When you think of Ben Wallace, you probably picture him wearing his signature headband — that iconic look became part of his identity.
Interestingly, though, that very trademark once cost him his playing time on the court. Back in 2006, while Wallace was with the Chicago Bulls, the former four-time Defensive Player of The Year was actually benched because he wouldn’t take off his headband.
Headband drama
In the NBA, accessories on the court are more than just practical — they’re a way for players to show who they are. However, not every self-expression is welcome. At times, both league and team policies have placed limits on what players can wear, leading to surprisingly tense standoffs.
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A prime example is Wallace. The powerful 6’9″ player ran into trouble with the Bulls soon after joining them, not because of his playing time or strategy but because of his headgear.
Few would expect something as trivial as a headband to cause serious friction, especially given “Big Ben’s” stature at the time. He was a multiple-time All-Star, a marquee signing just months earlier brought in to bring toughness and leadership.
Still, the team from Windy City had a strict ban on headbands, a rule that reportedly had started years earlier because of issues with former player Eddie Robinson, whose style and behavior annoyed team management.
However, Wallace, who had worn his headband religiously throughout his rise to stardom with the Detroit Pistons, refused to drop the look. The Bulls, in turn, initially refused to make an exception.
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Bulls in crisis
What started as a minor disagreement over a headband soon exposed deeper issues between Wallace and the franchise — and, more specifically, with then-head coach Scott Skiles.
The tension between the veteran center and Skiles was clear. It wasn’t just about the headband. “Big Ben” reportedly pushed back against several team rules, like refusing to tape his ankles and questioning the ban on pregame music.
Still, the headband quickly became a symbol of a bigger power struggle. Things came to a head during a game against the New York Knicks, when Scott benched Ben less than three minutes into the first quarter for breaking the team’s headband policy. Wallace’s reaction was calm and direct, but he stood by his choice.
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“If you know the rules and break them, you expect to be punished. I can’t try to put myself above the team or anybody else and wear a headband like I did. I’m man enough to take the punishment. But I’m not sorry,” said the 2004 NBA champion with the Pistons, per ESPN.
Despite the conflict, a compromise was found. In an unusual step, Skiles let the Bulls players vote on whether their teammate could keep wearing his signature headband — and they agreed.
“We still have a no-headband rule,” the head coach later explained. “I just left it up to the guys who have been here if they wanted to make an exception for Ben. I was fine with it. They were fine with it.”
This moment marked a shift — not just in the headband debate but in the team’s leadership style. The then-GM John Paxson praised Skiles for “adapting, listening to his players” and, more importantly, for “understanding that the bigger picture is winning.”
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At that point, though, “winning” wasn’t really happening for Wallace, Skiles and the team. Earlier that season, they had dropped six straight games and were sitting at a disappointing 3-9 just a few weeks in. That, no doubt, also helped turn the headband issue into such a big story.