Trevor Ariza had an interesting career in the NBA. As the 43rd overall pick in the 2004 NBA Draft, TA didn't have many expectations, but he turned himself into a successful 3-and-D player who ended up playing for ten different teams.
As a result, Ariza saw quite a bit during his time in the league, which included winning a title in 2009 with the Los Angeles Lakers. However, when asked about his favorite moment from his career, Trevor picked out something that happened all the way back in his rookie campaign.
Trevor shares one of his favorite NBA moments
Ariza initially broke into the NBA with the New York Knicks, where he played 80 games as a rookie, including 12 starts. The youngster didn't put up huge numbers at the time (5.9 PPG, 3 RPG, 1.1 APG, 44.2 FG%), but he proved that he had a future in the league.
No moment proved that more than when Trevor dunked on Detroit Pistons rim protector Ben Wallace . Even with his 18-year career now being over, the former forward picked that moment out as one of the best of his entire career.
"Ben Wallace, I think just won the championship the year before, Defensive Player of the Year, he's been the Defensive Player of the Year the whole time," Trevor said on Point Game . "We were getting drugged at the time too by the way, I think we was getting popped."
"NBA was a little bit different. I caught the ball like 15 feet out, did a little pump fake, (Rasheed Wallace) did a little swipe by. I get on my little launching pad, and that was it. He fouled the s*** out of me too, by the way, slapped me all in my face. That was crazy, though. That was probably one of the craziest moments of my career," Ariza added.
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Ariza's dunk on Wallace was wild
Dunking on an opponent always makes for a good highlight, but TA's poster on 'Big Ben' had a different feel to it. That's probably why the play still stands out for him to this day.
For starters, Wallace was the best shot blocker in the game during this time, so trying to dunk on him was typically not a good idea. Beyond that, Trevor was a rookie just drafted in the second round–it wasn't like he was some superstar who did this regularly.
It was a David vs. Goliath story in terms of poster dunks, and Ariza managed to sink an emphatic slam on one of the most feared paint defenders of all time. After seeing this play, it's not exactly a surprise TA went on to have a successful career in the NBA.
"Switchblade" was never a superstar, but he was an important role player on a handful of teams throughout his career. And yet, his poster slam of Wallace was one such highlight where he looked like one of the game's top stars.
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