He cut his neighbors’ hair and his mentor cut his hair. The path to the NBA of a legend of the 2000s
Nikita Biryukov October 2, 2024, 14:30 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.
Ben Wallace is a unique player!
Ben Wallace, 2004 NBA champion with the Detroit Pistons, was born on September 10, 1974 in White Hall, Alabama. The player’s childhood was far from calm, like that of many black basketball players in the United States in general, but he overcame all adversities and became the personification of the defensive game of the 2000s. We tell you interesting facts about Wallace.
The Wallace family was not rich. Ben was the tenth of 11 children in a very large, close-knit family. From a young age, he tried to help his parents and worked part-time on a nut farm. Another source of income was baling hay bales. As a child, he, like all children, played basketball near the Wallace house. Sometimes he simply ran without receiving the ball, since he was the youngest of his brothers. “If I wanted to have the ball, I first had to intercept it, pick it up or chase it when it was in contact,” Ben said.
So Ben went to school and at the same time played several sports: football, baseball and basketball. Plus, not only did he study, he was a member of the state team! In 1991, Wallace learned that Alabama would host a youth basketball camp that would include Charles Oakley. At that time, the forward was already a star for the New York Knicks, and before that he played for three seasons with the Chicago Bulls, playing alongside the legendary Michael Jordan. Oakley earned MJ’s trust because he not only performed well in the NBA, but also always stood up for Jordan and his partners. In general, he defended his own people.
To get to Alabama, he not only had to travel almost 100 kilometers, but he also had to save the $50 needed to participate in training camp. Young Wallace charged neighbors and everyone $3 per haircut to save this amount. Ben ended up attending Oakley’s class. As training progressed, Charles was impressed by the schoolboy’s fighting spirit as he tried his best to perform. One of the activities was a one-on-one game. The confrontation was so violent that an NBA player broke Wallace’s lip. But what is much more important is that after this Charles gained the boy’s respect and literally became his mentor.
Charles Oakley and Ben Wallace, 1999/2000 season
Photo: Bob Rosato/Getty Images
Oakley helped launch Wallace’s career as a college basketball player and jump-started his overall development. His success was not noticed at the college level, as no team selected him in the 1996 draft. But Big Ben entered the NBA and signed a contract with the Washington Bullets (later the Washington Wizards). The rest is history! Four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, four All-Star selections, five All-Defensive First Team selections and one championship with Detroit.
On top of that, Wallace is the only undrafted player in NBA history to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. He once said: “In today’s league, not only could I play, but I would average 50 rebounds like Wilt. [Чемберлен]”Ben wants to believe, because he was a monstrous protector. It’s scary to imagine what he would do on the court now… This is how getting $50 and a busted lip in camp changes your life 360 degrees.
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