Ben Wallace (born September 10, 1974 in White Hall, Alabama) is an American professional basketball player in the NBA with the Chicago Bulls. Nicknamed Chuck Norris and The Body, he plays the position of center and is 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 equalled only 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 $60 million contract with the Chicago Bulls.^[1] This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... White Hall is a town located in Lowndes County, Alabama. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Virginia Union University (VUU) is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia. ... The Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C.. They play in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. ... The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... The National Basketball Associations Defensive Player of the Year Award has been handed out since 1983. ... Robert Ben Lobban Wallace known as Ben Wallace (born 15th May, 1970, Farnborough) is the Conservative member of Parliament for the Lancashire constituency of Lancaster and Wyre, elected at the 2005 General Election Wallace was born in Farnborough and attended the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, and served in the... is the 253rd day of the year (254th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... White Hall is a town located in Lowndes County, Alabama. ... This article is about the sport. ... NBA redirects here. ... The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... EXAMPLE:Laughbox,Blondie,BamBam,Pinkie,etc. ... Carlos Ray Chuck Norris (born on 10 March 1940) is an American martial artist, action star, Hollywood actor, and recently, an internet phenomenon, who is best known for playing Cordell Walker on Walker, Texas Ranger. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Look up pound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Kg redirects here. ... The National Basketball Associations Defensive Player of the Year Award has been handed out since 1983. ... Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo, more commonly known as Dikembe Mutombo (born June 25, 1966), is a basketball player in the NBA, playing at the position of center for the Houston Rockets. ... The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003-04 National Basketball Association season. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Basketball career

As a high school player, Wallace achieved all-state honors in track, football, and baseball. He first played college basketball on the junior college level at Cuyahoga Community College for two years. He then transferred to Virginia Union, a Division II school, where he studied criminal justice. As an undrafted player, he was signed as a rookie free agent by the Washington Bullets on October 2, 1996 after playing in Italy. For other uses, see High school (disambiguation). ... Game between Illinois State Redbirds & Ball State Cardinals, February 17, 2007 in an ESPN Bracketbuster contest. ... For the Indian grade 11 and 12 schools, see Junior College A junior college is a two-year post-secondary school whose main purpose is to provide a method of obtaining academic, vocational and professional education. ... Cuyahoga Community College (also known as Tri-C, and CCC) is a two-year college in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. ... Virginia Union University (VUU) is a historically black university located in Richmond, Virginia. ... Division II (or DII) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. ... United States criminal justice system flowchart. ... The NBA Draft is an annual North American event in which the National Basketball Associations (NBA) thirty teams (29 in the United States and one in Canada) can select players who wish to join the league. ... In North American professional sports, particularly baseball, football, and basketball, a free agent is a team player whose contract with a team has expired, and the player is able to sign a contract with another team. ... is the 275th day of the year (276th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ...

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 the more successful career by far, owing in part to Hill's oft-injured status. 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. The Orlando Magic is a professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. ... Timothy Eugene Tim Legler (born December 26, 1966 in Washington, D.C.) is an American, former professional basketball player in the NBA, and is a current ESPN analyst. ... Terry Raymond Davis (born June 17, 1967 in Danville, Virginia) is a 6 9 American former professional basketball player who played as a power forward and center for the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, Washington Wizards, and Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association. ... Jeff Lemans McInnis (born October 22, 1974 in Charlotte, North Carolina) is an NBA basketball player, currently playing guard for the New Jersey Nets. ... Isaac Ike Austin (b. ... is the 215th day of the year (216th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full 2000 Gregorian calendar). ... Chucky Atkins (real name Kenneth Atkins) is a professional basketball player in the NBA. He was undrafted following a college career at the University of South Florida, and began his pro career in 2000 with the Orlando Magic. ... Grant Henry Hill (born October 5, 1972)) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for the NBAs Orlando Magic. ... The National Basketball Associations Defensive Player of the Year Award has been handed out since 1983. ... The 2001-02 NBA season is the 56th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The 2002-03 NBA season was the 57th season of the National Basketball Association. ... The 2004-05 NBA season was the 59th season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... The 2005-06 NBA season was the 60th season of the National Basketball Association. ... A rebound in basketball is the act of successfully gaining possession of the basketball after a missed field goal or free throw. ... Oscar Torres (13) is in position to block this shot. ... The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. ... The Eastern Conference of the National Basketball Association is made up of fifteen teams, and organized in three divisions of five teams each. ...

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. 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 that day. He cited his strained relationship with Pistons' coach Flip Saunders as the primary reason for his departure. Joe Dumars (born May 24, 1963 in Shreveport, Louisiana) is the Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations and a former NBA basketball player. ... is the 184th day of the year (185th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Chicago Bulls are a professional basketball team based in Chicago, Illinois. ... is the 194th day of the year (195th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Flip Saunders Philip Flip Saunders (born February 23, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States [1]) is head coach of the NBAs Detroit Pistons and one of the most successful coaches in the history of the Continental Basketball Association. ...

Player profile

Ben Wallace plays the center position and is lauded as a prime defensive presence.^[2] He has been voted as the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times. He is somewhat undersized for a center, being listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m), 240 lb., a 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, 2.3 blocks and 1.4 steals per game in his elephant 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 [1] is considered low). In addition, he is seen also as one of the most reliable contributors, rarely failing to deliver in important games. In basketball, a personal foul is a breach of the rules that concerns illegal personal contact with an opponent. ...

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 February 2007, his NBA career average is 41.8%. This ineptitude at the free throw line results in his sometimes becoming a target of the so-called "Hack-a-Shaq" defense (in reference to Ben Wallace, the technique is also called Whack-a-Wallace). Part of 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 "slip" sometimes when he shoots a free throw, forcing him to pop it back into place, resulting in him being unable to make them on a consistent basis. [2] Shaquille Rashaun ONeal (pronounced sha-KEEL) (born March 6, 1972), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, regarded as one of the most dominant in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... Wilton Norman Wilt Chamberlain (August 21, 1936–October 12, 1999), nicknamed Wilt the Stilt and The Big Dipper, was an American professional National Basketball Association (NBA) basketball player for the Philadelphia / San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; and also played for the Harlem Globetrotters. ... It has been suggested that Three point play be merged into this article or section. ... Hack-a-Shaq is the name commonly ascribed to a basketball defensive strategy initially instituted in the National Basketball Association (NBA) by former Dallas Mavericks coach Don Nelson to hinder the scoring ability of the Chicago Bulls. ...

Accolades

Wallace is honored with the Pistons at the White House for the team's victory in the 2004 NBA Finals.

• NBA Champion: 2004
• 4-time NBA All-Star: 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year: 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006
• 6-time All-NBA Defensive Team:

• First Team: 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006
• Second Team: 2007

• 5-time All-NBA:

• 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)

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (515x772, 101 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Detroit Pistons 2004 NBA Finals Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (515x772, 101 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Detroit Pistons 2004 NBA Finals Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital... The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... For other uses, see White House (disambiguation). ... The 2004 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 2003-04 National Basketball Association season. ... The National Basketball Association staged its first All-Star Game in the Boston Garden on March 2, 1951. ... The National Basketball Associations Defensive Player of the Year Award has been handed out since 1983. ...

NBA records/achievements

• Only player in NBA history to record 1,000 rebounds, 100 blocks, and 100 steals in 4 consecutive seasons (2001-04).^[3]
• One of three players in NBA history to record 150 blocks and 100 steals in 7 consecutive seasons (2001-07) (along with Hakeem Olajuwon and David Robinson).^[3][4][5]
• One of 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).
• One of three players in NBA history to average 15 rebounds and 3 blocks per game over a season (along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bob McAdoo).
• Only undrafted player in NBA history to be voted a starter for the NBA All-Star Game.
• One of two players in NBA history to receive NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award 4 times (along with Dikembe Mutombo).

Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born Akeem Abdul Olajuwon on January 21, 1963) is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... David Maurice Robinson (born August 6, 1965)) is a retired American NBA basketball player, who is often considered one of the greatest centers to ever play the game. ... For the football player, see Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar. ... William Theodore Walton III, better known as Wild Bill Walton (born November 5, 1952), is a former American basketball player and current television sportscaster. ... Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon (born Akeem Abdul Olajuwon on January 21, 1963) is a retired Nigerian-American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... For the football player, see Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar. ... Robert Allen Bob McAdoo (born September 25, 1951 in Greensboro, North Carolina) is a former professional basketball player who spent his fourteen-season career between the center and power forward positions in the National Basketball Association. ... The National Basketball Associations Defensive Player of the Year Award has been handed out since 1983. ... Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo, more commonly known as Dikembe Mutombo (born June 25, 1966), is a basketball player in the NBA, playing at the position of center for the Houston Rockets. ...

Detroit Pistons franchise records (15)

• Most blocked shots, all-time: 1,297 (2000–2006)
• Most blocked shots in
  • one game: 10 (November 10, 2002 vs. Miami Heat)
  • one half: 7 (February 1, 2003 vs. New Jersey Nets)
  • one quarter: 5 (March 10, 2002 vs. Indiana Pacers)
  • one season: 278 (2001-02)
• 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)

Oscar Torres (13) is in position to block this shot. ... is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Miami Heat (known as the HEAT [in all capital letters] on official team publications) is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. ... is the 32nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The New Jersey Nets are a professional basketball team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ... March 10 is the 69th day of the year (70th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... The Indiana Pacers are a professional basketball team that plays in the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... The 2001-02 NBA season is the 56th season of the National Basketball Association. ... is the 322nd day of the year (323rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Knicks redirects here. ...

International competition

He played for the US national team in the 2002 FIBA World Championship.^[6] The United States mens national basketball team is the representative for the United States of America in international mens basketball. ... The 2002 FIBA World Championship was an international basketball tournament held by the International Basketball Federation in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA from August 29 to September 8, 2002. ...

References in popular culture

Wallace has been mentioned in various songs. In the song "Too Much", the Game mentions himself as "on the rebound like Ben Wallace in the D-town" and then corrects himself by saying "in the Chi-town". Wallace is also mentioned in the Hot Karl song "Blao," featured in the NBA Live 2003 soundtrack, in which Hot Karl refers to himself as, "The white Ben Wallace without the yolked up bod." Wallace is the subject of the song "Ben Wallace," by Bentyne Ice, in which they make mention of his many NBA accomplishments. Ben and his afro were also mentioned in the movie Four Brothers, which takes place in Detroit. R Kelly mentions that he will "Put the D on chicks like Wallace" in Young Jeezy's song "Go Getta." Jayceon Terell Taylor (born November 27, 1979 in Los Angeles,[1] California), better known by his stage name The Game, is a multi-platinum American rapper signed to Interscope Records. ... Bentyne Ice is a Christian rock band formed in 2006 in Detroit, Michigan named after NBA sensation Ben Wallace, and popular chewing gum brand Dentyne Ice. ... Four Brothers is a jazz standard composed by Jimmy Giuffre and performed by the Woody Herman Orchestra. ...

Wallace was interviewed by Ali G, who accused him of "playa-hating".^[7] Ali G (Alistair Leslie Graham) is a satirical fictional character invented and played by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. ...

On Homestarrunner.com's Halloween special Strong Mad was dressed as Ben Wallace during his Detroit Piston days. Strong Mad is a character in the Homestar Runner series. ...

Endorsements

Wallace appeared on the cover of ESPN NBA 2K5. An inflatable basketball training aid of Wallace's likeness, called the Inflatable Defender, is manufactured by PlayAir Systems. [3] His new sneaker, the Big Ben was released November 5, 2007 under Stephon Marbury's Starbury label and is retailed at $14.98 at Steve & Barry's stores. [4] Cover of NBA 2K. NBA 2K is a basketball video game series that was initially exclusive for the Sega Dreamcast starting in 1999. ... Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing point guard with the New York Knicks. ... Starbury, Inc. ... Steve & Barrys is an American casual apparel clothing chain with about 200 locations in 33 states. ...

Trivia

• Former basketball player Charles Oakley is Wallace's mentor, having discovered Wallace at a 1991 basketball camp. Coincidentally, Oakley attended Virginia Union as well.^[8]
• 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 tenure 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. After Wallace became a member of the Chicago Bulls, this tradition has continued on their homecourt, the United Center.
• Recorded a notable block of Shaquille O'Neal 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. Heat coach Pat Riley called it "a hell of a play", while Shaq claimed it was an obvious foul and told the press not to ask him stupid questions after being asked whether he thought it was a block or a foul.^[9] A photo of this won "Photo of the Year 2006" by NBA.com

Charles Oakley (born December 18, 1963 in Cleveland, Ohio) is a retired American professional basketball player who played power forward in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards and Houston Rockets. ... Detroit redirects here. ... Woman with an afro at the Tribeca Film Festival For the Italian painter known as Afro, see Afro Basaldella. ... Cornrows on a male Cornrows are a traditional style of hair grooming of African origin where the hair is tightly braided very close to the scalp, using an underhand, upward motion to produce a continuous, raised row. ... The Palace of Auburn Hills (a. ... The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in the Near West Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. ... Shaquille Rashaun ONeal (pronounced sha-KEEL) (born March 6, 1972), frequently referred to simply as Shaq, is an American professional basketball player, regarded as one of the most dominant in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). ... is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the NBA, conference finals occur when the NBA playoffs conclude and the final two teams in the conference faceoff. ... The Miami Heat (known as the HEAT [in all capital letters] on official team publications) is a professional basketball team based in Miami, Florida, United States. ... The Detroit Pistons are a team in the National Basketball Association based in the Detroit metropolitan area. ... For the American guitarist, see Patrick Riley. ... In sports, a foul is a violation of the games rules. ...

Notes

External links

• Ben Wallace Player Info at NBA.com
• Ben Wallace Statistics at Basketball-Reference.com