Ben Wallace didn't take the easy path to the top.
Undrafted in 1996, Wallace worked his way onto the roster in Washington, before being traded to the Orlando Magic and then Detroit Pistons where he became a household name.
Speaking to the media just one day out from being enshrined in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, Wallace discussed his undrafted status.
"Undrafted players who get to the door and don't have their name called...it's a blessing."
— NBA (@NBA) September 10, 2021
- Ben Wallace#21HoopClass Enshrinement: Saturday, Sept. 11 - 7pm/et on NBA TV pic.twitter.com/YevOaAwVPD
"Undrafted players who get to the door and don't have their name called. It's a blessing," said Wallace.
"Either you're going to find your true strength or you're going to prove to me why you want to be here. If I want to be a basketball player and you don't draft me, what am I going to do, quit, or keep going? "
"Knock on the next door, knock on the next door, if one of those open I'm going to go in and display my talent."
From not hearing his name called to 16 seasons in the NBA. Five times Wallace was selected to an All-NBA team, four times he was the Defensive Player of the Year and four times an All-Star. In 2004, he anchored a dominant championship winning Pistons defence.
"Dream big," said Wallace.
"The bigger your dreams are, the less your fall is. If you dream big and you make it halfway and can find someone else that know the rest of the way you can still get there."
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