Hall of Famer Ben Wallace on today’s basketball: ‘I think the game got a little bit soft’

There’s no doubt that basketball has become a sport that implies less physical contact than before, as the league officials are constantly grooming the rule book to protect their athletes on the floor. This is why we uncovered a 2021 interview with Ben Wallace to compare what the Detroit legend thinks of today’s game.

It isn’t uncommon to find former stars criticizing today’s NBA, as most believe that basketball courts used to be a battlefield between titans, fighting for the ball at all costs. The thing is, not every opinion is worth writing an article about, but when we are talking about Mr. Tough Guy himself, Ben Wallace is a testimony we cherish.

According to Big Ben, which used to be one of his nicknames back in the day, current NBA players have gone soft. However, he believes that referees also contribute to the problem.

“I think the game got a little bit soft,” the former Pistons star said two years ago. “I figured out in my career that if you do something often enough and you’re good at it, they probably won’t call it. If you want to play defense, there’s no rule you can put in place to stop me from playing defense. I’ll figure out a way around the rules.”

Wallace is positive over the fact that he would still shine in today’s NBA, assuring that it would allow him to move freely through the court and defend against all positions.

“I think my game would be tailor-made for today’s game,” he thought. “In my prime, I was that guy on the floor somewhat out of place because of my size and where I played the game,” Wallace said. “In my prime, the game was built for giants. I had to play in the land of giants. Now, the game is open and there’s freedom to run and move and the game is a lot faster.”

Many NBA experts have doubted if former defensive stars would still be great against modern-day big men

The Detroit legend says he’s heard a lot about fans and experts speculating if he would still fare against the so-called point centers of today’s game. For example, would Wallace be able to guard current champion Nikola Jokic?

“I’ve heard that a lot, that you know, centers like me, wouldn’t exist in today’s NBA. I say, ‘I wasn’t a traditional center in yesterday’s game. I’ve always been different. I’ve always been able to adjust to whatever game it was that I was playing.’ So in today’s game, not only would I be able to play. I’d average 50 rebounds like Wilt Chamberlain,” he said boldly.

Ben Wallace is so UNDERRATED.

6x All-Defense
5x All-NBA
4x DPOY
4x All-Star
2x rebounding leader
Block Champion
NBA Champion

Legend.
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— Jake (@CookedBySteph) July 27, 2023

Before he was first nominated to the Hall of Fame, Wallace revealed that he never really believed he’d be considered to such honor.

“I never thought about it until they called me and said I was nominated for the Hall of Fame,” he confessed. “I thought it was a prank call or something. I thought there was a process you had to go through after you retired — I really didn’t know. After the first time, I got the call that said I was nominated, then it became nerve-wracking.”