The City of Philadelphia is renaming the 1700 block of West Hunting Park Avenue “Rasheed Wallace Road”
North Philly native Rasheed Wallace now has a street named after him outside of Simon Gratz High School, his alma mater. The 1700 block of West Hunting Park Avenue will now be known as “Rasheed Wallace Road.”
Wallace, a retired-four time NBA All-star who was hired as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month, is being honored for his philanthropic work that’s done for his hometown and across the United States since the early days of his playing career.
Wallace launched the Rasheed Wallace Foundation in 1997, his second year as a professional. He paid to rebuild the gym at Gratz and has organized free summer basketball camps at the school. He also has donated shoes and meals to thousands of children in need across the country.
Wallace spent parts of six seasons playing for the Detroit Pistons, helping them win the NBA championship in 2004. He returned to Michigan to lend a helping hand at the beginning of the Flint water crisis in 2016 and penned a fiery op-ed for the Players’ Tribune.
I met Rasheed Wallace a few times at Philadelphia 76ers games down in the Center City Club while I was there on the clock with RushOrderTees. He was the nicest guy ever and stopped to have some drinks with us and talk shit about the Sixers. Great to see a Philly guy get some recognition in his hometown.
A ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. Friday to celebrate the honor.
Rasheed Wallace “We ain’t scared of them cats”
