Not many people expected Ben Wallace to become one of the best defenders in NBA history. After all, he entered the league as an undrafted prospect. On paper, there were several players better than him.
But as the years went on, Wallace rose to the ranks as a formidable player. En route to helping the Detroit Pistons win the 2004 NBA Championship, more and more people showed their love for Big Ben by wearing fake afros. This didn't sit well with Wallace at first. He thought people were making fun of his new hairstyle
Big Ben's afro
"I noticed it, but when it first started happening, because I didn't expect it, my initial reaction was, I was sort of taking offense to it," Wallace said , per The Athletic. "It was like, 'Are you mocking me? Do you think this is some type of joke or something?'"
Ben's behavior is understandable. After all, just a few years ago, he was just a bench player battling for minutes. He was focused on doing the work daily, oblivious to what the fans thought of him. Until one day, Wallace caught the hearts of every basketball fan in Detroit.
"And then, more and more and more Afros started to pop up, and then it made me realize, 'Dude, these fans really love you. They're coming out and supporting you. Some want to be like you.' Then I started talking to fans and they're telling me, 'Yeah, I dressed up as you for Halloween.' I could see pictures where they had Afros on dogs and cats. I was like, 'Oh, shit!' This is something right here," Wallace said.
This may be why the four-time All-Star still wore an afro even when he left Detroit for Chicago. The hairstyle became his signature look. When fans think of Wallace, they aren't just reminded of blocked shots and monster rebounds. They also remember his afro gracefully bobbing in the hair.
Related: When Kobe Bryant declared that he played for the greatest AAU team ever with Vince Carter: "We were smashing people by 60,70 points"
Big Ben vs Big Diesel
Perhaps Big Ben's greatest moment with the afro was in the 2004 NBA Finals against the mighty Los Angeles Lakers. The four-time Defensive Player of the Year was tasked with guarding Shaquille O'Neal, regarded as the most dominant player in history.
Pistons icon Chauncey Billups recalled those duels between the two big men. The point guard revealed that Wallace fought so hard against Shaq that his shoe exploded .
"Ben was fighting so hard that he blew through his shoe, trying to resist -- literally trying to resist Shaq backing down," Billups told ABC7 in 2021. "It was the craziest thing. He actually blew through his shoe."
For his efforts, the Alabama native won his first NBA Championship. Though he only won one in his career, analysts claim it's one of the best rings, as Ben and crew ousted a group of Hall of Famers. Even today, fans all over the world rock a fake afro in honor of Ben Wallace.
Related: Metta Sandiford-Artest on why he didn't fight Ben Wallace at the Palace back in '04: "I'm doing exactly what my therapist is telling me to do"
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