Virginia Union University alum Ben Wallace has been selected for induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, it was announced on Sunday, May 16, in Springfield, Mass.
 
Wallace played for VUU from 1995-97 under legendary VUU coach Dave Robbins.  Wallace led the Panthers to the 1995 CIAA Championship and set a school record of 114 blocks in 1995-96.
 
Wallace also becomes the first undrafted player and first Virginia Union player to be selected for the Naismith Hall of Fame.
 
During his 16-year NBA career, Wallace earned the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award four times (2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006), all with the Detroit Pistons. He was also the defensive anchor for the 2004 "Goin' to Work" championship team. Wallace spent nine seasons with the organization, from 2002-06 and from 2009-12.
 
In 1,088 career games, he averaged 5.7 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.3 steals and two blocks in 29.5 minutes per game with Washington, Orlando, Detroit, Chicago and Cleveland.
 
The White Hall, Ala., native played two seasons at Cuyahoga Community College, a junior college in Cleveland, before transferring to Virginia Union, a Division II school. Wallace went undrafted in 1996 and briefly spent time in Italy before signing with the Washington Bullets, with whom he spent the first three years of this NBA career.
 
Wallace is currently a co-owner of the G League Grand Rapids Drive.
 
The Pistons retired Wallace's No. 3 jersey in 2016, and he was also inducted into the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
 
Wallace was inducted into VUU's Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009 and into the CIAA Hall of Fame and Virginia Athletic Hall of Fame  in 2015.
 
Wallace will be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in September.