Blocks, brawls, and Big Ben: the tale of an NBA legend

What do London’s Big Ben and the Big Ben that toured the USA have in common?They are both taller than average but not towering above everyone else. Both had a specific role, which they performed to perfection.

Quick-witted NBA fans will immediately understand who can be compared to the world’s most famous clock. It’s none other than Ben Wallace, one of the best defenders in NBA history. And for those who enjoy quirky statistics, here’s a nugget for you: the former center is the only player in the NBA to have finished his career with more blocks than personal fouls and more steals than turnovers.

Wallace, who hung up his sneakers in 2012, is known for his time with the Detroit Pistons. He won the title in 2004 and was one of the main reasons why the club from the Motor City rose to become one of the best teams in the NBA.

However, Wallace’s career becomes even more remarkable when you look beyond the stardom.

A surprising mentor

Officially listed as 206 cm tall but actually a few centimeters shorter, Wallace’s college career was anything but stellar. He spent most of his time in the NCAA’s second division, where he performed well but didn’t garner enough interest to make the step up.

Although Wallace was a second-division player, he had a mentor from the NBA. Charles Oakley played a significant role in Wallace’s early career. Or, as the protagonist of this story himself said, getting under Oakley’s mentorship was the best thing that could have happened to his career. The power forward, who spent nearly 20 years in the NBA, was never a top-tier star, but he was a quality rebounder and defender, even earning a spot in an All-Star game.

In the summer of 2000, a basketball camp took place in Wallace’s home state of Alabama, with Oakley as the main attraction. The 15-year-old, coming from a family of 11 children, had to scrape together the camp fee himself and decided to earn the necessary $50 by working as a barber: he served his friends and neighbors, charging three dollars per haircut.

Once he had the needed sum, Wallace threw aside his scissors and clippers and traveled 160 km from home.

At the camp, Oakley gave Wallace a painful lesson because the young man’s attention was wandering. The NBA player challenged the teenager to a one-on-one duel, where he “showed what a real man can do.” Wallace had no problem with the game’s physicality, and Oakley took a liking to him.

It turns out that every situation indeed has two sides: Wallace got hurt but also gained a mentor.

Undersized centers help one another

When Wallace finished his NCAA career, he hoped to get drafted. However, the 1996 draft class is among the strongest ever, featuring players like Allen Iverson, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash. Wallace went undrafted.

After watching the draft at home, he turned off the TV and went to the gym to lift weights. He set himself a new goal: to prove that the teams had made a mistake. A big mistake.

Wallace’s mission succeeded completely. He became an NBA champion, a four-time All-Star, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, was repeatedly selected to All-Defensive teams, led the league in rebounding for two seasons, and… I am sure you understand by now how good he was.

Wallace is considered the best undrafted player in NBA history, and that’s a fact, not an opinion. His closest competitors are players like John Starks and Bruce Bowen, who were not bad but are light-years behind Wallace.

Interestingly, Wallace started his professional career in Europe, joining the Italian club Viola Reggio Calabria. He lasted three weeks and exactly one game in the Old World before getting a call from the USA.

On the other end of the line was another undersized center, 1969 NBA MVP and 1978 champion Wes Unseld. The legend worked as the general manager of the then-Washington Bullets in the late 1990s and understood that Wallace’s game was bigger than his size. He invited Wallace to training camp.

Wallace recalled to SLAM magazine that Unseld was direct with him: “I got a lot of guys that can score the ball. But I need somebody who’s out there who ain’t afraid to mix it up in the paint, rebound the basketball, protect the rim, and not afraid to knock somebody on their a*s if they come through the lane.”

These words proved prophetic because that’s exactly how fans remember Wallace.

Although Wallace was happy to escape Europe and fulfill his dream of signing an NBA contract, he was grateful for his brief time in Italy. “I learned how to play the game without using my athletic abilities. When I got my NBA opportunity, it enhanced my fundamentals,” Wallace told Sports Illustrated.

The trade turned from terrible to great

Wallace’s NBA career started slowly but gained momentum in the 1998/99 season. His minutes in Washington jumped from 16.8 per game the previous season to 26.8, and he averaged six points and 8.3 rebounds. Nothing phenomenal, but it’s important to understand that Wallace had a very specific role.

After spending the next season with the Orlando Magic, Wallace landed in Detroit, his basketball home. The trade, which sent one of the league’s stars, Grant Hill, in the opposite direction, was considered terrible for the Pistons, but in reality, Wallace was exactly the player the team needed.

Interestingly, the center never averaged ten points per game in any NBA season but rose to the elite of the league’s defenders and rebounders with the Pistons. For example, in the 2002/03 season, he grabbed 15.4 rebounds per game during the regular season, a mark that has only been surpassed in the 21st century by another Piston, Andre Drummond.

Finally, it’s worth noting that although Wallace reached the peak of his career in Detroit, not everything went without problems. In November 2004, the Pistons hosted the Indiana Pacers, and the visitors were easily winning the game.

With 45.9 seconds left, Wallace went for a layup, but Ron Artest fouled him from behind. The Piston pushed back, sparking chaos that became known as the “Malice at the Palace.”

However, this incident has not affected Wallace’s legacy in any way. He was, is, and will always remain a legend!