"I blame you": Rip Hamilton hysterically realizes his 14 ejections have been inspired by record holder Rasheed Wallace
With Draymond Green's indefinite suspension just announced by the NBA on Wednesday night, graphics on who has the most ejections in the league came out, and Rip Hamilton is surprised that he is on a list that includes former Detroit Pistons teammate Rasheed Wallace.
The two athletes were part of the "Best Five Alive" Pistons who won the 2004 NBA championship against the LA Lakers, ending the Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant tandem.
Known as the "Goin' to Work" Pistons, they are also known for their grit and grind on the basketball court, including some disputes with the referees. As Draymond Green earned his 18th career ejection on Tuesday, he is now second in the most ejections in the last 25 seasons, according to an ESPN graphic.
Wallace leads the list with 25. DeMarcus Cousins is at 17, and surprisingly Rip Hamilton is fourth with 14.
The four-time All-Star posted the ESPN graphic on his Instagram account and gently jabbed Rasheed Wallace for his number of ejections.
"Wow 👀!!! I didn’t realize this! I blame you @iam_sheeeeeed for all my ejections! You owe me some 🧀 bro! 😂😂😂 #Best5alive #detroitbasketball #podcastcomingsoon," Hamilton captioned.
Rip Hamilton says unselfish Rasheed Wallace could have been a top 10 NBA player of all time
The 2000s Detroit Pistons were one of the NBA's last defensive-minded teams that was memorable because of how it defeated the much-favored LA Lakers in 2004 and how they locked down teams, keeping them to scoring in the 80s and 90s in games.
Aside from forming a frontcourt with Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince anchoring the defense, Rasheed Wallace, as good as he was, was also infamous for his career ejections and technical fouls.
However, teammate Rip Hamilton said that Rasheed Wallace should be more recognized for his basketball skills and his unselfishness risked his rank to be named as a top-tier NBA player in history.
"I always say about Rasheed Wallace: Rasheed was probably my favorite teammate of all time," Hamilton said. "I mean, the guy is a selfless individual. One of the msot loyal and honorable teammates that I ever had. He's a guy that could be a top 10 player of all time, but he was very unselfish.
"Look at all the great power forwards in that era, the Dirk (Nowitzki), the Chris Webber, the Kevin Garnett, Rasheed is up there. The Tim Duncan, Rasheed is right up there."
Playing for the Detroit Pistons for six seasons, Rasheed Wallace averaged 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. He is a four-time All-Star, twice as part of the Pistons (in 2006 and 2008).