Ben Wallace (basketball)

Ben Wallace (born 10 September 1974) is an American basketball executive and former professional player, nicknamed Big Ben, who spent most of his National Basketball Association career with the Detroit Pistons. Born in White Hall, Alabama, he played junior college basketball at Cuyahoga Community College and then at Virginia Union University, went undrafted in 1996 and worked his way into the league through the Washington Bullets, later the Wizards. He is regarded as the greatest undrafted player in NBA history and as one of the finest defensive players ever, known for rebounding, shot blocking and interior defense. He won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, helped Detroit win the 2004 NBA championship and reach a second Finals in 2005, and also played for the Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers. The Pistons retired his number 3 jersey in 2016, and he entered the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.