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Game state source: whynba · Retrieved Oct 9, 5:36 pm EDTNBA legend. Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Biography, honors and career statistics below.
Ben Wallace
Career at a glance
Ben Wallace played 16 NBA regular seasons between 1996 and 2012, appearing in 1,088 games and averaging 5.7 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He played for 5 teams: Washington (1996–99, 147 games), Orlando (1999–00, 81 games), Detroit (9 seasons between 2000 and 2012, 655 games), Chicago (2006–08, 127 games), Cleveland (2007–09, 78 games). His best scoring season was 2004–05 with Detroit: 9.7 points per game over 74 games.
He rebounded best in 2002–03 at 15.4 per game. The season table marks him as the league leader in rebounding twice, blocks once. Championship season: 2003–04 (Detroit).
In the playoffs he appeared in 8 postseason runs (130 games, 7.2 points per game). Multiplying each season’s games by its scoring average gives roughly 6,200 regular-season points (an estimate from per-game figures, not an official total).
whynba analysis of the season-by-season statistics below (Wikipedia revision, CC BY-SA 4.0). Totals are estimates from per-game averages.
About Ben Wallace
Benjamin Camey Wallace (born September 10, 1974) is an American basketball executive and former professional player who played most of his career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) with the Detroit Pistons. Nicknamed "Big Ben", he is often considered the greatest undrafted player in NBA history. He is also widely regarded as one of the best defensive players of all time, excelling in rebounding, shot-blocking, and interior defense.
A native of Alabama, Wallace attended Cuyahoga Community College and Virginia Union University. In an NBA career that spanned from 1996 to 2012, he played with the Washington Bullets/Wizards, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls, and Cleveland Cavaliers as well as the Pistons. Wallace won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, a record he shares with Dikembe Mutombo and Rudy Gobert. In nine seasons with the Pistons (2000–2006; 2009–2012), Wallace made two NBA Finals appearances (2004 and 2005) and won a championship in 2004. The Pistons retired his jersey No. 3 in 2016. Wallace was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in the class of 2021.
Wallace has served as a basketball operations and team engagement advisor for the Pistons since 2021.
- Born
- September 10, 1974 (age 52) White Hall, Alabama, U.S.
- Listed height
- 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
- Listed weight
- 240 lb (109 kg)
- Position
- Center / power forward
- High school
- Central (Hayneville, Alabama)
- College
- Cuyahoga CC (1992–1994) Virginia Union (1994–1996)
- NBA draft
- 1996: undrafted
- Playing career
- 1996–2012
Career highlights and awards
- NBA champion (2004)
- 4× NBA All-Star (2003–2006)
- 3× All-NBA Second Team (2003, 2004, 2006)
- 2× All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2005)
- 4× NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)
- 5× NBA All-Defensive First Team (2002–2006)
- NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2007)
- 2× NBA rebounding leader (2002, 2003)
- NBA blocks leader (2002)
- No. 3 retired by Detroit Pistons
- First-team Division IIAll-American – NABC (1996)
Career statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | Washington | 34 | 0 | 5.8 | .348 | — | .300 | 1.7 | .1 | .2 | .3 | 1.1 |
| 1997–98 | Washington | 67 | 16 | 16.8 | .518 | — | .357 | 4.8 | .3 | .9 | 1.1 | 3.1 |
| 1998–99 | Washington | 46 | 16 | 26.8 | .578 | — | .356 | 8.3 | .4 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 6.0 |
| 1999–00 | Orlando | 81 | 81 | 24.2 | .503 | — | .474 | 8.2 | .8 | .9 | 1.6 | 4.8 |
| 2000–01 | Detroit | 80 | 79 | 34.5 | .490 | .250 | .336 | 13.2 | 1.5 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 6.4 |
| 2001–02 | Detroit | 80 | 80 | 36.5 | .531 | .000 | .423 | 13.0* | 1.4 | 1.7 | 3.5* | 7.6 |
| 2002–03 | Detroit | 73 | 73 | 39.4 | .481 | .167 | .450 | 15.4* | 1.6 | 1.4 | 3.2 | 6.9 |
| 2003–04† | Detroit | 81 | 81 | 37.7 | .421 | .125 | .490 | 12.4 | 1.7 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 9.5 |
| 2004–05 | Detroit | 74 | 74 | 36.1 | .453 | .111 | .428 | 12.2 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 9.7 |
| 2005–06 | Detroit | 82* | 82* | 35.2 | .510 | .000 | .416 | 11.3 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 7.3 |
| 2006–07 | Chicago | 77 | 77 | 35.0 | .453 | .200 | .408 | 10.7 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 6.4 |
| 2007–08 | Chicago | 50 | 50 | 32.5 | .373 | .000 | .424 | 8.8 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 1.6 | 5.1 |
| 2007–08 | Cleveland | 22 | 22 | 26.3 | .457 | — | .432 | 7.4 | .6 | .9 | 1.7 | 4.2 |
| 2008–09 | Cleveland | 56 | 53 | 23.5 | .445 | — | .422 | 6.5 | .8 | .9 | 1.3 | 2.9 |
| 2009–10 | Detroit | 69 | 67 | 28.6 | .541 | .000 | .406 | 8.7 | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 5.5 |
| 2010–11 | Detroit | 54 | 49 | 22.9 | .450 | .500 | .333 | 6.5 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.9 |
| 2011–12 | Detroit | 62 | 11 | 15.8 | .395 | .250 | .340 | 4.3 | .7 | .8 | .8 | 1.4 |
| Career | 1088 | 912 | 29.5 | .474 | .137 | .414 | 9.6 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 2.0 | 5.7 | |
| All-Star | 4 | 2 | 21.5 | .400 | .000 | .000 | 7.0 | .5 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 3.0 |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Detroit | 10 | 10 | 40.8 | .475 | — | .436 | 16.1 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 7.3 |
| 2003 | Detroit | 17 | 17 | 42.5 | .486 | .000 | .446 | 16.3 | 1.6 | 2.5 | 3.1 | 8.9 |
| 2004† | Detroit | 23* | 23* | 40.2 | .454 | .000 | .427 | 14.3 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.4 | 10.3 |
| 2005 | Detroit | 25* | 25* | 39.2 | .481 | .000 | .461 | 11.3 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 10.0 |
| 2006 | Detroit | 18 | 18 | 35.7 | .465 | .000 | .273 | 10.5 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 4.7 |
| 2007 | Chicago | 10 | 10 | 36.9 | .566 | .000 | .500 | 9.5 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 1.7 | 8.7 |
| 2008 | Cleveland | 13 | 13 | 23.4 | .515 | — | .350 | 6.5 | 1.2 | .6 | 1.1 | 3.2 |
| 2009 | Cleveland | 14 | 0 | 12.6 | .615 | — | .000 | 2.7 | .3 | .3 | .3 | 1.1 |
| Career | 130 | 116 | 34.8 | .482 | .000 | .418 | 11.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 7.2 |
Per-game averages. † won an NBA championship · * led the league · ‡ NBA record (as marked).
Profile observation date unavailable.
- Height
- 6′ 9″
- Weight
- 240 lb
- Position
- Center / power forward
- Jersey
- Not listed
- Country
- USA
- School / last affiliation
- Not listed
- Draft year
- Undrafted (1996 class)
- Draft pick
- Undrafted / not listed
Height, Weight, Position, Country, Draft year: blank in the NBA.com profile, filled from the Wikipedia infobox credited in the About section above.
How Ben Wallace changed Detroit’s defense
The Detroit Pistons acquired Wallace and Chucky Atkins from Orlando in the 2000 Grant Hill sign-and-trade. That transaction helped establish the defensive foundation of a championship team.
Why did his matchup with Shaquille O’Neal matter?
Coach Larry Brown recalled that Detroit rarely doubled O’Neal or deliberately fouled him, relying on Wallace to challenge him repeatedly. The distinction matters: a double-team sends a second defender to the ball and leaves another offensive player for the remaining defenders to cover. Wallace’s assignment was about the team’s defensive choices as well as his individual matchup.
What did he contribute in the title clincher?
Wallace recorded 18 points and 22 rebounds as Detroit won Game 5 of the 2004 Finals, 100–87. Rebounding connects both halves of his role: a defensive board can finish a stop, while an offensive board gives a team another scoring opportunity. His performance is a useful starting point for understanding an impact that a scoring total alone cannot convey.
How should you read his statistics?
In the 2003–04 regular season, Wallace averaged 9.5 points, 12.4 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 1.8 steals. Read those categories together. Blocks record shots stopped; they do not count every shot a defender discourages or every possession his teammates finish. His four Defensive Player of the Year awards came in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. Those honors span multiple seasons, while the 2004 championship identifies a particular team achievement.
Roster observations
These dates show when our saved NBA directory observations listed this player with a team. They are not signing, trade or contract dates, and this is not a complete career history.
No roster observations are stored for this player. Historical profile details above do not establish a current team assignment.
Profile source
Biographical fields reflect the saved official profile at the check time shown above. Team assignments use the dated directory evidence in Roster observations. Offseason rosters and jersey numbers can change.
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