Rasheed Wallace is synonymous with technical fouls. Search "technical fouls" on basketball reference, and it will take you straight to Wallace's page. Wallace had a 35 percent chance of receiving a technical foul in each game he played. Surprisingly, he doesn't have the most total technical fouls in the history of the NBA.
That belongs to Karl Malone, who accumulated 332 throughout his career. Charles Barkley actually averaged more technicals per game than Malone (.28) and is second overall with 329. The top three are all big men, as Wallace comes in at third with 317. He calmed his on-court temper towards the end of his 16-year career, but there was a stretch with the "Jail Blazers" where Wallace averaged a technical every other game.
Rasheed Wallace's 41 technical fouls in 2000-01
Player | Technicals | Year | Team |
|---|---|---|---|
Rasheed Wallace | 41 | 2000-01 | Portland Trail Blazers |
Rasheed Wallace | 38 | 1999-00 | Portland Trail Blazers |
Charles Barkley | 32 | 1993 | Phoenix Suns |
Charles Barkley | 32 | 1994-95 | Phoenix Suns |
Dennis Rodman | 32 | 1993-94 | San Antonio Spurs |
While Malone leads the NBA, he doesn't crack the top five in most single-season technicals, which shows that a big factor in his leading the league is his longevity, having played 19 years in the NBA.
In that notorious 2000-01 season, Wallace also had 18 of his 29 career ejections, the most in NBA history. Draymond Green is second in that department with 21 total.
Why Wallace's record is unbreakable
For context, Luka Doncic led the league in technical fouls last season with 19, while Green topped the previous season with 21. The main reason the technical totals have decreased is the rules the NBA implemented after Wallace's wild back-to-back seasons.
After a player receives their 16th technical foul, they are suspended for one game. After that, a player is suspended for one game for every two additional technicals. There is also a financial incentive not to receive technicals. It starts at a $2,000 fine but increases to $5,000 after the player's 16th technical, on top of not receiving pay during their suspension.
It's mathematically still possible for a player to exceed Wallace's single-season record. Still, the new rules they put in place because of Wallace make it extremely unlikely to the point where it should be considered one of the most unbreakable records in NBA history.
A few years ago on The Player’s Tribune’s "Knuckleheads" podcast, Wallace said this regarding his place in the record books: "I'm happy to say I've got two NBA records that will never be broken. One is getting 40-something (41) technicals in one season. I doubt that'll ever be broken. And then two, that defensive stint that we had when I was with the Pistons. And held high-scoring teams under 70 points."
Wallace isn't in the Hall of Fame, but he will go down in basketball history thanks to his two standout attributes, tenacity and defense, which went hand in hand.