Ben Wallace Joins Pistons as Basketball Operations, Team Engagement Adviser

The Detroit Pistons announced Friday team legend Ben Wallace will rejoin the organization as a basketball operations and team engagement adviser.

Wallace will assist general manager Troy Weaver and head coach Dwane Casey while also serving as a "mentor and development asset" for Pistons players.

"Ben is a Hall of Famer and a Pistons legend who has continued to come back home and support our team and our organization," team governor Tom Gores said. "He embodies everything we are building here and will be a real asset to Dwane, Troy and the rest of our staff. Ben helped set the standard for what it means to be a Piston and will be a tremendous influence for our young players."

Wallace is one of the best defensive players in NBA history. He was voted the NBA Defensive Player of the Year four times and earned five NBA All-Defensive first-team selections and one second-team nod.

All of those accolades came during his first stint with the Pistons from 2000 through 2006, a run that included helping lead the franchise to the 2004 NBA championship. He also played for the team from 2009 through 2012 to finish his career.

Wallace, whose No. 3 was retired by the Pistons in 2016, was inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in September.

Before the ceremony last month, the 47-year-old Alabama native told Rod Beard of the Detroit News he felt defense-first NBA players still needed to receive more recognition.

"It's time for people to start recognizing the defensive end of the floor," Wallace said. "Defensive guys put in a lot of work and they don't get a lot of credit, but they keep showing up, keep shining, and they keep holding their teams together and providing wins."

Few players in history proved that point better than Wallace, who was one of the league's most impactful players at his peak despite averaging just 5.7 points across 1,088 career games. He twice led the league in rebounding and once in blocked shots. Wallace also played for the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers.

Making his story more impressive is the fact the Division II product out of Virginia Union built his resume while playing as an undrafted and undersized big at 6'9''.

Wallace's new role with the Pistons will also include engaging on "select organizational business initiatives and community efforts."

Detroit begins the 2021-22 season Oct. 20 when it hosts the Chicago Bulls.