Wednesday, 04 December 2024

    Bill Sharman

    • Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2024
    • Embed from Getty Images
    • Sport(s): Basketball
    • Statistics: 1 NBA Championship (1972)
      1 ABA Championship (1971)
      1 NBA Coach of the Year (1972)
      1 ABA Coach of the Year (1970)
      466-353 NBA/ABA Record
      Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

      *4 NBA Championships (1957, 1959, 1960 & 1961)
      *4 NBA First Team All-NBA Selections (1956, 1957, 1958 & 1959)
      *8 NBA All-Star Games (1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959 & 1960)
      *Member of the NBA 25th Anniversary Team
      *Member of the NBA 50th Anniversary Team
      *1-Time First Team All-American (1950)
      *Number retired by the Boston Celtics
      *Number retired by USC
      *Member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame

      *As a player

      **5 NBA Championships (1980, 1982, 1985, 1987 & 1988)

      **As an executive
    • One of the few candidates we have who could be considered for the United States Hall of Fame in the player and contributor category, Bill Sharman, is one of four people in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame both a player and coach.

      Bill Sharman was an eight-time All-Star and four-time NBA champion who played with the Boston Celtics for most of his career. Sharman went from NBA Champion in 1961 to coaching, first for the Cleveland Pipers of the American Basketball League and then Los Angeles State before returning to the NBA in 1966 as the San Francisco Warriors head coach.

      Sharman's first year in San Francisco saw him make a return to the finals for the first time as a coach. The Warriors lost to the Philadelphia 76ers, and after an early playoff exit the following season, he was dismissed. He did not stay out of work for long, nor did Sharman leave the state as he joined the Los Angeles Stars of the ABA as their head coach.

      Sharman took the Stars to the ABA Finals in his second year, and when they relocated to Utah the following year, to an ABA title. He immediately went back to Los Angeles with the Lakers and brought the Wilt Chamberlain-led team to a championship, giving Sharman back-to-back titles in different leagues. Sharman brought L.A. to another final in 1973, and he remained their head coach until 1976, when he moved in as their general manager.

      Sharman built a team that won the 1980 and 1982 NBA Championship, and when he became their president, he won three more (1985, 1987 & 1988).

      We are proud to nominate Bill Sharman for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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