Rare Photos of Rasheed Wallace

SI Staff | Jan 13, 2012

Rare Photos of Rasheed Wallace /

Rare Photos of Rasheed Wallace

The former UNC and NBA veteran grew up in Philadelphia, where he starred at Simon Gratz High and was named a two-time Parade All-America.

He lived with his mother, Jackie, and two older brothers in North Philly.

The two were very close, and throughout Wallace's career, Jackie would always urge him to keep his cool.

Wallace averaged nearly 16 points, 15 boards and seven blocks his senior season at Simon Gratz.

He was also named USA Today 's High School Player of the Year in 1992-93.

Though he was known primarily for his skills on the basketball court, Wallace was also a high-school track star.

His performances at Simon Gratz lured many big-name college coaches, but North Carolina's Dean Smith won him over and the 6-foot-11 big man joined the Tar Heels in their quest for a repeat in 1993.

In 1993-94, his freshman season at UNC, Wallace averaged 9.5 points and 6.6. rebounds in a little more than 20 minutes per game.

In his sophomore and final season in a Tar Heel uniform, his numbers jumped to 16.6 points and 8.2 boards in 30 minutes per game.

Wallace and the Tar Heels upended Duke at Cameron Indoor on Feb. 2, 1995 in what was arguably one of the greatest games in the history of their rivalry. UNC edged the Blue Devils 102-100 in double-overtime (the 202 total points are still the most ever scored in a Duke-UNC game). A dunking exhibition by Jerry Stackhouse and Wallace in the first half helped the Tar Heels take a 17-point lead, but Duke rallied before falling short in the second overtime.

A foul by Kentucky's Andre Riddick incited a maelstrom between the two teams later that season. Riddick's foul was followed by a Wallace elbow, which was followed by a Riddick attempt to choke Wallace, which was followed by both taking the bench.

Wallace led the Tar Heels to the Final Four in 1995 and was named a Second Team AP All-America that year.

Wallace entered the 1995 NBA draft and was selected by the Washington Bullets with the fourth overall pick.

He played in 65 games for the Bullets and started 51 while Chris Webber nursed an injury.

But he fractured his thumb later that season and didn't return until the next year. Luckily, he was still able to root on his teammates and ...

... Wear awesome knitted sweaters. Check out the beeper, too. Remember those?

Wallace was traded to the Trail Blazers after his rookie season and spent seven and a half seasons in Portland, racking up two All-Star nods, two conference finals appearances and one Christmas tree shopping adventure with Scottie Pippen and Erick Barkley.

Pretty cool picture, right?

Rasheed had championship belts made for the Pistons after they won the 2004 NBA title. Clearly, he was rather fond of his homemade accessory because he took it everywhere the following year, including Flyers games and the 2005 Eastern Conference finals against the Heat, whom Detroit beat before losing to the Spurs in the Finals.

Wallace sang to himself before the Pistons' Game 7 matchup against the Spurs in the 2005 Finals.

This is how he relaxed in the following season's playoffs, ahead of an Eastern Conference finals game against Miami.

Before retiring at the end of the 2009-10 season, Wallace and Celtics teammate Paul Pierce put on a play with students in Roxbury, Mass. Word has it that Wallace is itching to return to the NBA, so we may get to see more way-off-Broadway productions from 'Sheed & Co.

Published Jan 13, 2012

SI STAFF