Gerald Wallace

Gerald Wallace

No. 3 – Charlotte Bobcats
Position	Small forward
League	NBA
Personal information
Born	(1982-07-23) July 23, 1982 Sylacauga, Alabama
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight	215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High school	Childersburg
College	Alabama
NBA draft	2001: 25th overall
Selected by the Sacramento Kings
Playing career	2001–present
Career highlights and awards
2000 Naismith Prep Player of the Year
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference

Gerald Jermaine Wallace (born July 23, 1982) is an American professional basketball forward for the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA.

High School

Wallace attended Childersburg in Childersburg High School in Alabama, where he had a very successful career. For his senior season efforts he was named the Naismith Prep Player of the Year, an honor given to the best high school basketball player.

College

Wallace attended the University of Alabama for one season before declaring himself eligible for the 2001 NBA Draft.

NBA

Sacramento Kings

In three seasons with the Sacramento Kings, Wallace played seldomly, but in the brief appearances he made he was known for his versatility and extrodinary athleticism. In the 2002 Slam Dunk Contest, Wallace finished second to his future teammate and two-time winner Jason Richardson.

Charlotte Bobcats

In 2004, Wallace was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats in their expansion draft. Wallace started immediately for the club, and went on to have an impressive season, averaging 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks a game. He continued to improve in 2005-06, before getting injured in January, averaging 14.5 points and 7 rebounds, and ranking in the top 10 in the NBA in field goal percentage (54.142), blocks (2.19), and steals per game (2.44). Since the NBA began counting blocks as a statistic in 1973, only two other players (David Robinson and Hakeem Olajuwon) in league history have averaged over 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game in a single season.

Wallace is known for his somewhat reckless style of play that leads to his frequent injuries. For this, he has earned the nickname "Crash". He missed a total of 39 games in his first two years with the Bobcats, but his energetic and sometimes dangerous behavior that may have caused his injuries was also what contributed to his gaudy defensive stats. Coach Bernie Bickerstaff said of Wallace "Gerald can only play one way and be effective. Energy -- that's his game." In 2006, Wallace attempted to refine his game in order to avoid being injured, and as a result his numbers suffered. The first month of the season, Wallace had only five total blocks (an average of 0.3 per game) and his averages were down across the statline from 2005. Wallace improved his play in the second month of the season, but he went down with a separated shoulder in a December game against the Indiana Pacers. When he returned, Wallace continued his fine play finishing the season averaging 18.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block in 72 games.

Wallace appeared opposite Tim Duncan in the March 2008 "SLAM-UP" centerfold for SLAM Magazine.

Wallace suffered a Grade 3 concussion on February 23, 2008 after taking an unintentional elbow to the face from Sacramento's Mikki Moore. It was his fourth concussion in as many seasons with the Bobcats. It was not clear when he would return, although Grade 3 concussions are defined by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons as ones that "involve post-traumatic amnesia for more than 24 hours or unconsciousness for more than five minutes. Players who sustain this grade of brain injury should be sidelined for at least one month, after which they can return to play if they are asymptomatic for one week." He returned later on in the season, finishing the year with a new career high in points, rebounds, and minutes.

Personal

Wallace is represented by Rob Pelinka.

NBA career statistics

Legend

GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2001–02	Sacramento	54	1	8.0	.429	.000	.500	1.6	.5	.3	.1	3.2
2002–03	Sacramento	47	7	12.1	.492	.250	.527	2.7	.5	.5	.3	4.7
2003–04	Sacramento	37	1	9.1	.360	.000	.458	2.0	.5	.4	.4	2.0
2004–05	Charlotte	70	68	30.7	.449	.274	.661	5.5	2.0	1.7	1.3	11.1
2005–06	Charlotte	55	52	34.5	.538	.280	.614	7.5	1.7	2.5	2.1	15.2
2006–07	Charlotte	72	71	36.7	.502	.325	.691	7.2	2.6	2.0	1.0	18.1
2007–08	Charlotte	62	59	38.3	.449	.321	.731	6.0	3.5	2.1	.9	19.4
Career		397	259	26.2	.477	.305	.665	5.0	1.8	1.5	.9	11.6

Playoffs

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2001–02	Sacramento	5	0	2.8	.000	.000	1.000	.2	.2	.0	.2	.8
2002–03	Sacramento	7	0	2.6	.400	.000	1.000	.7	.0	.0	.1	.9
2003–04	Sacramento	3	0	6.7	.500	.000	.500	.7	.3	.3	.3	2.3
Career		15	0	3.5	.417	.000	.875	.5	.1	.1	.2	1.1

External links

• NBA.com Profile - Gerald Wallace