Undrafted, too small, sent away, superstar, master player. Ben Wallace has experienced all ups and downs in his NBA career. Despite his limited skill, Big Ben is remembered as the legend of the Detroit Pistons. His way there is unique – and will probably remain unique. Today he turns 44 years old. All other legends articles can be found in our archive.
Hardly any city in the USA has been more shaken than Detroit in recent years. The heart of the American automotive industry experienced the worst time since its foundation, marked by disintegration, unemployment and lots of empty houses. It was not unusual for the dreaded wrecking ball to roll in.
Nevertheless, there is a wrecking ball that the inhabitants of Detroit have come to appreciate and love. However, this was not made of spherical steel, but of an oversized felted Afro. We’re talking about Ben Wallace. For almost a decade, he was the soul of the Detroit Pistons.
While Chauncey Billups was the offense leader and was named final MVP in 2004 against star-studded Los Angeles Lakers, it was Wallace who held the whole structure together at the back of the court and defended Shaquille O’Neal as hard as he probably had never seen before. Although the stakes were not really quantifiable, 10.8 points and 13.6 rebounds over five games are a good indication of Big Ben’s ability. And if you also know that the diesel was about 100 pounds heavier and almost a head taller, Wallace’s performance seems even more amazing.
His game was based on more than just the boxing score. His passion, his energy and the will to sacrifice himself for his team-mates made various other deficiencies such as his missing throw or the catastrophic free-throw rate (no season over 50 percent) fade away. These were qualities that made him the undisputed darling of the public. Probably also because the people in Michigan could identify with his attitude.
In his youth, however, there was not much to suggest that he would one day become the best defender of his generation. Raised in rural Alabama as the youngest of eight brothers, little Ben was always inferior. He had exactly two ways to get the ball once: Picking rebounds or stealing the ball.
As a teenager he was not only interested in basketball. He was also very talented in baseball and especially in football. But as the family had hardly any money, Wallace had to work early himself. So he hired himself as a hairdresser and cut the hair of his entire family. The neighbors also got a new haircut for three dollars.
With the accumulated money Wallace paid for a camp of Charles Oakley, one of the toughest defenders of the then NBA and the unofficial bodyguard of Michael Jordan. When the teenager was fooling around with a couple of others, Oakley called him in to play one against one. “Charles got mad and told us we were soft. He thought we wouldn’t work hard enough,” Big Ben reported later.
He himself hadn’t recognized his talent at the time, wanted to dribble the ball like most youngsters, use his teammates and score himself. Players and coaches were usually not happy about this. Only the encounter with Oakley should change that.
The veteran wanted to teach Wallace a lesson and played without mercy. But to Oak’s surprise, the youngster stopped. Even a bloody nose and a burst lip didn’t change that. Oakley registered this: “I was impressed. He didn’t want to play me at first – and then he played well. I could see the fire in him.” From that moment on, Wallace was on Mighty Oak’s radar. He even assured him of his support.
At the same time, many scouts came to Alabama to watch the teenager play. Not on the court, but on the football field. He was tall, fast and therefore a defensive player with enormous potential. But Wallace himself had other plans for his résumé: “I wanted to use football to play basketball in college.
With manageable success: A football scholarship with simultaneous permission to play basketball? That was out of the question for the football coaches in college. So it was Oakley who made contact with a community college in Cleveland where Wallace could play basketball.
The symbiosis lasted for two years until Wallace decided to stop attending the necessary courses. A transfer to a better university was thus blocked. Again, Oakley rescued Wallace and placed him with his Alma Mater Virginia Union – ultimately an important career step: he learned the importance of team success.
With several good scorers already in the squad, Wallace, for his part, sacrificed himself for defense and began to dominate the boards. He did so well that in his Senior Year he even won the MVP of the NCAA Division II Tournament and received further national awards. For a player at such a small school, anything but usual.
However, this was not enough for the draft. In the legendary 1996 vintage with Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant or Steve Nash the name Wallace was not mentioned. Nevertheless, the Boston Celtics invited him to the Summer League. For Coach M.L. Carr, Wallace was not tall and strong enough to play in the NBA Power Forward – which he said straight out in his face. He even tried to use the 2.06 meter tall giants as shooting guard. At the end of the camp the rookie was finally cut. From the dream? “I don’t blame Coach Carr. I was just beginning to understand what kind of player I wanted to be,” Wallace said in retrospect.
The road to Europe seemed inevitable, which is why Wallace accepted an offer from Italy. But then came the call from Wes Unseld, General Manager of the Washington Bullets (later Wizards), who had himself carried around the predicate “undersized center”. “I’ve been confronted with challenges similar to Ben. It triggered something when I saw him play. I knew I wanted to see more,” the Hall of Famer looked back.
Wallace was twelfth man, but saw little play time behind Juwan Howard and Chris Webber. But when C-Webb was traded to the Sacramento Kings and Howard had to fight more and more with injuries, the bench handle finally had a chance. And he made use of this, drew attention with unbridled commitment and delivered double doubles on the assembly line.
Nevertheless, after the season was over in the capital. Advocate Unseld was long gone and after a sobering lockout season with only 18 wins in 66 games, the roster changed. Isaac Austin, who had already had his best years behind him, was the object of exchange – and suddenly Wallace found himself in the pensioners’ paradise of Orlando.
Again he became a starter, again he knew how to convince – and again he had no future in the team. The Magic had bigger plans and traded Wallace again after just one season to build a spectacular team with Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady (Tim Duncan cancelled).
This time Wallace landed in Detroit. First round food in the playoffs for years, if you ever reached it. But this time it was an arranged marriage that was a huge success for both parties.
Page 1: Duel with Oakley, then the NBA Odyssey
Page 2: Defense wins Championships!