Ben Wallace delivered much good fortune to the Detroit Pistons as a player. Now he has become something of a 6-foot-9 rabbit’s foot as a retiree.

The 46-year-old Wallace was chosen by the Pistons to be their in-person representative for the June 23 NBA Draft Lottery in Secaucus, N.J.

With Wallace present, Lady Luck smiled on the Motor City franchise, with the Pistons winning the lottery and the right to the No. 1 overall pick in the July 29 NBA draft.

Detroit will almost surely select Cade Cunningham from Oklahoma State University with the prized pick.

“I figured that after all the work I put into (the Pistons’ success), nothing but good things were going to happen,” Wallace told the media.

In the talent grab, Detroit will select first, followed by the Houston Rockets, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Orlando Magic.

This will be the first time the Pistons have had the first overall pick since tapping Bob Lanier out of St. Bonaventure in 1970.

The Michigan franchise appears to be on the upswing despite a 20-52 record this past season.

The Pistons had three, first round draft picks a year in Kil- lian Hayes (seventh overall), Isaiah Stewart (16th) and Sad- diq Bey (19th). The Pistons then acquired Jerami Grant through free agency last November and Grant earned the NBA Most Improved Player Award, averaging 22.3 points. Wallace, originally from Alabama, starred at Virginia Union University before going on to a standout NBA career that featured four Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2008.

In 2004, “Big Ben” helped the Pistons to the NBA title. Detroit also reached the NBA Finals in 2005.

Later this year, Wallace will be formally inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.