During his time in the NBA, Ben Wallace played for a few teams including the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers.
He averaged 5.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists and was a standout player for any squad he was signed by.
In the end, that was enough to make him a Hall of Famer, four-time All-Star, and two-time rebounding champion.
He also earned a championship ring with his 2004 Pistons.
He did all of this while being undrafted.
Players entering the 2022 NBA Draft should remember that Wallace was the four-time Defensive Player of the Year, a six-time All-Defense ,and five-time All-NBA athlete despite his draft status.
It just goes to show that anyone can become great in the league and can make an impact.
It truly doesn’t matter where they land in the draft order, they can still make a name for themselves in the NBA.
Big Ben
Wallace was part of a rookie class that featured the likes of Allen Iverson, Marcus Camby, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Jermaine O’Neal, and a little known kid from Philly named Kobe Bryant.
You can understand why it would be hard to break through all of that talent.
However, the fact that he never got drafted didn’t slow Wallace down.
If anything, it only made him more engaged and more driven to have success in the league.
Sure enough, that’s what he did.
Wallace flew below the radar for a few years at the beginning but then really came to life when he made the move to Detroit, where he won his Defensive Player of the Year awards and was known for grabbing numerous rebounds a game.
Today Wallace is considered a legend to many and anyone who wears his jersey doesn’t care that he went undrafted all those years ago.
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