Bill Sharman facts for kids
Sharman with USC, c. 1950
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 25, 1926 Abilene, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | October 25, 2013 (aged 87) Redondo Beach, California, U.S. |
| High school | Porterville (Porterville, California) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 175 lb (79 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | USC (1946–1950) |
| NBA Draft | 1950 / Round: 2 / Pick: 17th overall |
| Selected by the Washington Capitols | |
| Pro career | 1950–1961 |
| Coaching career | 1961–1976 |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1950–1951 | Washington Capitols |
| 1951–1961 | Boston Celtics |
| As coach: | |
| 1961–1962 | Cleveland Pipers |
| 1966–1968 | San Francisco Warriors |
| 1968–1971 | Los Angeles / Utah Stars |
| 1971–1976 | Los Angeles Lakers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As coach:
As executive:
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| Career statistics | |
| Points | 12,665 (17.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 2,779 (3.9 rpg) |
| Assists | 2,101 (3.0 apg) |
William Walton Sharman (May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was an amazing American professional basketball player and coach. He is best known for his time with the Boston Celtics in the 1950s. He teamed up with Bob Cousy to form what many called the greatest backcourt duo ever.
As a coach, Sharman won championships in the ABL, ABA, and NBA. He's also famous for starting the "morning shootaround," a practice many teams still use today.
Bill Sharman was the first person in North American sports to win a championship as a player, coach, and team executive. He won a total of 15 NBA championships: four as a player with the Celtics, one as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, and ten as a Lakers executive. Counting his ABL and ABA titles, he was a 17-time World Champion in basketball!
Sharman is also a two-time inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He was honored as a player in 1976 and as a coach in 2004. Only a few other basketball legends share this special double honor. He also coached the 1971-72 Lakers to an NBA record 33-game winning streak. This team also set a record with 69 wins and only 13 losses, winning the first Lakers championship in Los Angeles.
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Early Life and College Years
William Walton Sharman was born on May 25, 1926, in Abilene, Texas. He grew up in Porterville, California, and went to Porterville High School. There, he was a star in both basketball and baseball.
After high school, Sharman served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946 during World War II. He then attended the University of Southern California. He was a talented athlete there, even playing first base on the USC Trojans' team that won the College World Series in 1948. In 1950, he was chosen as one of the best college basketball players in the country.
Playing Professional Sports
Baseball Career
Before becoming a basketball legend, Bill Sharman also played professional baseball. From 1950 to 1955, he was part of the Brooklyn Dodgers' minor league system. He even got called up to the Dodgers' main team in 1951, but he didn't get to play in a game.
Basketball Career
Sharman was drafted by the Washington Capitols in the 1950 NBA draft. He played one season there before the team disbanded.
In 1951, Sharman joined the Boston Celtics, where he played for ten seasons. He became a key player, often leading the team in scoring. He averaged over 20 points per game in three of those seasons. Sharman was known for his excellent shooting, especially from the free-throw line. He led the NBA in free-throw percentage seven times, which is still a record! He also holds the record for 56 consecutive free throws made in the playoffs.
Sharman was selected for the All-NBA First Team four times and the All-NBA Second Team three times. He also played in eight NBA All-Star games and was named the 1955 NBA All-Star Game MVP. He retired from playing basketball in 1961 after 11 successful seasons.
Coaching Success
After his playing career, Sharman became a very successful coach.
Early Coaching Years
His first coaching job was with the Cleveland Pipers in the ABL, where he led them to a championship in 1962. He then coached at Los Angeles State (now California State, Los Angeles) for two seasons.
NBA and ABA Coaching
In 1966, Sharman became the coach of the NBA's San Francisco Warriors. In his first year, they reached the NBA Finals. Later, he coached the Utah Stars to an ABA championship in 1971 and was named ABA Coach of the Year.
The next year, Sharman became the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He led the team, which included stars like Wilt Chamberlain and Jerry West, to an amazing season. They set an NBA record with a 33-game winning streak and finished with 69 wins and only 13 losses. This incredible season ended with the Lakers winning their first NBA championship in Los Angeles. Sharman was named NBA Coach of the Year for this achievement.
Sharman is also famous for inventing the "morning shootaround." He believed this light practice on game days helped players relax and get ready for the game. After his Lakers won the championship in 1972, almost every other team in the league started doing shootarounds too!
Life After Playing and Coaching
Bill Sharman was honored for his amazing career in many ways. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame twice: first as a player in 1976, and then as a coach in 2004. Only a few people have received this double honor.
He was also named to the NBA 25th Anniversary Team, the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, and the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, showing how highly he was regarded throughout NBA history.
Executive Role
After coaching, Sharman became a successful executive for the Los Angeles Lakers. As general manager, he helped build the Lakers teams that won NBA championships in 1980 and 1982. As the team's president, he oversaw even more championships in 1985, 1987, and 1988. He retired from the Lakers front office in 1991.
Sharman also wrote two books about basketball. The gymnasium at Porterville High School, his old high school, is named after him. In 2013, he sold his 2010 NBA championship ring to raise money for charity.
Personal Life
Bill Sharman was married three times and had four children from his first marriage. He passed away at his home in Redondo Beach, California, on October 25, 2013, at the age of 87, after having a stroke.
Images for kids
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L-R: Sharman, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Jack Kent Cooke at a press conference announcing the Lakers' signing of Kareem in Los Angeles, 1975
