BEN Wallace was the epitome of toughness during his Hall-of-Fame career in the NBA.

Therefore, if he wants to add his two cents to the debate on whether basketball has become soft or not, people should probably listen.

Ben Wallace was the epitome of toughness in the NBA during his Hall-of-Fame career
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Ben Wallace was the epitome of toughness in the NBA during his Hall-of-Fame careerCredit: Getty

Years later, Wallace said basketball had gotten soft
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Years later, Wallace said basketball had gotten softCredit: Getty
Wallace’s toughness and relentlessness showed both on and off the court.

After a four-year college basketball career, the Alabama native went undrafted in 1996.

But the disappointment didn’t break the 6-foot-9 forward’s soul with his determination to play professional hoops taking Wallace to Italy.

His time in Europe didn’t last long, though, as the big man signed with the Washington Bullets (now known as the Washington Wizards) after just one game for Viola Reggio Calabria.

But he truly found his place after joining the Detroit Pistons in 2000, a team historically known for hard work, tenacity, and grit.

In nine seasons with Detroit, Wallace scooped four Defensive Player of the Year awards, five All-Defensive First Team honors, and four All-Star nods.

In 2022, Big Ben led the entire NBA in blocks as well as rebounding between 2002-2003.

Notably, he also clocked the most minutes among Pistons stars during the team’s fabled 2004 NBA title run that ended with a 4-1 triumph over the Los Angeles Lakers.

It wasn’t just an underdog’s triumph – Detroit’s win broke LA’s superstar Kobe Bryant-Shaquille O’Neal tandem with Shaq forcing a trade to the Miami Heat a few weeks later.

After stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, Wallace returned to Motor City in 2009 and retired as a Piston three years later.

In 2021, he made the headlines again by becoming the first-ever undrafted player in the modern NBA to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Big Ben looked unrecognizable when he showed up in Springfield, Massachusetts, with a pair of glasses resting on his nose and grayness dominating his hair and beard.

In the weeks leading up to the ceremony, Wallace said he never thought about wearing a Naismith Orange jacket until he learned about his nomination.

The NBA icon added he thought it was a joke at first upon receiving the news, staying true to his no-nonsense personality.

In the same interview, he offered his take on how the NBA had changed since he left the hardwood.

“I think the game got a little bit soft,” Wallace said, although adding that if he was to play today’s game, he would still find a way to be as impactful as he was back in the day.

“I figured out in my career that if you do something often enough and you’re good at it, they probably won’t call it.

“If you want to play defense, there’s no rule you can put in place to stop me from playing defense.

“I’ll figure out a way around the rules.”