Rasheed Wallace Biography Rasheed Wallace biography Early years Rasheed began his basketball career in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Simon Gratz High School; a school that takes pride in athletic tradition. Former Bulldogs of Simon Gratz include Wallace, former Trail Blazer Aaron McKie, currently with the Philadelphia 76ers’, Leroy Kelly, formerly of baseball’s Minnesota Twins, and Meldrick Taylor, 1984 Olympic gold medalist. Rasheed was named USA Today High School Player of the Year after the 1992-93 season and was selected first team All America by Basketball Times. Despite limited playing time of just 19 minutes per game, Rasheed still managed to average 16 points, 15 rebounds and 7 blocks during his senior year. In addition to basketball, Rasheed also ran track and high jumped.
College Years Former University of North Carolina coach Dean Smith lured Rasheed to Chapel Hill, North Carolina for his college years. During his term in Carolina, Rasheed had tremendous success in the national spotlight. Named to the second team All-America by the AP his second year, Rasheed ranks as the leading career field goal shooter in Atlantic Coast Conference history with a .635 percentage. Rasheed helped lead the Tar Heels to the NCAA Final Four in 1995. College hoops didn’t seem to be enough of a challenge for Rasheed. Rasheed left North Carolina to enter the 1995 NBA Draft after his sophomore season. Wallace was selected in the 1st round, 4th pick draft pick overall by the Washington Bullets/Wizards.
NBA Years As a rookie in Washington, Rasheed played in 65 games, 51 of which he started. While mostly playing power forward, he also gained experience in the center position. Rasheed as a young player was physically overmatched against bigger bulkier centers. Wallace was selected to the rookie team for the All Star Weekend. Rasheed made the shot that put his East team in the lead for good—a game winner for the team! Later that year, he fractured his left thumb during a game against Orlando and could not return until the following year. Missing the final 15 games, Rasheed’s days in a Bullets uniform were over. After the season, Rasheed was traded to the Portland Trail Blazers in a deal that included Rod Strickland, Harvey Grant and Mitchell Butler. Portland was just the boost that Rasheed needed in his career. He led the Blazers in scoring 12 times, and also ranked third in the league in field goal percentage. Unfortunately, just as his season was gaining momentum, Rasheed again broke his left thumb—ironically in a game against the Bullets—and was forced to miss the next month of the season. Fortunately he returned in time for a strong performance in the first round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite the Blazers losing the series, Wallace’s play was a bright spot that gave Blazer fans something to look forward to in 97-98. Rasheed’s next season was one of many highs. The young superstar signed a long term contract to stay with the Portland Trail Blazers. Rasheed was showcased as the team’s all-around player on a club with many specialists. Rasheed began extending himself into the community more than ever. With the creation of the Wallace Foundation, Rasheed’s off-the-court achievements became too numerous to count. These days Rasheed is enjoying his days with the defending NBA Champions - The Detroit Pistons - a team he helped reach where they are today. He currently sports the #36 (rather than his usual #30) in the memory of his late brother and continues to do many great things on and off the court. With his dedication to his team and community outreach there is no doubt that Rasheed is truly a champion. Source: rasheedwallace.com
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