Rasheed Wallace (born September 17, 1974 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He currently plays power forward for the Detroit Pistons.

Originally drafted from the University of North Carolina by the Washington Bullets (now the Wizards) in 1995, Wallace was named to the All-Rookie second team following his rookie season. Also following his rookie season he was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers. Wallace had a career best 19.4 points per game in 2002 for the Blazers.

Wallace has a reputation as a temperamental player; he owns the record for technical fouls in a season. He had a career high 42 points against the Denver Nuggets in 2001 and was a key member of the Blazers team that made it to the Western Conference Finals that same year. In Portland, Wallace earned himself a bad reputation among fans and even was booed sometimes during home games. He seldom talks to the media, and he became notorious for saying to reporters, "It was a good game. Both teams played hard."

In February 2004, Wallace was traded to the Atlanta Hawks. This trade was a relief for many fans in Portland, who were relieved to get rid of one of the more infamous players in franchise history. After playing one game for the Hawks, he was then traded to the Detroit Pistons.

Wallace fit in well with the Pistons, whose unexceptional record rapidly improved, and helped the team win the 2004 NBA Championship several months later. In Detroit, Wallace has become known for selfless team play and integrated with Ben Wallace to form the core of the Pistons' smothering defensive game. Although he remains an emotional player, given to occasional outbursts of cursing at players, referees, and taunting fans alike, Wallace has also frequently broken up more physical altercations.

Wallace plays power forward or center, defending on the post and capable of making almost any play offensively, from a slam dunk to a long 3-point jump shot. He is a decent free throw shooter and a good rebounder at both ends of the court.

External links

NBA player file