This article is about the basketball player Ben Wallace. For information on the former Member of the Scottish Parliament please see Ben Wallace (UK politician) .

Ben Wallace (born September 10, 1974 in White Hall, Alabama) is a professional basketball player in the NBA who plays at center for the Detroit Pistons. He went to college at Virginia Union, a Division II school. Wallace was not drafted to the NBA, but was signed as a rookie free agent by the Washington Bullets on October 2, 1996.

In 1999 Wallace was traded to the Orlando Magic alongside with Tim Legler, Terry Davis, and Jeff McInnis for Isaac Austin and on August 3, 2000, was traded again along with Chucky Atkins to the Detroit Pistons for Grant Hill. Since then he has been a defensive force, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in the 2001-02 and the 2002-03 seasons. In both seasons, he led the league in both rebounds and blocked shots. In 2003, he was voted by fans to his first NBA All-Star Game, as the starting center for the Eastern Conference. Wallace became the first undrafted player to ever start in an All-Star game. He, along with Chauncey Billups, captained the Pistons' 2004 NBA championship team.

He finished second in the league in rebounds and blocks per game for the 2003-04 season. His career highs for one game are 28 rebounds and 10 blocks, although he has never scored more than 22 points. He also was a starter for the 2004 All-Star Game. Wallace has gained great notoriety in the Detroit area and nationwide, and fans often arrive at his games sporting wigs in honor of his trademark Afro hairstyle. (However, he now only wears his Afro for some games; for most games, he has his hair styled into cornrows.)

On November 21, 2004, Wallace was suspended for six games by Commissioner David Stern for his role in a massive brawl at a home game on November 19, 2004 that involved the Pistons, the Indiana Pacers and Pistons supporters. Wallace's retaliation to a hard foul by the Pacers' Ron Artest had helped trigger the chaos which resulted in an early end to the game.

On December 3, 2004, Wallace's suspension ended when the Pistons faced the San Antonio Spurs.

Wallace again returned to the All-Star Game in 2005, his third in succession. This time, he was selected as a reserve, as the popular Shaquille O'Neal, now in the Eastern Conference, finished ahead of Wallace in the fan balloting.

• Position: PF/C
• Born: September 10, 1974
• Height: 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
• Weight: 240 lb (109 kg)
• College: Virginia Union 1996

ESPN announcers have said that Ben Wallace is able to bench press 460 pounds (210 kg) and curl 200 pounds (90 kg) for several repetitions. The Detroit Free Press has also added that he has only 3.8 percent body fat.

More information about Wallace can be found on NBA.com