Ben Wallace life and biography

Ben Wallace is an American basketball player for the Detroit Pistons. Nicknamed "Big Ben", he plays the center and power forward positions, and is listed at 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) and 240 lb (110 kg). He has won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times, a record he shares with Dikembe Mutombo. Wallace was a member of the Detroit Pistons team that won the NBA championship in 2004.

Career history:

1996–1999 Washington Bullets / Wizards
1999–2000 Orlando Magic
2000–2006 Detroit Pistons
2006–2008 Chicago Bulls
2008–2009 Cleveland Cavaliers
2009–present Detroit Pistons

CAREER:

Signed as free agent by Washington on 10/2/96…Acquired by Orlando from Washington on 8/11/99 along with Terry Davis, Tim Legler and Jeff McInnis in exchange for Isaac Austin…Acquired by Detroit from Orlando on 8/3/00 along with Chucky Atkins as part of sign-and-trade in exchange for Grant Hill…Signed as free agent by Chicago (7/13/06)… Traded by Chicago to Cleveland in a three-team trade (2/21/08)…Signed as free agent by Detroit (8/12/09)... Re-signed as a free agent by Detroit (8/4/10).

NBA Defensive Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006)…NBA All-Defensive First Team (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006)…All-NBA Second Team (2003, 2004, 2006)…All-NBA Third Team (2002, 2005)…NBA All-Defensive Second Team (2007)…Four-time NBA All-Star… Member of 2004 Pistons NBA Championship Team.

In 972 career NBA games has averages of 6.2 points on .476 shooting (2,468-5,186 FG) with 10.1 rebounds and 2.09 blocks in 30.7 minutes… His 2,032 total blocks rank 16th in the NBA all-time and fourth among active NBA players…Among active NBA players, ranks second in offensive rebounds (3,234), fourth in total rebounds (9,863) and fifth in defensive rebounds (6,629)…Has recorded 20-plus rebounds 42 times during his career (38 times with Detroit, 2 times with Orlando, two times with Chicago).

2009-10 (Detroit):
Appeared in 69 games (67 starts) averaging 5.5 points (.541 FG), a team-high 8.7 rebounds, 1.25 steals and a team-leading 1.22 blocks in 28.6 minutes per game…Led the team in rebounds 41 times and assists once…Scored 10-plus points eight times, grabbed 10-plus rebounds 25 times and 15-plus rebounds five times…Tallied four double-doubles…Became the 17th player in NBA history to record 2,000 career blocks at New Jersey (2/2)…At 6-foot-9, he is the shortest player in league history to reach 2,000 blocks… Became one of four players in NBA history to record 2,000 career blocks and 1,200 career steals (Olajuwon, Parish, Robinson)…Ranks first among active NBA players for most games played by an undrafted player (973)…With two steals vs. Orlando (1/31), became the fourth player in franchise history to record 800 steals (Thomas, Dumars, Hunter)...Recorded his 1,200th career steal at Phoenix (11/22), becoming the 67th player in NBA history to reach the 1,200-steal plateau…Scored a season-high 18 points (8-10 FG, 2-2 FT) in 25 minutes at Philadelphia (4/6)…Grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds (season-high 16 defensive) and dished out a season-high five assists in 42 minutes vs. New Orleans (1/15)…Blocked a season-high four shots in 31 minutes vs. New Jersey (2/6)…Missed six games with a right patella tendon strain (3/7-3/16)…Missed seven games with sore knees (3/3-3/5; 3/21-3/28; 4/3).

COLLEGE:
Played his final two seasons at Virginia Union, with career averages of 13.4 points on .523 shooting with 10.0 rebounds…As a senior was named First Team All-CIAA, All-CIAA Tournament, VA-SID All-State and All-South Atlantic Region…Earned First Team All-America (Div. II) honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches in 1995-96…Led Virginia Union to the Division II Final Four that season with a 28-3 record…As a junior led his team to the CIAA Championship, and was a unanimous selection for First Team All-CIAA, All-CIAA Tournament Team and MVP of the 1995 CIAA Tournament…Was a two-year starter at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio.

PERSONAL:

He and his wife, Chanda, reside in the Bloomfield Hills area during the season and Virginia over the summer…Has two sons, Ben Jr. and Bryce, and one daughter, Bailey…Played on Team USA at the 2002 FIBA World Basketball Championships, averaging 5.7 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.33 steals, 1.67 blocks and 21.7 minutes in nine games (four as a starter)…Is the 10th of 11 children in his family…Majored in criminal justice at Virginia Union…Collects remote-controlled cars as a hobby…Was active in numerous holiday and Read- To-Achieve events during his first stint in Detroit…As a decorated high school athlete, competed in football, baseball, basketball and track, earning Alabama all-state honors in all but track.

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