Report: Former Pistons great Ben Wallace to join Basketball Hall of Fame

Big Ben is getting the NBA's biggest honor.

Pistons icon Ben Wallace has been selected to the 2021 class for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, according to multiple reports. An official announcement is expected on Sunday

ESPN's The Undefeated first reported Saturday that Wallace, a defensive stalwart and member of the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship team would receive the sports highest honor. After a couple of years of being passed over for the honor, Wallace becomes the first member of the "Goin' to Work" squad to be selected for the Hall of Fame. 

Wallace, a four-time All-Star and defensive player of the year, spent 16 years in the league, including nine with the Pistons. He averaged 5.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals.

Known for his defense, Wallace's candidacy for the highest honor was clouded in a debate about whether a player with most of his accomplishments on defense was worthy of selection. Wallace never averaged double figures in scoring in a season in his career, but he was a five-time All-NBA selection, led the league in blocks in 2002 and led the league in rebounding twice. 

His other credentials match up with many other centers in the Hall of Fame.  

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Wallace was undrafted as a Division II All-American out of Virginia Union and began his NBA career with Washington in 1997. He spent three seasons there before moving to the Orlando Magic, where he spent a season before the fateful Grant Hill trade brought him to Detroit. 

In recent years, Wallace has renewed his relationship with the Pistons and the NBA and he is a co-owner of the Grand Rapids Drive of the G League.