One of the most controversial and argumentative players ever, Rasheed Wallace, has retired from the NBA for the second time and probably for good. The 38-year old first retired after one season with the Boston Celtics in 2010 and joined the New York Knicks earlier this year. Wallace won one title with the Detroit Pistons in 2004 and is the all-time leader in technical fouls with 317. He was always one of my favorite players as I would rock his jersey from back in his Portland Trailblazer days and was thrilled when the Pistons got him as he turned them into a championship team in two months. A versatile player on offense, a factor on the defensive end, and never afraid to let the refs know how he feels. With that I had to give you my top 5 Rasheed Wallace non-basketball moments.
5. Ejected For Staring At Ref
This one came in the first game of the Western Conference Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in 2000. Wallace almost carried the Blazers to the NBA Finals but fell short in game 7 in LA after the Blazers blew a 15-point 4th quarter lead. I think he's the only player that can get tossed from a game without saying a word. Oh, wait, so can Tim Duncan.
4. They Will Not Win Game 2
After the Pistons lost game 1 against the Indiana Pacers in the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals we got this great post game sound byte from Wallace, known as the "Guaran-Sheed". In the end, he was right, they didn't win game 2 but thanks in large part to Tayshaun Prince's amazing block on Reggie Miller. This isn't the last we'll see of Sheed in a post game interview.
3. 2004 Championship Belts
Long before Aaron Rodgers was doing his "Discount Double Check", the Pistons won the title in 2004 and Rasheed presented every member of the team with a world championship belt, WWE style. Yes, even Darko got one.
2. Both Teams Played Hard
Another post-game gem from Sheed came after game 4 of the first round in the Western Conference playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks. This was a game Portland actually won 98-79 but of course he still didn't want to talk to the media.
1. Ball Don't Lie
If Rasheed Wallace ever gets called for a shooting foul, you better pray you make it. If not, you'll hear this classic quote from the big man. This year against the Suns was the first time he ever was ejected for shouting his famous line. I guess the officials have heard it enough. Not only is it what Wallace is known for but it's also the name of a popular blog on Yahoo! Sports.
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