Ben Wallace got the honor that every NBA player dreams about.
He is making the Hall of Fame.
Nobody wanted Ben Wallace out of high school. He attended Cuyahoga Community College then transferred to D-II Virginia Union.
Nobody wanted Ben Wallace out of college. He went undrafted.
Now the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame WANTS Ben Wallace. What a journey! pic.twitter.com/9I7EBZOdHI
— CBS Sports HQ (@CBSSportsHQ) May 15, 2021
This is a crazy occurrence due to his journey.
He was never thought to be this type of player, but he wouldn’t let that notion keep him down.
“Big Ben” played with so much heart and ferocity throughout his 15-year career.
His Hall of Fame candidacy has been in question by the public.
Some media pundits do not believe his accolades and numbers should warrant a spot in with the elite.
However, he is officially in there.
His prime might not have been long, but it was sure impactful.
Here are the three reasons why he earned this amazing accomplishment.
Accolades/Numbers
Wallace achieved a lot in his career; even with being undrafted back in 1996.
Ben Wallace becomes the first undrafted player to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame. #DetroitUp #GoingToWork pic.twitter.com/CUlU0tsFIT
— Detroit Bad Boys ☠ (@detroitbadboys) May 15, 2021
He was a four time All-Star, while making it to the All-NBA team five times (two third-teams and three second-teams).
In addition to the All-NBA honors, he was also first-team All-Defensive five times with one second-team appearance.
He was able to lead the league in blocks for one season and rebounding twice.
Wallace was never looked at as a scorer, but he was known as one of the best defensive centers of all time.
He won an outstanding four Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Pure dominance on defense was the calling card for him.
He averaged three blocks per game for three consecutive years in Detroit.
His rebounding numbers were preposterous as well with him averaging 15.4 rebounds per game in 2003.
The man was dominant at what he did.
Playoffs
NBA stars are a lot of the time defined by playoff success.
Wallace might not have been the go-to scorer for the Detroit Pistons, but his playoff numbers and success are still important to his case.
For two postseasons, Ben averaged 16 rebounds per game.
In the Pistons’ 2004 championship run, he averaged 14 rebounds per game with two steals and blocks per game.
Also, he was given the job to slow down Shaq in the Finals, which he had success in doing,
He was able to make the conference finals four times with Detroit.
Wallace was able to be great in the most crucial moments.
Face of Detroit Basketball
Pistons basketball in the 2000s was all about hard-nosed defense.
The face of that was Wallace.
The other Pistons players were good on the defensive end in their own right, but Ben was different.
He was the culture.
That is why once he left, they never reached the Finals again.
Their defense was always at the top of the league.
They shut down every opponent, holding them to 70 points in a full game and even 60 points sometimes.
It was never pretty, but they kept on winning.
Wallace was the epitome of that.
His career wasn’t ever pretty, but the job was going to get done.
The blocks, the rebounds, and the hustle all culminated into a title in 2004.
They also culminated into a great career worthy of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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