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Note: Updated for Ben Wallace’s 2021 Hall of Fame selection.
While the most glamorous part of playing basketball is scoring points, every championship team also needs players who can rebound, play defense, and do the dirty work necessary to win. In the history of the NBA, perhaps no players better epitomize the role of an offensively-challenged, yet ferocious rebounder and defender better than Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace. Both were relatively undersized, yet more than made up for it with their hustle and determination, transforming from unheralded prospects to All-Star and Defensive Player of the Year anchors for championship teams – as two of the greatest rebounding and defense specialists ever, the natural question is:
Who was better – Dennis Rodman or Ben Wallace?
The Beginning
Neither Rodman nor Wallace played at the highest level of college basketball and were lightly regarded coming out of school, yet were nevertheless able to carve out a niche for themselves almost immediately in the NBA.
Rodman was born in New Jersey, but grew up in Texas as part of a family of basketball players – both of his sisters were All-Americans in college. However, he was not a standout in high school and ended up working after graduation as an overnight janitor at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport before a growth spurt compelled him to take up basketball once again. Following a semester at Cooke County College (now North Central Texas College), Rodman transferred to Southeastern Oklahoma State University of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), which is considered a level below the NCAA. Nevertheless, he was a 3x NAIA All-American and 2x rebounding champion and after winning MVP honors at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, was drafted 27th overall in the second round of the 1986 NBA Draft by the Detroit Pistons. Joining the infamous “Bad Boys” team led by point guard Isiah Thomas, Rodman was a solid bench contributor as a rookie, averaging 6.5 points (on 54.5% shooting) and 4.3 rebounds per game.
As for Wallace, he was the 10th of 11 children growing up in Alabama, where he was All-State in high school in basketball, baseball, and football. First, he played junior college basketball at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland for two years before transferring to Division II Virginia Union; there, he led the team to the Division II Final Four and as a senior, was a First Team All-CIAA and First Team Division II All-American selection. Undrafted out of college, though, Wallace signed as a free agent with the Washington Bullets (now Wizards), but only averaged around six minutes of playing time as a rookie. In three seasons in Washington, he became a strong defensive presence and increased his playing time to 15, then 25 minutes per game, eventually averaging 6.0 points (57.8% shooting), 8.3 rebounds, and 2.0 blocks per game in 1998-1999. After the 1998-1999 season, he was traded to the Orlando Magic as part of a deal for fellow big man Isaac Austin.
Career Comparison
In their respective primes, Rodman and Wallace were rebounding champions and perhaps the premier rebounders in the NBA regardless of size or position, playing key roles for some of the best teams of their generations.
During his first few years with Detroit, Rodman alternated between starting and coming off the bench, though consistently provided strong rebounding and defense. Starting in 1988-1989, he earned the first of eight consecutive All-Defensive selections (7x First Team and 1x Second Team) on the strength of 9.0 points (with a league-best 59.5% shooting) and 9.4 rebounds per game. The next year, Rodman established himself as a full-time starter in the second half of the season and finished with 8.8 points (58.1% shooting) and 9.7 rebounds, not only earning his first All-Star selection, but also winning Defensive Player of the Year honors. This was followed by a second straight Defensive Player of the Year award in a 1990-1991 (8.2 points per game on 49.3% shooting with 12.5 rebounds per game), which also marked the first of 10 consecutive seasons averaging double-digit rebounds. Perhaps surprisingly, Rodman’s only other All-Star selection came in 1991-1992, when he averaged 9.8 points (53.9% shooting) and a career-high 18.7 rebounds per game to earn Third Team All-NBA honors; this was the first of seven straight rebounding titles and his total of 1,530 rebounds (including a career-high 34 rebounds in one game) was the most in a season since Wilt Chamberlain’s 1,572 rebounds in 1971-1972 and has not been surpassed since.
Despite averaging 18.3 rebounds per game for the Pistons in 1992-1993, personal and team issues led to Rodman demanding a trade out of Detroit; he was subsequently sent to the San Antonio Spurs with Isaiah Morris, a 1994 second-round draft pick (used on Antonio Lang), and a 1996 first-rounder (John Wallace) for Sean Elliott (who would return to the Spurs after one season), David Wood, and a 1996 first-round selection (Jerome Williams). Playing in the Spurs’ frontcourt alongside David Robinson, Rodman won a third rebounding crown in his first year with San Antonio (17.3 rebounds per game), but only averaged 4.7 points per game. Following a Third Team All-NBA nod in 1994-1995 (7.1 points per game on 57.1% shooting with 16.8 rebounds per game), he was once again traded, this time to the Chicago Bulls for Will Perdue.
As part of a Bulls team led by Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Rodman was magnificent in his role, winning his fifth (14.9 rebounds per game), sixth (16.1 rebounds per game), and seventh (15.0 rebounds per game) straight rebounding titles in his time in Chicago. Notably, in his inaugural season with the team, he was First Team All-Defensive and notched his first (and only) career triple-double in helping Chicago to a then-record 72-10 season. However, with the team rebuilding after a second championship three-peat, Rodman would spend his last two NBA seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, respectively, only playing a total of 35 games and averaging less than 3 points per game, though still putting up double-digit rebounding numbers. After being waived by both teams, Rodman had played his last NBA game in the 1999-2000 season at age 38, though would later make appearances in the newly-formed American Basketball Association (ABA), as well as in Mexico, Finland, and the UK.
As for Wallace, he spent one season as a starter with the Magic, putting up a respectable 4.8 points (50.3% shooting), 8.2 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game. In the offseason, as part of a sign-and-trade for superstar Grant Hill, Wallace and Chuck Atkins were traded to the Detroit Pistons. During his first year in Detroit, Wallace’s numbers jumped to 6.4 points (49.0% shooting), 13.2 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game as the team’s undersized starting center, marking the first of seven straight years with double-digit rebounds.
Wallace would truly break out in 2001-2002 – with 7.6 points (on 53.1% shooting), 13.0 rebounds, and a career-best 3.5 blocks per game, he led the league in both rebounding and blocks, thus earning not only Third Team All-NBA honors (the first of five straight selections to either the Second or Third Team) and the first of five straight First Team All-Defensive nods, but also the Defensive Player of the Year award. As an encore, he was once again rebounding champion in 2002-2003 with 6.9 points (48.1% shooting), a career-high 15.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game, garnering the first of four straight All-Star appearances, Second Team All-NBA honors, and repeating as Defensive Player of the Year. Wallace just missed out on a third straight Defensive Player of the Year award in 2003-2004, finishing second to Metta World Peace AKA Ron Artest, though was again Second Team All-NBA: 9.5 points (42.1% shooting), 12.4 rebounds, and 3.0 blocks per game. Nevertheless, this was followed by back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards, giving him four total, which is tied with Dikembe Mutombo for most in NBA history:
- 2004-2005: a career-high 9.7 points (on 45.3% shooting), 12.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game; named Third Team All-NBA
- 2005-2006: 7.3 points (51.0% shooting), 11.3 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game; named Second Team All-NBA
Upon becoming a free agent after the season, Wallace signed a big free agent deal with the rival Chicago Bulls and had a strong first season in the Windy City: 6.4 points (45.3% shooting), 10.7 rebounds (his last season averaging double-digit boards), and 2.0 blocks per game to earn Second Team All-Defensive honors. However, he was clearly on the decline and halfway through the 2007-2008 season, was sent to the Cleveland Cavaliers as part of a massive three-team deal: the Cavaliers got Wallace, Joe Smith, Wally Szcezbiak, and Delonte West, the Bulls got Shannon Brown, Larry Hughes, Cedric Simmons, and Drew Gooden, and the then-Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) received Ira Newble, Donyell Marshall, and Adrian Griffin. Wallace spent another one-and-a-half seasons in Cleveland and while strong defensively, was clearly no longer a dominant force; post the 2008-2009 season, he was traded with Sasha Pavlovic a second-round pick, and cash to the Phoenix Suns for Shaquille O’Neal and was then bought out before re-signing with the Pistons. The second time around, Wallace’s numbers trended downwards in each of his three years back with Detroit and he never played more than 69 games in a season – during this time, he notably surpassed Avery Johnson for most NBA games played by an undrafted player and continues to hold this distinction after retiring in 2012 at age 37.
On the whole, Wallace played two more NBA seasons than Rodman (16 vs. 14) and appeared in roughly 175 additional games. Statistically speaking, neither was much of an offensive presence (each averaged fewer than 10 points per game for his career), but Rodman was more efficient shooting, both from the field and from the free throw line. More importantly, Rodman was the significantly better rebounder (13.1 vs. 9.6 rebounds per game) and slightly better passer (1.8 vs. 1.3 assists per game), though Wallace excelled defensively when it came to steals and blocks. Due to their defensive prowess, Rodman garnered more All-Defensive selections (8x vs. 6x) and won more rebounding titles (7x vs. 2x), but Wallace earned more All-Star selections (4x vs. 2x), All-NBA nods (5x vs. 2x), and Defensive Player of the Year awards (4x vs. 2x). Because of their limited offensive contributions, neither player rates particularly well in terms of Player Efficiency Rating (PER) – Rodman is at 14.6 vs. 15.5 for Wallace; in terms of career Win-Shares, Wallace has a slight edge, though again, he also played more games. In light of his sometimes overlooked contributions, Rodman was selected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011, while Wallace became the first undrafted player ever to receive the honors in 2021.
Regular Season Statistics
| Dennis Rodman | Player | Ben Wallace |
| 14 (1986-2000) | Seasons | 16 (1996-2012) |
| 911 | Games Played | 1,088 |
| 7.3 | Points | 5.7 |
| 13.1 | Rebounds | 9.6 |
| 1.8 | Assists | 1.3 |
| 52.1% | Field Goal % | 47.4% |
| 58.4% | Free Throw % | 41.4% |
| 14.6 | PER | 15.5 |
| 89.8 | Win Shares | 93.5 |
| 2x | All-Star Games | 4x |
| 2x | All-NBA | 5x |
| – | MVP | – |
| 5x | NBA Titles | 1x |
| – | NBA Finals MVP | – |
| 2x Defensive POY, 8x All-Defensive | Other Awards | 4x Defensive POY, 6x All-Defensive |
| 2011 | Hall of Fame Induction | 2021 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
In addition to their regular season rebounding and defensive prowess, Rodman and Wallace each played pivotal roles on NBA championship teams.
Rodman made 11 total postseason appearances across three teams (6x Pistons, 2x Spurs, and 3x Bulls), resulting in six Finals trips and five titles. First, in the late 1980s, after losing in seven games to Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1988 NBA Finals, the Pistons would sweep the Lakers in a rematch in the 1989 Finals; coming off the bench, Rodman averaged 5.0 points and led the team with 10.0 rebounds per game. The next year, Detroit would repeat as champions and beat the Clyde Drexler-led Portland Trail Blazers in five games, though Rodman had a quiet series with only 2.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Half a decade later with the Bulls, Rodman was the starting power forward for the team’s second championship three-peat. Individually, his best performance came in 1995-1996, when he not only led the playoffs in rebounding at 13.7 rebounds per game, but also posted 7.5 points and 14.7 rebounds per game in a six-game victory over the Seattle SuperSonics in the Finals. During the second and third titles vs. John Stockton, Karl Malone, and the Utah Jazz (both series also went six games), Rodman was much quieter in the Finals with fewer than 5 points and 9 rebounds per game each time.
Similarly, Wallace appeared in the playoffs 8x during his career, also spread out among three teams (5x Pistons, 2x Cavaliers, 1x Bulls), though his greatest successes came in the early 2000s with the Larry Brown-coached defensive-minded Pistons. In 2003-2004, Detroit made it to the Finals vs. the Shaq and Kobe-led Lakers and would prevail in five games; Wallace averaged a double-double with 10.8 points and 13.6 rebounds per game, including 18 points and 22 rebounds in the series-clinching Game 5. Looking to follow in the footsteps of the “Bad Boys”, the Pistons would nearly repeat the next year – in a seven-games Finals loss to the Spurs and their triumvirate of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Tony Parker, Wallace once again averaged a double-double with 10.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Playoff Statistics
| Dennis Rodman | Player | Ben Wallace |
| 169 | Games Played | 130 |
| 6.4 | Points | 7.2 |
| 9.9 | Rebounds | 11.2 |
| 1.2 | Assists | 1.3 |
| 49.0% | Field Goal % | 48.2% |
| 54.0% | Free Throw % | 41.8% |
| 12.3 | PER | 16.2 |
| 11.7 | Win Shares | 15.4 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Every athlete goes through a natural career lifecycle, from starting off as a rookie to reaching peak years of performance and finally, declining into the inevitable retirement due to a combination of age and/or injury; both Rodman and Wallace were bench contributors before entering their All-Defensive primes and then, bouncing around with a couple of teams post their championship zeniths. For Hall of Fame caliber players across sports, I like to look at a concept I call a “decade of dominance.” The thinking behind this is that for most Hall of Fame type careers, there are roughly 10 great seasons that define an athlete (this idea is embodied in a sense by the NFL’s All-Decade teams), though due to injury or other factors, they might not be 10 consecutive years.
Decade of Dominance
| Dennis Rodman | Player | Ben Wallace |
| 1988-1998 | Decade of Dominance | 1998-2008 |
| 717 | Games Played | 746 |
| 7.2 | Points | 7.0 |
| 14.6 | Rebounds | 11.4 |
| 1.9 | Assists | 1.5 |
| 51.5% | Field Goal % | 47.3% |
| 59.6% | Free Throw % | 42.1% |
| 14.6 | PER | 16.0 |
| 78.7 | Win Shares | 79.0 |
Source: Basketball-Reference.com
Generally speaking, the same career trends apply across their decades of dominance, though the numbers are a little more comparable – in particular, both Rodman and Wallace averaged double-digit rebounds in their best decade of play and have nearly identical Win-Shares.
My Thoughts
Though you would most likely never turn to either player to make a game-winning shot, Dennis Rodman and Ben Wallace were unique in their ability to dominate games not through scoring, but rather via indomitable rebounding and defense. In fact, outside of the likes of Wilt Chamberlain or Bill Russell, it would not be too absurd to say that Rodman was the best rebounder in NBA history, especially relative to his size. On an overall defensive basis, yes, it is true that Wallace is tied for the most career Defensive Player of the Year awards, but Rodman was arguably a more versatile defender, able to guard both towering centers and fleet-of-foot wings. But perhaps the true testament of each player’s greatness was how many winning teams he contributed to – while Wallace was undoubtedly an anchor of the defensive-minded, grind-it-out Pistons teams of the early 2000s, Rodman was a key cog of not one, but two different championship runs (late 1980s Pistons and 1990s Bulls) and also nearly helped lead the Spurs to the NBA Finals during Michael Jordan’s hiatus from basketball, exemplifying how truly valuable and versatile he was.
Thus, after weighing their careers against each other in terms of statistics, achievements, and impact, the winner of this faceoff is:
Dennis Rodman
As always, vote for your choice and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Further Reading
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