Undrafted to Undeniable
All athletes want to make it to the highest level in whatever sport they choose.
They want to be drafted. They have to be drafted.
Where I’m from, a lot of kids use sports as a way to get out of their environment. You see it every time the Draft comes on, a star college player, who has risen from the inner cities and is about to be drafted by a professional team in a professional league.
They know that the odds are against them. Being drafted into the NBA isn’t guaranteed, and that is put into their minds day one.
Not being drafted does not mean that you won’t make it to the league. It also doesn’t mean that you won’t be signed and potentially carve out a Hall of Fame career.
The player you see above and below these lines did it. He proved that with hard work, determination, and perseverance you can do anything. Especially, if you are committed to the grind and love doing it.
Ben Wallace, or “Big Ben” is one of the greatest players the NBA has ever seen. His sheer dominance on the defensive side of the ball, his ability to rebound the basketball only matches the consistency of the great Dennis Rodman.
But man his intensity is what ultimately made him HIM. Besides the afro of course, Ben Wallace intimidated every player he went up against. If you had to play Detroit at the “Palace” then you had to be ready for 48 minutes of PAIN. Ben never took a play off. Every 50-50 ball had to be his. If you wanted to score, you HAD to go through him every time. Wallace played both Power Forward and Center. Standing at 6'9" and weighing 240 lbs, he was obviously considered undersize especially at the 5. Having to guard centers like Shaq and Yao Ming, for most players, 6'9" isn’t going to cut it. But when you’re Ben Wallace, it’s more than enough.
Wallace played college basketball at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio for two years (‘92-’93) before he transferred to Virginia Union, a division two school. At Cuyahoga, Ben showcased his high IQ on defense. He averaged a combined total of 17 RPG & 6.9 BPG. Prior to becoming a Panther at Virginia Union, Ben planned to attend McNeese State, but because he didn’t complete his last semester at Cuyahoga, he transferred to Virginia Union instead. At Virginia Union from ‘94-’96 he averaged a combined total of 13.4 PPG, 10 RPG & 3.6 BPG. Wallace earned First Team All CIAA honors and was selected as a First Team All-American as he lead the Panthers to the Division II Final Four.
The 1996 NBA Draft included some of the greatest players ever. From Allen Iverson to Steve Nash, Ray Allen, and the late, great Kobe Bryant. The ’96 Draft is considered by many to be the greatest NBA Draft ever.
Ben Wallace was also apart of that historic draft class. the only difference, was that he wasn’t drafted. Wallace path was already unconventional for those who want to make the league, but he didn’t let that faze him. Ben was signed by the Washington Bullets (now Wizards) where he went from averaging less than six minutes a game to close to thirty. He only played for Washington for three years (‘96-’99), and in that timeframe he averaged 4.9 RPG & 1.1 BPG.
Ben was then traded and played a single season in Orlando with the Magic (‘99-’00). Yes, Cash Money was taking over at that time. Wallace averaged 8.2 RPG & 1.6 BPG. Wallace was then traded to Detroit for players that included Grant Hill in a trade that many considered “one-sided”. But things would change for Wallace in a big way, a really, big way.
Things clicked immediately for Ben as soon as he hit Detroit. in the 2000-01 season, Wallace averaged 6.4 PPG, 13.2 RPG & 2.3 BPG. The following season he would put up more disgusting numbers. 7.6 PPG, a league leading 13.0 RPG, and a league leading 3.5 BPG. These numbers would lead to Ben’s first DPOY award, while also being named to the All-Defensive First Team and the All-NBA Third Team. Wallace would make his first NBA Playoff appearance as well. He opened the playoffs with a 19 point, 20 rebound effort against Toronto, and he managed to grab 20 or more rebounds two more times in 10 total playoff games, his first experience in the playoffs.
At this point Ben had arrived. The Pistons realized what they had on their hands, and Wallace would continue to produce at an alarming rate.
From ‘02-’06 NBA fans would witness one of the nastiest stretches a player could have and I mean that with the utmost respect. Wallace would put on a absolute clinic with averages of 8.3 PPG, 12.8 RPG & 2.7 BPG. 4x All Star, 4x Defensive First Team, 4 All NBA Teams, and three DPOY awards. He would lead the league in boards in ‘02-’03 with 15.4 RPG. Do you know how insane it is to average over 15 rebounds for an entire season?
Ben Did. And when you’re able to bench press 450 with ease on a regular basis, chances are you could too. But in all seriousness, the man was a freak athlete, and the numbers proved it.
In ‘03-’04, Wallace would reach the pinnacle. He would become an NBA champion. The Detroit Pistons would go toe-to-toe with the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. The Pistons would make quick work of the Lakers in five games, and their defense led by Ben Wallace would play a HUGE role. In the 2004 NBA Finals, Wallace averaged 10.8 PPG, 13.6 RPG, 1.8 SPG & 1.0 BPG. In 2005 Wallace and the Pistons would go back to the finals, but would lose to the Spurs in seven. In that series Wallace would average 10.7 PPG, 10.3 RPG & 3.0 BPG.
2006 would be Ben’s last season in Detroit as he would test free agency and eventually sign with the Bulls. He was still the same dominant, rebounding figure that many fans came to love. But was traded in the second year of his four year contract to the Cavs when the Bulls started out the gate slow and never picked it up. By this time knee injuries held Wallace back, but he was still a defensive anchor for Cleveland.
By 2009 Wallace would find himself as a free agent after being bought out by Phoenix when they agreed to trade Shaq to Cleveland. How funny is it that the man that Wallace would play against in the playoffs four years in a row (‘04-’08) would be traded for him? Nevertheless, Wallace would resign with Detroit and eventually eclipse the 10,000 career rebound mark. He would also break the record for most games played by an Undrafted player.
Wallace played three more years (all with Detroit) before he retired in 2012. The Pistons would retire his jersey in 2016.
Wallace carved out a career that only few can dream of. Regardless of how many points he put up, he knew his role and he made sure to succeed at it. The afro, the energy, and intensity is unmatched. We’ll never see a player like Wallace strike fear into players like he was able to do. The man is a legend, a world champ, and no one can deny that. More importantly, he did it as a player who went undrafted. Just shows that no matter if you get drafted or not, if the talent is there, someone will find it. But it’s up to you to build on it and strive to be the player that YOU want to be.
