“Ben Wallace was one of the most impactful players of all time”: The Pistons Legend and 2021 Hall of Famer is the only NBA player with more steals than turnovers

Ben Wallace’s impact on a basketball game is as high as any player on the “best ever” list.

The Detroit Pistons‘ legend is one of the league’s best defenders ever. Physically a beast, the 6’9 center was a tad shorter for the position he played, but he never came up short on impact.

Ben Wallace led Detroit Pistons were not dirty as the “Bad Boys” Pistons’ but they were at the same or even better level of defense than them. And Big Ben was the major part of it.

Also read: “I’ve been booed plenty of times, it’s not going to affect me”: Andre Drummond opens up about being booed by Pistons fans upon return

Ben Wallace impacted the games that mattered like none other

It might be a hard pill to swallow for people who didn’t see Wallace play because his stats read an average of 5.7 points per game. But the game is not just played on one end of the floor. And nobody could get past Big Ben on the other end of the floor because he would block and steal everything anyone would bring towards Pistons’ half.

During his time with Pistons in the early 2000s, Ben dominated the league in the presence of offensive forces like Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Allen Iverson. Big Ben defended everyone, irrespective of position.

He has the record of winning NBA Defensive Player of the year 4 times that he only shares with Dikembe Mutombo. During that time, the 2-time rebounding leader, helped Detroit Pistons reach two straight NBA finals, winning one in 2004.

Ben Wallace 4 year Playoff Peak. (2002-2005)

9.6 ppg
14.0 rpg
1.5 apg
2.0 spg
2.6 bpg
47.3 % Fg

One of the most impactful players of All-Time. pic.twitter.com/xiC6Kl52k6

— ²⁰⁰⁰s🥇 (@PeakNBAEra) October 13, 2021

The 2021 NBA Hall of Fame inductee, Ben Wallace is the only NBA player who averages more blocks (2) than personal fouls (1.9) and more steals (1.3) than turnovers (1).

Also read: “Isiah Thomas hit my dad in the back of the head a couple of times and he did nothing”: Klay Thompson remembered his dad getting hit by Pistons’ legend

The only players in the same category as Ben Wallace are Dennis Rodman and Draymond Green. And we have the results to show how these impactful players helped their franchises win Championships.

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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