NBA peers) which allows him to out-muscle most of his opposition and "play bigger than his body", allowing him to average 10.7 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.34 steals per game in his career. He is especially intimidating with his shotblocking and defending the basket from drives, allowing his teammates to be aggressive on the perimeter, a defensive scheme used extensively by the Pistons. His uncanny defensive timing allows him to defend with great intensity without committing a foul (his career average of 2.1 fouls per game [3] is considered low). In addition, he is seen also as one of the most reliable contributors, rarely failing to deliver in important games.

His drawback is his offensive game. Wallace's averages on offense are a mediocre 6.6 points and 1.3 assists per game. His role on offense is mainly to roam near the basket for close range shots when left open and go after offensive rebounds. Like other big men in the NBA, namely Shaquille O'Neal and Wilt Chamberlain, Wallace is a poor free throw shooter. In fact, he is the worst free throw shooter in NBA history out of any player with more than 1000 attempts; as of October 2005, his NBA career average is 42.0%. This ineptitude at the free throw line results in his sometimes becoming a target of the so-called "Hack-a-Shaq" defense (A tactic that has drawn the ire of former teammate Rasheed Wallace). The reason for this drawback is that his right wrist has some ligaments that were cut off due to a surgery that was needed because his hand had some carpal tunnel issues. This causes his hand to go "dead" whenever he dunks, falls to the ground, or when he shoots a free throw, resulting in him being unable to make them on a consistent basis. [4]

[edit] Controversy

On November 21, 2004, Wallace was suspended for six games by Commissioner David Stern for his role in a massive brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills on November 19, 2004 that involved members of the Pistons, the Indiana Pacers, and Pistons spectators. After being fouled by Ron Artest, Wallace angrily shoved Artest which led to a shoving altercation between the two teams. After Artest taunted him from the scorer's table Wallace threw a towel at him. Soon after a fan tossed a beer cup at Artest's head which provoked him and then "The Malice at the Palace" started.

And early in the season, Wallace ran into controversy when he wore a headband into a game against the New York Knicks. Headbands were forbidden by Bulls head coach Scott Skiles and general manager John Paxson. Wallace was pulled 2:02 from the game by Skiles and was soon put back in after he removed the headband. However, in the second half he was again benched after returning to the game wearing the headband. In the days following the game, Wallace said, "I knew that we weren't allowed to wear the headbands. If you know the rules and break them, you expect to be punished...I'm not sorry."


Year     Age Team G PPG FGP FTP 3PP RPG APG
  22  WAS  34 1.1 .348 .300 .000 1.7 0.1  23  WAS  67 3.1 .518 .357 .000 4.8 0.3  24  WAS  46 6.0 .578 .356 .000 8.3 0.4  25  ORL  81 4.8 .503 .487 .000 8.0 0.8  26  DET  80 6.4 .490 .336 .250 13.2 1.5  27  DET  80 7.6 .531 .423 .000 13.0 1.4  28  DET  73 6.9 .481 .450 .167 15.4 1.6  29  DET  81 9.5 .421 .490 .125 12.6 1.7  30  DET  74 9.7 .453 .428 .111 12.2 1.7  31  DET  82 7.3 .510 .416 .000 11.3 1.9
----
Totals           698 6.6 .482 .418 .118 10.7 1.2

[edit] Accolades

  • Second Team: 2003, 2004, 2006
  • Third Team: 2002, 2005
  • 2-time NBA regular-season leader, rebounds per game: 2002 (13.0), 2003 (15.4)
  • NBA regular-season leader, blocks per game: 2002 (3.5)
  • 2-time NBA regular-season leader, total rebounds: 2001 (1052), 2003 (1026)
  • NBA regular-season leader, total defensive rebounds: 2001 (749)
  • 2-time NBA regular-season leader, total offensive rebounds: 2003 (293), 2006 (301)
  • NBA regular-season leader, total blocks: 2002 (278)

[edit] NBA records/achievements

  • The only player in NBA history to record 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 100 steals in 4 consecutive seasons (2001-04).
  • One of only three players in NBA history to record 150 blocks and 100 steals in 6 consecutive seasons (2001-06) (along with Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson).
  • One of only four players in NBA history to lead the NBA in rebounding and blocking averages in the same season (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, and Hakeem Olajuwon).
  • The only undrafted player in NBA history to be voted a starter for the NBA All-Star Game.
  • One of only two players in NBA history to receive NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award 4 times (along with Dikembe Mutumbo--although, another plus for Wallace is that he hit the mark in 5 years, while Mutumbo needed 6 years to be awarded 4.)

[edit] Detroit Pistons franchise records (15)

  • Most blocked shots, all-time: 1,297 (2000–2006)
  • Most blocked shots in
  • Highest blocks-per-game average, one season: 3.48 (2001-02)
  • Most defensive rebounds, one quarter: 10 (November 18, 2002 vs. New York Knicks).
  • Most rebounds, one half, playoffs: 17 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round)
  • Most rebounds, one quarter, playoffs: 13 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round)
  • Most offensive rebounds, one game, playoffs: 11 (Game 3, 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals)
  • Most offensive rebounds, one half, playoffs: 7 (Game 3, 2004 Eastern Conference Semifinals)
  • Most defensive rebounds, one game, playoffs: 17 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference Finals)
  • Most defensive rebounds, one half, playoffs: 12 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference Finals)
  • Most defensive rebounds, one quarter, playoffs: 9 (Game 1, 2003 Eastern Conference Finals)
  • Most steals, one game, playoffs: 7 (Game 4, 2003 Eastern Conference First Round)

[edit] Other


[edit] Trivia

  • Former basketball player Charles Oakley is Wallace's mentor, having discovered Wallace at a 1991 basketball camp. Coincidentally, Oakley also attended Virginia Union as well. [5]
  • Wallace had gained great notoriety in the Detroit area and nationwide, and fans often arrived at his games sporting wigs in honor of his trademark afro hairstyle. However, he usually only had the afro for home games; for away games, he had his hair styled into cornrows. He stated he was made fun of at away games for his hair styles.
  • During his career with the Pistons, whenever Wallace scored or recorded a block on Detroit's homecourt, the Palace of Auburn Hills, the sound of a gong was played, an allusion to the Big Ben, Wallace's nickname.
  • ESPN announcers have said that Wallace is able to bench press 460 lb (209 kg) and curl 200 lb (91 kg) for several repetitions. [citation needed]
  • Was an all-state basketball, football, and baseball player in high school.
  • Studied Criminal Justice at Virginia Union University.
  • Wallace appeared on the cover of ESPN NBA 2K5.
  • Recorded what is regarded as the greatest block of Shaquille O'Neal ever on June 1, 2006, in Game 5 of the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals between the Miami Heat and the Detroit Pistons. O'Neal was stuffed so completely that he tumbled to the floor simply from the force of the rejection. Heat coach Pat Riley called it "a hell of a play[6]."

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2508742

[edit] External links

Detroit Pistons 2003-04 NBA Champions

1 Billups (Finals MVP) | 3 B. Wallace | 7 James | 8 Ham | 10 Hunter | 13 Okur | 22 Prince | 31 Miličić | 32 Hamilton | 34 Williamson | 36 R. Wallace | 41 Campbell | Coach Brown


Preceded by:
Dikembe Mutombo
Ron Artest		 Defensive Player of the Year
2002, 2003
2005, 2006		 Succeeded by:
Ron Artest
TBD
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