Rasheed Wallace

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"Sheed" redirects here. For other uses, see Sheed (disambiguation).
Rasheed Wallace
Rasheed Wallace 2 cropped.jpg
Wallace with the Pistons in 2008
Personal information
Born (1974-09-17) September 17, 1974 (age 43)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school Simon Gratz
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
College North Carolina (1993–1995)
NBA draft 1995 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Washington Bullets
Playing career 1995–2010, 2012–2013
Position Power forward / Center
Number 30, 36
Coaching career 2013–2014
Career history
As player:
1995–1996 Washington Bullets
1996–2004 Portland Trail Blazers
2004 Atlanta Hawks
2004–2009 Detroit Pistons
2009–2010 Boston Celtics
2012–2013 New York Knicks
As coach:
2013–2014 Detroit Pistons (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points 16,006 (14.4 ppg)
Rebounds 7,404 (6.7 rpg)
Blocks 1,460 (1.3 bpg)
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Rasheed Abdul "Sheed" Wallace (born September 17, 1974) is an American retired professional basketball player who played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A native of Philadelphia, Wallace played college basketball at the University of North Carolina before moving on to the NBA in 1995.

Originally selected by the Washington Bullets (now known as the Washington Wizards) as the fourth pick in the 1995 NBA draft, Wallace was named to the All-Rookie second team following his first season. He was then traded to the Portland Trail Blazers after the season. With Portland he was a key member of the Trail Blazers team that made it to the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000, and was an NBA All-Star in 2000 and 2001. Wallace averaged a career best 19.4 points per game in 2002 for the Trail Blazers.

During the 2003–04 season Portland traded him to the Atlanta Hawks where he played one game before he was traded to the Detroit Pistons. With the Pistons, Wallace won the NBA championship in 2004, but lost the NBA Finals in the following season. Individually, Wallace was an NBA All-Star in 2006 and 2008. After the 2008–09 season, Wallace left the Pistons as a free agent and signed with the Boston Celtics, where he played until retiring in 2010. He returned to sign a one-year deal to play for the New York Knicks in 2012. On April 17, 2013, Wallace announced his second retirement.

Wallace holds the single-season record for technical fouls. In the 2000–01 season, Wallace received 41 technical fouls over a span of 80 games, about one technical foul for every two games.

Early life and education[edit]

Wallace was born and raised in the inner city neighborhoods of Philadelphia, where he began his basketball career and attended Simon Gratz High School.[1] He was named USA Today High School Player of the Year after his senior season and was selected first team All America by Basketball Times. Wallace was also a two-time Parade All-American first teamer. Despite playing time of just 19 minutes per game, Wallace averaged 16 points, 15 rebounds and seven blocks his senior year. In addition to basketball, Wallace also ran track and high jumped as a teenager. Wallace was outplayed by Darnell Robinson in the McDonald's Game, where his battle with Robinson caused him to get ejected from the game, but he rebounded in the Roundball Classic, getting 30 points in a losing effort. Wallace, along with Randy Livingston and Jerry Stackhouse, were considered the top three players in the 1993 class.

College career[edit]

University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith recruited Wallace to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for his college years. Smith was a revered mentor both to Wallace and Wallace's eventual Detroit coach Larry Brown. Wallace has indicated that this North Carolina bond with Brown helped him adjust quickly to the Pistons system. During his brief time at North Carolina, Wallace had success in the national spotlight. He was named a second-team All-American by the AP his second year at UNC.

Wallace and fellow future NBA player Jerry Stackhouse helped lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA Final Four in 1995. He left North Carolina to enter the 1995 NBA draft after his sophomore season, being selected with the fourth pick overall by the Washington Bullets.

NBA playing career[edit]

Washington Bullets (1995–1996)[edit]

As a rookie with the Bullets, Wallace played in 65 games, of which he started 51 for the injured Chris Webber. Wallace was selected to the rookie team for the All-Star Weekend. Late that year, he fractured his left thumb during a game against Orlando and did not return until the following season. Wallace scored 655 points and played 1,788 minutes during his rookie season in Washington.

Portland Trail Blazers (1996–2004)[edit]

After the season, Wallace was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, along with Mitchell Butler in exchange for Rod Strickland and Harvey Grant. This move proved beneficial for both sides: Strickland averaged 17.2 ppg and 8.9 apg after the trade, helping the Bullets make the playoffs in 1997 for the first time in eight seasons, and upped those stats to 17.8 ppg and a league-leading 10.5 apg the following year.

Meanwhile, Wallace ranked third in the league in field goal percentage.[2] However, just as his season was gaining momentum, Wallace again broke his left thumb and was forced to miss the next month of the season,[3] but he returned in time for a strong performance in the first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, which the Trail Blazers lost.

Next season, he signed a long-term contract to stay with the Trail Blazers. He began extending himself into the community more than ever, most notably with his Rasheed Wallace Foundation, but his career suffered from numerous missteps on and off the court. He set an NBA record with 38 technical fouls for the season.[4] However, he would be fifth in the league in field goal percentage.[5] The following year, he broke his own record with 40 technicals.[4] Wallace was also suspended by the NBA for seven games for threatening then-referee Tim Donaghy on an arena loading dock after a home game in 2003. That was the league's longest suspension for an offense that did not involve violence or substance abuse.[6]

Wallace was named an NBA All-Star in 2000 and 2001 and led the Trail Blazers to the Western Conference Finals in 1999 and 2000, losing to the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers, respectively. Both teams would go on to win the NBA Finals. The 2000 series against the Lakers was most noted for the underdog Blazers squandering a 15-point lead going into the fourth quarter of Game 7.

Atlanta Hawks (2004)[edit]

On February 9, 2004, Wallace was traded to the Atlanta Hawks along with Wesley Person for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff and Dan Dickau.[7] Wallace played only one game for the Hawks, scoring 20 points through three quarters. He also had six rebounds, five blocks, two assists and a steal in a close loss on the road against the New Jersey Nets, though he did not score in the fourth quarter.[8] Wallace was again traded, in a deal that saw him go from the Hawks along with guard Mike James from the Celtics to the Pistons. In turn, Detroit sent guards Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter and a first-round draft pick to Boston and guard Bob Sura, center Željko Rebrača and a first-round draft pick to Atlanta. Boston also sent forward Chris Mills to Atlanta to complete the deal.[9]

Detroit Pistons (2004–2008)[edit]

Wallace in a game against the Golden State Warriors

After falling behind against the Indiana Pacers in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals, he stated boldly in an interview that "We will win Game 2,"[10] a promise he helped fulfill.[11]

Wallace helped the Pistons win an unexpected NBA title, beating the heavily favored Lakers four games to one.[12] After the championship season, he paid for replica WWE World Heavyweight Championship belts to be made for each of his teammates and presented them as gifts when the 2004–05 regular season started.[13]

In the off-season following the Pistons' championship win, Wallace signed a five-year, $57 million contract to remain with Detroit.[14] He also changed the number of his jersey from #30 to #36.

Throughout the 2004–05 season, Wallace often carried the belt into his locker before games to inspire the Pistons' title defense. He had several notable moments in the playoffs. After the second-round elimination of the Pacers, Wallace played his best series of the postseason in the Eastern Conference finals against the top-seeded Miami Heat. After falling behind again, he again "guaranteed success". He shot a 50% field goal percentage and averaged 14.5 points per game in the series' seven games, and saved his hottest-shooting night for the decisive Game 7. Against the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals, Wallace was criticized for leaving Robert Horry open for the game-winning three-pointer in Game 5. Wallace's defense and clutch shooting helped the Pistons to split the series 3–3,[15] but in the final game, the Pistons lost 81–74.

In the 2005–06 season, he helped lead them to a 64–18 record, and the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the playoffs. The Pistons beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 4–1 in the first round and then beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 4–3 in the second round of the playoffs. In the Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons played the Heat in a rematch of the previous year's Conference Finals. The Pistons lost in six games to the Miami Heat, who went on to capture their first NBA title.

On March 26, 2007, in a game against the Denver Nuggets, Wallace threw up a 60-foot shot off a stolen inbound pass with 1.5 seconds remaining and banked it in from just behind halfcourt to force overtime letting out a huge roar from what was left of the Palace crowd.[16] The Pistons went on to win the game, 113–109.[17]

On June 2, 2007, Wallace fouled out of Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals after committing a foul on LeBron James and then received two technical fouls, resulting in an automatic ejection, for arguing with a referee.[18]

Prior to the 2007–08 NBA season, the Pistons would not re-sign Chris Webber, and putting Antonio McDyess as a starting power forward, put Wallace at center. On February 10, 2008, it was announced that Wallace would be replacing Boston Celtics' injured forward Kevin Garnett in the 2008 NBA All-Star Game in New Orleans.[19] The decision was made by NBA commissioner David Stern. This was Wallace's fourth All-Star appearance.

In the 2008 Eastern Conference Finals, the Pistons played Garnett and the Celtics. This marked the sixth consecutive time that the Pistons had made it to this point, and five times they had gotten there with Wallace in the lineup. Still, Detroit lost a third consecutive year in the Conference Finals, losing to Boston 4–2. After the game, Wallace reportedly told reporters, without taking any questions, "It's over, man", perhaps indicating that Pistons' General Manager Joe Dumars would break up the core of the team following the defeat. He changed his number from 36 back to his original 30, perhaps to change his and the team's fortunes, but sure enough, Dumars did indeed break up the core: at the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Dumars traded longtime starting point guard and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups to Denver. It was to be Wallace's last year with the team; after the season came to a close, Wallace and the Pistons decided to part ways.

Boston Celtics (2009–2010)[edit]

Wallace signed a three-year contract with the Boston Celtics on July 8, 2009.[20] During the regular season, Wallace struggled, averaging career lows in points per game and rebounds per game. Also, he shot 28% on three pointers and 40% from the field. The Celtics reached the NBA Finals in 2010 but lost the series to the Los Angeles Lakers four games to three. In Game 6 of the Finals, the Celtics' starting center Kendrick Perkins injured his right knee, so Wallace started Game 7. Wallace scored 11 points and was 5 of 11 from the field in the loss.[21] Wallace's agent Bill Strickland announced on June 25, 2010 that Wallace would likely retire from the NBA,[22] which was made official on August 10, following the buyout of his contract by the Celtics.[23]

New York Knicks (2012–2013)[edit]

On October 3, 2012, Wallace came out of retirement, and signed with the New York Knicks.[24]

On February 27, 2013, Wallace announced that he had a broken left foot and was expected to miss eight weeks. He was scheduled for surgery.[25] He returned for a final game on April 15, 2013, playing three minutes off the bench. On April 17, 2013, after a short return, Wallace announced his second retirement.[26]

Coaching career[edit]

Detroit Pistons[edit]

In July 2013, Wallace joined the Detroit Pistons staff as an assistant coach after signing a two-year contract with the team.[27] He worked for the Pistons for the 2013–14 season, but was not rehired to the staff of new coach Stan Van Gundy following that season.[28]

On-court moments[edit]

Wallace was known for his intensity and unique personality, resulting in frequent confrontations with opponents and officials (often leading to technical fouls and ejections) but also moments of humor. Wallace holds the league records for most career technical fouls, most technical fouls in a season, and most ejections in a season.[29] During the 2008 Playoffs Wallace went on an expletive-laced tirade following Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics[30][31] in which he lashed out at the officiating.

Wallace popularized the phrase "Ball don't lie", used when a player on the opposing team misses a free throw after a disputed call by the referees. One notable incident occurred in a December 2, 2012, game against the Phoenix Suns. After Wallace pushed Luis Scola and received a technical foul, Goran Dragić missed the technical free throw, to which Wallace responded by saying "Ball don't lie." Wallace then received a second technical, leading to his ejection.[32] He played 1:25 before his ejection.

During the 2010 NBA Playoffs Wallace, a native of Philadelphia and Flyers fan, frequently wore hats and other articles of clothing with the Philadelphia Flyers logo during Boston Celtics press conferences and interviews. This caused a stir with fans throughout the Boston area as the Philadelphia Flyers were playing the Boston Bruins in the NHL Playoffs at the time. The resentment by Bostonians only grew[33] after the Flyers' comeback from a 0–3 game deficit to win the series 4–3. Wallace continued to wear his Flyers gear despite criticism from sports commentators and fans.

Personal life[edit]

Wallace has three children with his former wife Fatima.[34][35] He is a Muslim.[36] His nephew, Quadir Welton, is a professional basketball player.[37]

Wallace roots for his hometown Philadelphia Flyers (NHL) and Philadelphia Phillies (MLB), but not the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. Instead, he is a longtime fan of the Kansas City Chiefs.[34]

NBA career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
† NBA championship

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1995–96 Washington 65 51 27.5 .487 .329 .650 4.7 1.3 0.6 0.8 10.1
1996–97 Portland 62 56 30.5 .558 .273 .638 6.8 1.2 0.8 1.0 15.1
1997–98 Portland 77 77 37.6 .533 .205 .662 6.2 2.5 1.0 1.1 14.6
1998–99 Portland 49 18 28.9 .508 .419 .732 4.9 1.2 1.0 1.1 12.8
1999–00 Portland 81 77 35.1 .519 .160 .704 7.0 1.8 1.1 1.3 16.4
2000–01 Portland 77 75 38.2 .501 .321 .766 7.8 2.8 1.2 1.8 19.2
2001–02 Portland 79 79 37.5 .469 .360 .734 8.2 1.9 1.3 1.3 19.3
2002–03 Portland 74 74 36.3 .471 .358 .735 7.4 2.1 0.9 1.0 18.1
2003–04 Portland 45 44 37.2 .442 .341 .742 6.6 2.5 0.8 1.6 17.0
2003–04 Atlanta 1 1 42.0 .333 .167 1.000 6.0 2.0 1.0 5.0 20.0
2003–04† Detroit 22 21 30.6 .431 .319 .704 7.0 1.8 1.1 2.0 13.7
2004–05 Detroit 79 79 34.0 .440 .318 .697 8.2 1.8 0.8 1.5 14.5
2005–06 Detroit 80 80 34.8 .430 .357 .743 6.8 2.3 1.0 1.6 15.1
2006–07 Detroit 75 72 32.3 .423 .351 .788 7.2 1.7 1.0 1.6 12.3
2007–08 Detroit 77 76 30.5 .432 .356 .767 6.6 1.8 1.2 1.7 12.7
2008–09 Detroit 66 63 32.2 .419 .354 .772 7.4 1.4 0.9 1.3 12.0
2009–10 Boston 79 13 22.5 .409 .283 .768 4.1 1.0 1.0 0.9 9.0
2012–13 New York 21 0 14.1 .387 .319 .700 4.0 0.3 0.6 0.7 7.0
Career 1109 956 32.7 .467 .336 .721 6.7 1.8 1.0 1.3 14.4
All-Star 4 0 19.3 .250 .100 .750 3.8 0.5 1.0 0.8 4.0

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1997 Portland 4 4 37.0 .589 .400 .550 6.0 1.5 0.5 0.5 19.8
1998 Portland 4 4 39.3 .489 .800 .500 4.8 2.8 0.5 0.5 14.5
1999 Portland 13 13 36.0 .514 .111 .724 4.8 1.5 1.5 0.8 14.8
2000 Portland 16 16 37.8 .489 .615 .773 6.4 1.8 0.9 1.3 17.9
2001 Portland 3 3 42.7 .373 .364 .571 8.0 2.3 0.3 1.0 16.7
2002 Portland 3 3 41.7 .406 .412 .813 12.3 1.7 0.7 0.7 25.3
2003 Portland 7 7 37.1 .454 .400 .714 5.1 2.6 0.6 0.7 17.4
2004† Detroit 23 23 34.9 .413 .243 .767 7.8 1.6 0.6 2.0 13.0
2005 Detroit 25 25 33.0 .439 .337 .741 6.9 1.3 1.0 1.8 13.6
2006 Detroit 18 18 34.9 .430 .405 .527 6.3 1.8 0.6 0.8 14.1
2007 Detroit 16 16 35.8 .437 .347 .842 7.7 1.8 1.2 1.8 14.3
2008 Detroit 17 17 34.4 .424 .320 .744 6.4 1.6 1.1 1.9 13.2
2009 Detroit 4 4 30.5 .367 .500 .000 6.3 0.8 0.5 0.3 6.5
2010 Boston 24 1 17.1 .416 .345 .828 3.0 0.4 0.4 0.6 6.1
Career 177 154 33.0 .444 .352 .717 6.2 1.5 0.8 1.3 13.5

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/w/wallara01.html Rasheed Wallace NBA & ABA Statistics|Basketball-Reference.com
  2. ^ "Field Goal Percentage – 1996–97". NBA.com. 
  3. ^ "Blazers' Wallace Out at Least Four Weeks". New York Times. 1996-12-27. 
  4. ^ a b "Pistons fine without 'Sheed, beat Clippers behind Rip's 23 points". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on 2007-03-13. 
  5. ^ "Regular Season Field Goals Percentage". NBA.com. 
  6. ^ Thomsen, Ian. "Despite his latest screwup, many teams still covet Rasheed Wallace". CNNSI.com. 
  7. ^ "Blazers trade Wallace to Hawks". CBC.ca. February 11, 2004. Retrieved June 15, 2013. 
  8. ^ "Frank has best start ever for NBA coach". ESPN. February 18, 2004. Retrieved June 15, 2013. 
  9. ^ "Wallace lands in Detroit in three-team deal". ESPN. February 20, 2004. Retrieved June 15, 2013. 
  10. ^ "Once again, Rasheed guarantees Game 2 victory". USATODAY.com. 2004-05-23. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  11. ^ "Pistons Swat Pacers, Snag Series Tie". NBA.com. 2004-05-24. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  12. ^ "Pistons Send Lakers Packing, Win Third NBA Title". NBA.com. 2004-06-15. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  13. ^ Enlund, Tom (2004-12-04). "Former Pistons get their hands on title belts". JS Online. Archived from the original on 2007-10-13. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  14. ^ Lage, Larry (2004-07-21). "Rasheed Wallace signs five-year, $57M deal with Pistons". USATODAY.com. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  15. ^ Nance, Roscoe (2005-06-22). "Rasheed Wallace atones for Game 5 miscue". USATODAY.com. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  16. ^ NBA (April 2, 2007). "Rasheed Wallace's Buzzer-Beater From Beyond Halfcourt". YouTube. Retrieved January 16, 2017. 
  17. ^ "Wallace Hits Midcourt Shot to Force OT in Pistons Win". NBA.com. 2007-03-27. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  18. ^ "Pistons' Wallace ejected from Game 6". USATODAY.com. 2007-06-03. Retrieved 2008-02-23. 
  19. ^ "Pistons' Wallace replaces gimpy Garnett in All-Star Game". ESPN. 2008-02-11. Retrieved 2008-02-24. 
  20. ^ "Celtics Sign Rasheed Wallace – The Official Site of the BOSTON CELTICS". 
  21. ^ "Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles- Box Score". 
  22. ^ Benbow, Julian (June 25, 2010). "Agent believes Wallace is done". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 26, 2010. 
  23. ^ "Celtics Officially Waive Rasheed Wallace". 11 August 2010. 
  24. ^ "Knicks sign Rasheed Wallace". knicksnow.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved October 3, 2012. 
  25. ^ "Rasheed Wallace Has Broken Bone In Left Foot, Will Miss Another 8 Weeks". CBS News New York. Retrieved 27 February 2013. 
  26. ^ "Foot injury forces Knicks veteran Wallace to retire". NBA.com. April 17, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2013. 
  27. ^ "Coach Wallace – THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE DETROIT PISTONS". 
  28. ^ Ellis, Vince (May 31, 2014). "Detroit Pistons officially name assistant coaches, including John Loyer; Rasheed Wallace not retained". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 31, 2014. 
  29. ^ Tony Manfred (November 2, 2012). "Rasheed Wallace Will Make His Knicks Debut Tonight — Here's A Reminder That He Owns A Dubious NBA Record That Will Never Be Broken". www.businessinsider.com. Retrieved March 23, 2018. 
  30. ^ "'Sheed fined $25K for profanity, criticizing officials". 31 May 2008. 
  31. ^ "Pistons vs. Celtics – Game Recap – May 28, 2008 – ESPN". 
  32. ^ "With 'Ball Don't Lie,' Wallace Keeps Technicals Flowing". The New York Times. 5 December 2012. 
  33. ^ "Should Rasheed Wallace Change Headgear?". 
  34. ^ a b "Rasheed Wallace biography". Archived from the original on 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2009-09-28. 
  35. ^ "Off the Court, Ex-Piston Rasheed Wallace Battles Ex-Wife in a Court". Retrieved 2016-08-03. 
  36. ^ "ESPN.com: Page 2 : Malcolm, and others like him". 
  37. ^ "Quadir Welton's special relationship with uncle Rasheed Wallace — Just a phone call away". Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2018. 

External links[edit]

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