Auburn Hills — When Ben Wallace first received word the Pistons planned to retire his jersey number, he was skeptical.
He thought it was a joke.
“It was a bit before Christmas when I got the call and I really didn’t believe it at the time,” said Wallace, who played nine seasons with the Pistons (2000-06, 2009-12). “It was like, ‘Who’s playing games now? We’re getting too old to be playing these games.’
“Then they called back and convinced me that they were serious about it, and for me that was a great Christmas present.