Last year, AND 1 Basketball teamed up with Ben Wallace to recount the NBA Hall of Famer's journey from humble beginnings in Alabama to his stint in community college all the way through his eventual stardom with the Detroit Pistons in a mini-documentary.
Wallace's story is one of hard work and steady resolve as Wallace worked his way from being an undrafted player to eventually an All-Star and NBA Champion for Detroit.
His look was iconic and his impact in the paint was second to none. Though a bit undersized at 6-9, Wallace let nothing (and nobody) stand in his way en route to leading the NBA in total rebounds during consecutive seasons with the Pistons (2001-02 and 2002-03). But more than his ferocious rebounding knack, Wallace is perhaps better known for his shot blocking instincts, and Big Ben led the league in blocks during the 2001-02 season.
"You know, getting here and understanding what this franchise is all about-- I'm looking at all the names on the wall and knowing the reputation of those championship teams," Wallace said in the documentary. "As far as basketball goes, I feel like I was at home. I think this organization fit my style of play. This team fit my style of play. This city fit my style of play."
"But to come here and the way that the fans, the city and the organization embraced me when I got here gave me an opportunity to go out there and prove myself as a basketball player and be the foundation of something great as far as winning an NBA championship and being able to go out there every night and compete against the best talent that they world had to offer. For all that to happen in Detroit, I would say that was real special."
Later in the documentary, Wallace touched on the gratifying feeling he experienced after eventually retiring from the NBA when he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. Wallace was a larger-than-life presence on the court for the Pistons during his heyday, and this documentary did a tremendous job of peeling back the layers behind the one-time pillar of Detroit's defense.