The Detroit Pistons have featured some of the great all-time NBA players throughout their history, and now, two more former members of the team could soon be forever enshrined in basketball immortality.
Both Ben Wallace and Chris Weber have been officially nominated for the Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2021:
Congratulations to 4x @NBA Defensive Player of the Year, 4x @NBAAllStar and NBA Champion, #21HoopClass finalist Ben Wallace. pic.twitter.com/sDAVPfxrVG
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) March 9, 2021
Congratulations to 5x @NBAAllStar and ’93-’94 @NBA rookie of the year #21HoopClass finalist Chris Webber. pic.twitter.com/DaTrSJPOQp
— Basketball HOF (@Hoophall) March 9, 2021
One of the top defensive players the NBA has ever seen, Wallace first came to the Motor City as part of the deal that sent Grant Hill to the Orlando Magic. While the deal was thought to be relatively one-sided at the time, Wallace immediately made his mark on Detroit.
He’d go on to win four NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards (tied with the legendary Dikembe Mutombo) as well as being a key part in the 2004 championship squad that stunned the heavily favored Los Angeles Lakers in five games, bringing Detroit their first Larry O’Brien Trophy since the Bad Boys won back to back titles in 1989 and 1990.
His jersey #3 was retired by Detroit in 2016.
And while Chris Webber only spent a short time with Detroit in 2006, he’s well known for his local ties stemming from his days as a member of the famed “Fab Five” at the nearby University of Michigan.
The Detroit native would be drafted first overall by the Golden State Warriors in 1993 and was soon sent to the Magic, earning NBA Rookie of the Year honors in 1994. He’d go on to earn five NBA All-Star nominations and five nominations for the NBA All-Time team.
He was also the NBA’s leader in rebounds in 1999, and had his jersey #4 retired by the Sacramento Kings.