All-time list of NBA Defensive Player winners
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Ben Wallace strengthened the argument that he's one of
the best defenders in NBA history on Monday.
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| Detroit Pistons
center Ben Wallace holds his 2005-2006 NBA Defensive Player of the Year
award in Auburn Hills, Mich., Monday, May 8, 2006. This marks the fourth
time in five years that Wallace has won the basketball defensive award.
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The
Detroit Pistons center became the first player to win the Defensive Player of
the Year award four times in a five-year span.
Wallace's path to defensive greatness started in White Hall, Ala., where he
said his seven older brothers forced him to learn how to play basketball without
shooting much.
"I was always told, 'You have to get loose balls and rebound or try to get a
steal because we're not going to pass the ball,'" Wallace said.
Wallace ¡ª who won the award last year, in 2003 and 2002 ¡ª and Dikembe Mutombo
are the only players in the league to be voted the top defensive player four
times. Mutombo won it in 2001, 1998, 1997 and 1995 while playing for
Philadelphia, Atlanta and Denver.
Hakeem Olajuwon is among the players selected twice for the honor since its
inception in 1983.
Former Boston Celtics great Bill Russell, who will present Wallace with the
award Tuesday night before Detroit hosts Cleveland in Game 2, is widely regarded
as the No. 1 defensive player in league history.
"I didn't get to see Russell or (Wilt) Chamberlain, but I can't remember a
guy that wreaks so much havoc of the court like Ben does," Pistons president of
basketball operations Joe Dumars said. "Olajuwon and Mutombo were great
defenders, but they only guarded centers. Ben can basically guard 1s (point
guards) through 5s (centers), and the closest guy I saw do that was Dennis
Rodman."
Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said Wallace is arguably the top off-the-ball
defender.
"If he's not the best, he's got to be in the top three,' Brown said.
With 58 of 124 first-place votes, Wallace beat out San Antonio's Bruce Bowen
and Utah's Andrei Kirilenko for his ability to defend players ranging from
Shaquille O'Neal to LeBron James.
