Two Virginia Sports Hall of Fame Inductees, Selected for Basketball Hall of Fame

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA – The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame congratulates Bob Dandridge (VSHF ’92) and Ben Wallace (VSHF ’15) on their selection for the 2021 induction class into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. They join more than 90 of their fellow VSHF inductees that have been inducted into their sports’ national or international halls of fame.

Dandridge, a native of Richmond, VA, and graduate of Maggie Walker High School, helped lead Norfolk State University Men’s Basketball to the CIAA title in 1968. Chosen in the fourth round of the 1969 NBA Draft, Dandridge would go on to score more than 15,000 points in 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Bullets.

A 2-time NBA Champion (1971 and 1978), and 4-time NBA All-Star, Dandridge’s #10 has been retired by the Milwaukee Bucks, and his #12 retired by his alma mater, Norfolk State University.

Ben Wallace came to the Virginia Union University Men’s Basketball team in 1994. Coached by legendary Head Coach, and fellow Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductee, Dave Robbins, Wallace garnered First Team All-CIAA and First Team All-America honors, while leading the 1996 Panthers Men’s Basketball Team to the NCAA Division-II Final Four.

An undrafted free agent, Wallace would go on to become a 4-time NBA All-Star and 4-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. In total, Wallace played 16 seasons in the NBA, and was an integral part of the 2004 Detroit Pistons Championship team.

Wallace is the first undrafted player to be selected for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame congratulates both men on this wonderful and well-deserved accomplishment. The Class of 2021 will be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame, Saturday September 11, 2021.