Rasheed Wallace

Rasheed Abdul 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.

Controversy

Wallace is a controversial player. He regularly led the NBA in technical fouls and earned himself a bad reputation among fans by numerous missteps during his Portland period, and even was booed sometimes during home games. He seldom talked to the media, and he became notorious for saying to reporters, "It was a good game. Both teams played hard."

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On the other hand, many praise his unselfish play and his obvious talent. In addition, he is a well-known benefactor, often attending charity events. Wallace participates in various community activities. The Rasheed A. Wallace Foundation http://www.rawallacefoundation.com was established in 1997 to assist in the recreational and educational development of youth in Philadelphia, PA, Portland, OR, Durham, NC, and other selected communities. Each program promotes social, cultural & academic development for youth.

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Wallace's teammates have nearly universally praised his presence in the locker room, and his image has been rehabilitated somewhat since coming to Detroit. His technical fouls have continued, but he has become much less likely than before to receive 2 technicals in a single game, which results in a player's ejection from that game. He has become a generally worthwhile interview subject. He has selflessly taken a back seat to Pistons leaders Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups; indeed, despite his undeniable star quality, he has often seemed more comfortable in a supporting role. This may go hand-in-hand with another quality his critics have emphasized, Wallace's inconsistency. He typically intersperses dominant performances with indifferent ones. For a player with such elite athletic gifts, he may not be comfortable with the pressure of being a team's primary star, expected to prove his status with regularly exceptional offensive play. Some journalists have speculated this explains the contrast in his Portland and Detroit behavior.

Related Topics:
Ben Wallace - Chauncey Billups

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