Ben Wallace headlines the 2019 Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame finalists

Retired Detroit Pistons legend and NBA Champion Ben Wallace and others headline the 2019 Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame finalists.

Every year, a special group of basketball legends headline the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame. A basketball coach, WNBA player, and NBA player could headline the Basketball Hall Of Fame. But not everyone can make the cut. Most of the time, you’d have to put a stamp in the sport to qualify. It’s one thing to make the finalists for the Basketball Hall Of Fame. It’s another thing to be a first-year finalist. Retired Detroit Pistons legend Ben Wallace headlines the Naismith Basketball Hall Of Fame finalists with three other first-year finalists. Those first-year finalists include Marques Johnson, Jack Sikma, and Paul Westphal.

Ben Wallace came into the league in 1996 as an undrafted player. He had little to almost no expectation to become a solid NBA player. In 1996 if I were to tell you that Ben Wallace is going to go down as one of the best defensive players of all time. Probably 99.9 percent of people would have called me crazy.

Fast forward to 2012. Ben Wallace had just finished his 17th season in the NBA. He retired in 2012 as one of the best defenders of all time. He may have not scored much of anything in the league. But his defense was so impactful. So much that it awarded him becoming a first-year finalist.

He ended his career with a stat-line of 5.7 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, 1.3 steals per game, and 2 blocks per game on 47.4 percent shooting. Again, other than the rebounding and defensive stats, it isn’t all that impressive. But the game is more than just scoring a lot of points.

His accomplishments, accolades, and impact for the game got him into the finalist position.

All of these accomplishments and accolades while being an undrafted player.

Impact on the game

Undrafted players usually find it hard to make it and find a home in the NBA. Sometimes they never get the opportunity to show what they can do for a team. But this doesn’t mean these players don’t work hard.

He is the player that other NBA players look up to when they become an undrafted player. Players like Robert Covington, Langston Galloway, Dewayne Dedmon, Jonathon Simmons, and many others have a reason to work hard to achieve a roster spot. Ben Wallace proved that if you work hard enough; you could work your way up into the league.

He started his career with the Washington Wizards and played three seasons with them. A total of 147 games played in 3 seasons. His impact would start to show in his third season. His fourth season found him playing 81 games with the Orlando Magic. A somewhat down season to his third season; still with decent impact.

His time to shine would come in his next 6 seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He wanted to prove that he would be a good player in the league. Not only did he prove that, but he one-upped that by solidifying himself as a legend.

With the Pistons, he was able to claim all of those accolades listed earlier. He was a part of the “Going to work” Detroit Pistons team that many fans loved. Fans would come to the arena wearing afros. He gave fans one of the most memorable blocks in NBA history on Shaquille O’Neal. He didn’t just block him, he forced a jump-ball on one of the most dominant forces in NBA history.

This was one of the blocks of many that helped the Detroit Pistons become one of the best defensive teams in the league. This defense helped the Pistons make back-to-back NBA Finals. They would win their first NBA Championship in 2004 since the “Bad Boys” team in against the Los Angeles Lakers “super team”

Wallace would have to defend against Shaquille O’Neal for that series while also protecting the rim from Lakers scorers. A tough task that Ben aced. The Pistons would win the series 4 to 1. They would lose in the finals the next season 4 to 3 against the San Antonio Spurs.

Still though to make the NBA Finals twice and win one; his defense heavily impacted the team’s accomplishments. Nobody could have asked him for more than what he gave to the Pistons.

After 6 years with the Pistons. He would sign with the Chicago Bulls, get traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and finish the last 3 seasons with the Pistons. The Pistons would retire his jersey in 2016 at halftime during the Golden State Warriors versus Detroit Pistons game.

In 2018, the Detroit Pistons G-League team Grand Rapids Drive introduced Ben Wallace as an ownership partner for the team. Continuing to impact the game for players struggling to stay in the league.

His overall impact has been impressive enough to become a finalist for the Basketball Hall of Fame. Congrats to Ben Wallace; a well deserved gentleman who gave everything for the game!