Ben Wallace – Basketball's undrafted Hall of Famer

The Basketball Hall of Fame is the greatest honor of any basketball player, solidifying their work as some of the best the game has ever seen.

We've seen Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Magic Johnson, Bill Russell, and more of the game's elite being enshrined in basketball heaven.

What we don't see very often or anytime at all is a player drafted from the second round or undrafted at all being selected into the Hall of Fame.

Welcome Ben Wallace, the tough, hardnosed player who staked his claim as the NBA's premiere defender for Detroit, who was selected as a Hall of Famer in 2021 after going undrafted.

Wallace epitomized what it was like to be a defender in the late 90s and noughties, securing four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards and six All-Defensive selections.

Here's a look at the career of the greatest undrafted NBA player in history!

For many, the 1996 NBA Draft possessed the most incredible talent, from Steve Nash, Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson. A player left out – Ben Wallace.

According to nba.com, Wallace said: "Once you get over the initial shock and once you get over the fact that everybody has to pay for not taking a chance on you, it's back to the grind."

Wallace took that underdog, underrated mindset into the rest of his basketball career, eventually earning a spot with the Washington Wizards (Bullets) after a spell in Italy.

Following his stint at Washington, Wallace played one season in Orlando, starting all 81 games before being traded to the Detroit Pistons as compensation in a sign-and-trade deal for superstar forward Grant Hill.

Wallace was determined to make the kind of impact defensively that Grant Hill would make offensively. For Wallace, Detroit was the perfect place for grinding out games with big defensive plays.

Under Rick Carlisle, Detroit would win 32, 50, and 50 games from 2001-2003, with Wallace winning two straight Defensive Player of the Year and averaging up to 15 rebounds and four blocks a game.

The Pistons replaced Carlisle with Larry Brown, and under their new coach, Wallace and his teammates hit a new stride, defeating a Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal Los Angeles Lakers team in the 2004 NBA Finals, securing his only ring.

A year later, Detroit would find themselves in the NBA Finals again, losing to the San Antonio Spurs, who possessed Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.

Wallace would win his fourth and final Defensive Player of the Year award in 2006 with Detroit before finishing his career with the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, and one final stint in Detroit.

Over his 16-year NBA career, Wallace was awarded four all-star appearances, five All-NBA selections, four DPOYs, and six All-Defensive selections. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021.