NBA All-Star Rasheed Wallace honored with Philadelphia street sign bearing his name

18th Street and Hunting Park Avenue in North Philly is now Rasheed Wallace Road

PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Rasheed Wallace is a four-time NBA All-Star and beloved Philly native, and now his name will forever live on a street in North Philly. The community came out in droves to support Wallace at an unveiling ceremony for a new street sign.

The sign for Rasheed Wallace Road stands right outside of his alma mater, Simon Gratz High School, at the corner of 18th Street and Hunting Park Avenue. He left in 1993 to attend the University of North Carolina, and then he was signed to the Detroit Pistons.

“The way that y’all showed me love, especially playing in this building, and representing Philadelphia, when we’re outside of Philadelphia,” Wallace said. “I definitely appreciate that. And it’s y’all!”

Bill Ellerbee coached Wallace at Gratz.

“He was interested in learning about basketball,” Ellerbee said. “He worked very hard at it, and I don’t think he ever missed a practice in four years. It was easy.”

Bill Ellerbee coached Rasheed Wallace at Simon Gratz High School.
"He worked very hard at it, and I don’t think he ever missed a practice in four years. It was easy," said Bill Ellerbee, who coached Rasheed Wallace at Simon Gratz High School. Photo credit Racquel Williams/KYW Newsradio

Antoinette Phillips, a retired English teacher who taught Wallace at Gratz in 1991, said she knew he was special.

“I knew, the first time I saw Rasheed playing basketball, he was going to the NBA. He was very gifted and a very, very nice young man,” she said.

Carl Johnson from the neighborhood says he, too, is happy to see this tribute.

“This is great. He really deserves it. I mean, he’s really a nice guy,” Johnson said.

Local resident Antoine Mapp says Wallace is an inspiration.

“I was 15 when he went to North Carolina, so me, seeing somebody who looked like me, walked like me, and come from where I come from, make it to that big stage, kept me going for what I do,” Mapp said.

Rasheed Wallace poses for a photograph
Rasheed Wallace poses for a photograph with City Councilmember Cindy Bass and WDAS-FM radio personalist Patty Jackson. Photo credit Racquel Williams/KYW Newsradio

Wallace may have left Philadelphia, but his heart was always here.

“Today’s event is not about me, in my opinion, because without y’all, without the support and love of a lot of people out here — family members and friends — this celebration today wouldn’t happen,” Wallace said.

He often returned to Philadelphia give back to his community. He even paid to rebuild the gym at Gratz.

“To be honest, I’m holding back a little bit of tears, because this is emotional for me,” he said.

Other stops in his NBA career included the Knicks, Celtics and Hawks. Wallace most recently accepted an assistant coaching job with the L.A. Lakers.

Featured Image Photo Credit: Racquel Williams/KYW Newsradio