Ben Wallace Interview

I Still Love This Game

Ben Wallace was unquestionably the greatest defensive force we have seen in the NBA since Bill Russell, and in this interview he sat down to discuss with me:

• His childhood growing up with 10 other siblings in Alabama
• The impact Charles Oakley had on him
• Draft night in 96
• Catching on with Washington and the role veterans such as Chris Webber and Rod Strickland had on his confidence
• Being traded to Orlando and winning the starting spot for the Magic
• Being traded to Detroit and becoming the face of the franchise
• How the Pistons were built around him, with Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Hamilton, along with head coach Larry Brown, all being brought in to create a championship contender
• The mental toughness of the Pistons to go into New Jersey, down 3 games to 2, and win an elimination game in the Meadowlands
• The series against the Pistons, specifically the block by Tayshaun Prince on Reggie Miller
• How the Pistons demolished the Lakers despite being the biggest underdogs in NBA history
• The 7 game series against both the Heat and Spurs in Detroit's quest for back to back championships
• The Pistons sending 4 players to the all-star game in 2006
• Ben Wallace's block on Shaq in the 2006 conference finals
• Leaving Detroit to sign with the Bulls, and once again destroying Shaq in the playoffs
• What Ben's scouting report was on Shaq when he was given that assignment
• Being traded to Cleveland, and matching up with Kevin Garnett in the conference semi-finals
• Ben's final season in Cleveland before finding his way back home to finish out his career

We finished up by discussing what he has been doing since his retirement, especially his role as ambassador for RC racing cars. Then we turned it over to some fan questions. Ben Wallace's website for his racing can be found here:

Wallace Motorsports

And he can be followed on Instagram here:

Ben Wallace Instagram

So go check out his racing and Instagram pages. He's a really cool guy, and if he doesn't get in the HOF this year, boycott them with me until he does get in!