From Undrafted to Hall of Famer: The Inspiring Story of Ben Wallace – ‘The Chosen One’
About Detroit basketball growing up in Alabama to playing in Community College being undrafted and Wallace stares it off the glass already six rebounds has win the popularity contest in terms of playing in the NBA Allstar game but guarantee you this guy probably should be and be a
Defensive player of the year that was a great defensive play by Ben Wallace oh what a block by Wallace W that was beautifully Time by Ben Wallace NBA Defensive Player of the Year award to our own Pap B Wallace four time NBA Defensive Player of the Year now becomes
The first ever undrafted player to make it to the hall and away from the basketball court Big B is we want we look at L Williams all right and action so um as far as my upbringing you know I’m oring from Alabama you know born and raised in Alabama small town you know
Called whiteall Alabama you know just growing up in a very rural you know pool area where um where you basically had to go out and work for everything that you wanted you know um the schools and you know um in the area that we lived in you
Know was was was small so you know you get what you need as far as um that one-on-one time and you know far as getting education and you know also in high school we was required to take you know trades like you know Brick Mason building construction electronics and
Stuff like that as well so you know I played basketball football baseball softball ran track and field you know I was just just allaround athlete and um so as far as the love for basketball that that came late in my life you know I was all through high school I was
Pretty much was football player football football was my thing and uh my senior year sort of had a a neck injury um playing football and you know just sort of turn my energy towards basketball after that and um you know put all my time and effort into basketball after I got hurt playing
Football after I left Community College you know I had I had tons of D1 office you know um a lot of schools was calling a lot of schools were looking at me but but I didn’t um I didn’t graduate from the community college so so that um that
Limited my options and um you know I thought the next best um school was the was Virginia Union my time at Virginia Union man it was um you know I was um division 2 all America you know CIAA MVP you know Team MVP defensive player of the year here
You know Coca-Cola All-American and um you know for the but for the most part it was just a fun time man you know we at the end of your career or your end of your um College time when you leaving schools that’s when you start to think
About the athes but when you there you know um you really don’t think about those things because you know the school within itself was um great as far as keeping you grounded and keeping you locked in on what you need to be doing um in 1996 when the when the draft came
Around you know um you know that 96 draft classes you know it’s arguably the best draft class ever and um anybody who didn’t get drafted in that class you know you you you sort to know why when I didn’t hear my name you
Know um I went back to the gym and um I hit the weight room and I just repped out to everybody who got called so you know for me it was motivation and it was uh it was nothing that I wasn’t used to you know I was sort of had at that point
In my my life as far as my basketball career I was sort of getting used to being looked over you know when you stop looking listen at the naysayers on why you should or why you couldn’t or why you can’t and um you figured out that
You and this dog fight by yourself when you start doing it for yourself you know it makes the most it make all the all the difference and um we talk about getting that one stop when the team needed you know we talking about going the extra mile and doing this and doing
That and um I was motivated to do those things for myself you don’t like to be coach if you don’t like people telling you what to do then you make sure you take care of your business and you do your job and know that was my model I
Was going to always was going to step out there and was going to give it everything I had cuz I refused to be out work you know 1996 after after not being drafted you know I had a um try out with the Celtics that didn’t work out in my
Favor and um then I end up going over to Italy playing with um a team over in Europe and um finally I got a call from West unel and said that he was um he wanted me to come in and work out and I explained my situation and and it was
Funny cuz I told him you know I’m over I’m over in Europe you know I’m playing you know I got a contract and I don’t want to I don’t want to leave my contract to come back for what may just turn out to be a TR out
Whatever and um so he called me back the second time if you know Wes you can kind of imagine how the conversation with with um was like like boy you effing crazy like you know like uh you know get back over here and and um and um attend
This workout or whatever so you know I came back for the workout and at that point in my career I feel like I was a pro there’s no two ways about it like I’m you know I’m I’m the best in the best shape you know at the best at the
Best time that I that I really need to prove this point that I’m a professional player and I’m ready to play uh professional basketball so when I came back to Washington and uh when Wes explained to me like we got 15 16 guys that’s competing for two
Spots and uh they said I’m going to take one guard I’m going take one big so so me I took that conversation as you know you you looking for your guard you already got the big that you need right here and you know that’s how that’s how
I approach the workouts man I just went out there and just just gave everything I had you know getting here you know and understand what this uh what this franchise is all about you know um looking at the names on the wall you know knowing you know the reputation you
Know of those championship teams you know um as far as basketball go you know I feel like I was at home like you know I think this this organization fit my style play this team fit my style of play you know this city fit my style of
Play but to come here and way the fans and the city and the organization embrace me what I got here and um gave me an opportunity to go out there and prove myself as a basketball player and and be the foundation of something great you know as far as winning the NBA
Championship and being being able to go out there every night and compete against the best talent that the world had to offer and for all that that happened in Detroit I said it was real special was his work ethic um he was a real hard workor um pick up your your
Lunch pill type of guy and I feel like Detroit is that type of City so once they see that and and their athletes and people that play for the city uh they gravitate to that even more and they they fall in love with you based on that
In the early 2000s I feel like that’s when he kind of got his name and uh he was like a worldwide known person cuz it’s the way he played the afro and his heart work uh everybody knew him for that so just remembering that those
Moments seeing them win that was a a big thing um cuz we haven’t had champions in Detroit a long time before that so that was a special moment to see that inspiring to know that I can you know go out and accomplish some great things myself I ended up siging with that one
You know around 2000 and uh um you know it was just one of those things where I didn’t have a shoe deal when it was came time for me to make the decision you know I I went with everyone because it’s it’s definitely a brand that everybody
Is a part of it either directly or indirectly you know every time anybody’s on that floor you know you get hit you get bumped you throw the ball up everybody screaming an one as far as the trash talking you know t-shirt goes with an one I just think that the the name
And one fits the brand perfect especially when it come to trash talking because it don’t matter what shoes you got on don’t matter what shirts you wear you know if you drive into the basket and you get bu everybody screaming that one at that time the chosen one was a
Iconic shoe um just the look of it the shape um it was a different design something that we probably never really seen before in the shoe so that that was a a big thing in itself and just seeing Ben wear it and how how he how he
Gravitated to it and how he played in it that it gives you the sense of like the these are shoes to perform in and really put on your feet and go to work I basically wore you know one pair of shoes at home and one pair of shoes on
The road so I was just basically wearing two pair of shoes the whole season you know the trainer they tried to change the shoes a couple of times and you know I told him I’m not super sitious or whatever but it just ain’t no need and
You know I still got them they still at the house they going in the trophy case you know ain’t no no trophy in that case no more important than those shoes because no matter how great you are as a shoot a rebound or whatever you can’t
Get there you can’t do it so you need a good fast shoes to take you where you need to go I mean post Championship man at night you know after we walked off the floor man back into the locker room we you know popping champagne and you know
Enjoying your teammates man enjoying the moment of winning a championship you making memories for life you know she got a belt made for all the players all the coaches you know signify that we’re the world champion no matter what happened from this day forward you know
They can never take the fact that we are world champions you can see me and not see my ring but if you saw me and you knew I had that saw that belt you knew it would signify that we was a world champion I mean once I got a call about
You know possibly being inducted to the Hall of Fame man you got to understand it’s um it’s a very surreal moment you know you want to celebrate and you want to Rejoice but it’s not one of those type of moments yet you know just getting a call
You know you might be on the ballot you can be on the ballot for 20 years but to actually be inducted into the Hall of Fame that spell Legacy everything that you work for everything that you accomplish from the day you picked up a basket BB till today
When they say that you are Hall of Fame everything you’ve done goes into that one moment of being Hall of Fame it don’t get no higher than that so everything I’ve done in my basketball life goes into that Hall of Fame with me and it spell Legacy to me so we ask
People what type of Legacy you want to build so when you look at Ben Wallace from start to finish everything went into building that Hall of Fame Nas I like to tell people that you need to understand can’t nobody kill your dream but you can’t no other man woman
Coach player killer dream but you and uh and like I said that was my dream my dream was to make it to the NBA that was that was part of my journey and you know like I said I fell in love with the struggle and you know once you embrace the
Struggle that it’s not going to be easy everything you do is going to be tough you know then everything then then everything become a little bit easier than what you thought it was going to be because you prepared for the toughest and the roughest we want then as we look at Lou
Williams and the Sixers who aren’t playing it’s a giv give them what they want give them what they want the crowd roll to the couch neighb up break plastic bars from stop in my Ste
AND1 Entertainment premieres ‘The Chosen One,’ a mini documentary on the story of Ben Wallace and his inspiring journey – from his HBCU experience at Virginia Union to his shot at the league, as told by the legend himself.
This year will mark the 20th anniversary of Wallace’s championship victory with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. AND1 recognizes there is no better time to celebrate the first and only undrafted Hall of Famer that donned their shoes during his storied career in the NBA.
While Wallace was known for sporting the AND1 Chosen One sneakers on the court, Ben also embodies AND1’s values: raw talent, dedication, and an unmatched work ethic. This powerful combination led the undrafted player to beat the odds by becoming an NBA champion and four-time Defensive Player of the Year.
The celebration comes on the heels of AND1’s milestone 30th Anniversary last year. AND1 is excited to continue its legacy of honoring the people and communities that built the brand, fostering the love of the game, and ushering in new, raw talent.
