Video: Detroit Pistons Retire Ben Wallace’s Number 3
By Zac Snyder
Whether you missed it last night or just want to watch it again, here is the Detroit Pistons’ ceremony to honor Ben Wallace and retire his number 3.
There is no higher honor a franchise can give a player than to take his number out of circulation and raise a banner declare it his for the rest of history. That’s what the Detroit Pistons did for Ben Wallace last night as the number three was raised to the rafters at a halftime ceremony.
With former teammates Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Mehmet Okur, Linday Hunter and Mike James, as well as former head coach Larry Brown on hand, there was no shortage of people with nice things to say about Big Ben and his importance to the the mid-2000s Pistons teams that were routinely among the Eastern Conference’s best.
Wallace often looked sheepish as the superlatives flew but while he was not one to seek the limelight, he earned every bit of it during his Pistons career. If you missed it last night or just want to watch it again, check out the video.
It was a great night for Ben Wallace and for remembering a great era of Pistons basketball in general but the current crop of Pistons did their job to make the evening even more memorable.
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In a game reminiscent of some of the Pistons wins over the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals, the Pistons were efficient on offense and frustrated the Golden State Warriors with their defense for a 113-95 win.
The Western Conference-leading Warriors lost for just the fourth time this season compared to 37 wins. On a night win which a man who overcame his underdog status was honored, the underdog Pistons walked off the floor with a convincing win.
Pistons fans don’t have to wait long for the next jersey retirement night. Wallace’s teammate on the Pistons’ 2004 championship and 2004 Finals MVP Chauncey Billups will see the number one raised in his honor on February 10. The opponent that night will be the Denver Nuggets, Billups’ hometown team and one of the seven teams he played for during his NBA career.