Ben Wallace: ‘It’s Time For People To Start Recognizing the Defensive End of the Floor’

Over the weekend, Ben Wallace was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. Known for playing larger than he was, the 6-foot-9 big was vicious on the boards as well as the defensive end of the floor. 

Throughout his 1088 game NBA career, Wallace averaged just 5.7 points per contest. While fans generally gravitate to offense and how many points players score, he made an impact elsewhere. It’s not every day you see a player become a Hall of Famer with such low scoring numbers. 

At his recent Hall of Fame induction, Wallace spoke about the importance of defense in the NBA and how guys don’t get enough credit for it. 

“It’s time for people to start recognizing the defensive end of the floor. Defensive guys put in a lot of work and they don’t get a lot of credit.” 

Wallace was and still is an advocate for playing defense at a high level. While there’s an award for the NBA’s top defender each season, the game continues to move towards a high-scoring style. 

Although there’s players that still pride their games on defense, it doesn’t happen near enough.