Bill Laimbeer was THE player in the 1980s and early 1990s that EVERYONE loved to hate. He was notorious for his on-court antics and the smirk. He was a master of posturing, muscling, anticipating, and…as many said, whining.

In college, Laimbeer played for Digger Phelps at Notre Dame averaging 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds a game. He helped the Fighting Irish make it to the 1979 Final Four, but they were eliminated by the eventual National Champion Michigan State Spartans (the Magic Johnson and Greg Kelser Spartans) in the finals of the Mideast Region.

When he went into the 1979 NBA Draft, Laimbeer was not a hot commodity, even at 6’11” and 260 pounds. He ended up the 65th overall pick going to Cleveland in the third round. In his rookie year, Laimbeer averaged a .503 shooting percentage, 9.8 points a game, and he was second in rebounding on the team, with 8.6 rebounds a game. The Cavaliers posted a 28-54 record in the Central Division that year and were better than only one team in the division …the Detroit Pistons.

After a year with the Cavaliers, Laimbeer was traded to Detroit nine minutes before the midnight trading deadline on February 16, 1982. It was a four-player deal, with Detroit getting Laimbeer and Kenny Carr, and sent Paul Mokeski, Phil Hubbard, and two draft picks to the Cavaliers.

Laimbeer was a player of moderate athleticism, who wasn’t known for his ability to run or jump, and his off-season training regiment was limited to golf and fly-fishing. But to make up for it, Laimbeer possessed an indomitable will, a steely glare, sharp elbows, a great outside shot, and an amazing ability for rebound positioning. Laimbeer was also one of the fiercest competitors in all of sports.

“Bill’s one of the best competitors I’ve ever seen. It doesn’t matter what you’re talking about; basketball, golf, darts, anything. You will never outwork Bill Laimbeer,” said his long-time Hall of Fame coach Chuck Daly.

In his 13 seasons with the Pistons, Laimbeer became the franchise’s all-time leader in rebounds with 9,430, and second in games played, with 937. He was most effective off the defensive glass, and from 1982 to 1990 no player in the league totaled more defensive rebounds.

It was with Laimbeer’s support and intimidating presence that the Pistons ran off two consecutive NBA titles in 1989 and 1990. Although he tied an NBA Finals record by hitting six three-point baskets in Game 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers in 1990, it was Game Three of that series that was Laimbeer’s masterpiece.

Starting off by running over a photographer who got in his way as he came out of the locker room, Laimbeer tallied 11 points and 12 boards, and managed to take the Blazers out of the game with his smirking presence. Laimbeer played the role of villain, rattling Kevin Duckworth with strategic bumps and flops. He also got to Jerome Kersey, and Buck Williams. The icing on the cake was after he picked up his sixth foul with the game already in hand for the Pistons, and gave several dramatic bows to the booing crowd at the Rose Garden.

Laimbeer, a four-time All-Star and the 19th player in league history to amass more than 10,000 points and 10,000 rebounds in his career, once told Sports Illustrated, “I don’t fight. I agitate, then walk away.”

Players who have punched, or taken a swing at him read like an All-Star roster: Robert Parish, Bob Lanier, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, and Brad Daugherty. During his 14 seasons in the NBA, Laimbeer received over 3,100 personal foul calls, and paid roughly $85,000 in fines. He referred to the fines as “the cost of doing business.”

Consistency was another specialty of Laimbeer’s. During his entire basketball career, as he only missed nine games --- five to injury, three to suspension and one to coach’s decision. He played in 99 percent of the games he was eligible for.

Eleven games into the 1993-94 season, Laimbeer retired at the age of 36. At his retirement press conference on December 1,1993, Laimbeer stated that his proudest accomplishment was that he NEVER went on the injured list. “I was paid to play. I was there every night.”

Players throughout the league had their own celebration when Laimbeer retired. Former Bulls player, Horace Grant, told The Detroit Free Press, “There’s going to be a big party at my house tonight. Everybody’s invited.”

Laimbeer’s number 40 was retired on Feb. 6, 1995 at The Palace, becoming one of six Pistons players to have his number retired.

Retirement, however, did not slow Laimbeer down. In 1994, he took over Laimbeer Packaging Corp., a corrugated box-making factory in suburban Detroit, with backing from his father, William Sr.

In 2002, he returned to the Palace as a consultant to the Detroit Shock and was later named head coach. Laimbeer, the third head coach in the Shock’s six-year history, took over the position 10 games into the 2002 WNBA season. He rode out the season with the team and finished 8-7.

Laimbeer had a big year in 2003. Not only did he turn the Shock from the worst team in the league to the best team in a single season, but the Shock posted the most wins and best winning percentage of any Eastern Conference team in the history of the WNBA. The Shock won the franchise’s first-ever WNBA Championship and Laimbeer was named the 2003 WNBA Coach of the Year.

As head coach, Laimbeer oversees the basketball staff, its roster development, player acquisitions, and coaches the team from the floor. He has pushed the team to play more aggressive on the offensive end, and has brought hands-on NBA experience, from both a basketball and a business perspective. Laimbeer has also brought on Rick Mahorn, his Bad Boy counterpart.

Just like his playing days, Laimbeer still works hard. Currently, he is in his fifth year as color analyst for Pistons television broadcasts with play-by-play man George Blaha. He is still head coach of the Detroit Shock and works closely with the team’s ticket sales and marketing departments.

And don’t think that Laimbeer is one of those forgotten players who have just blended into NBA lore. People remember him and they remember what he did to their teams.

Follow him to Boston, or Portland or Chicago, or Los Angeles and walk behind him as he makes his way to the table for the Pistons broadcast. You will hear the boos and the hisses and the taunts. They still hate him in all of those NBA cities…for how he acted and what he stood for…and if you look for a reaction from Laimbeer, you know what you’ll see?

A big, giant smirk.

And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

STATISTICS

Year G FGM FGA PCT 3FGM 3FGA PCT FTM FTA PCT REB AST PTS AVG 1981-82 30 146 283 .516 - - - 91 112 .813 340 55 383 12.8 1982-83 82 436 877 .497 2 13 .154 245 310 .790 993 263 1,119 13.6 1983-84 82 553 1,044 .530 0 11 .000 316 365 .866 1,003 149 1,422 17.3 1984-85 82 595 1,177 .506 4 18 .222 244 306 .797 1,013 154 1,438 17.5 1985-86 82 545 1,107 .492 4 14 .286 266 319 .834 1,075 146 1,360 16.6 1986-87 82 506 1,010 .501 6 21 .286 245 274 .894 955 151 1,263 15.4 1987-88 82 455 923 .493 13 39 .333 187 214 .874 832 199 1,110 13.5 1988-89 81 449 900 .499 30 86 .349 178 212 .840 776 177 1,106 13.6 1989-90 81 380 785 .484 57 158 .361 164 192 .854 780 171 981 12.1 1990-91 82 372 788 .478 37 125 .296 123 147 .837 737 157 904 11.0 1991-92 81 342 727 .470 32 85 .374 67 75 .893 451 160 783 9.7 1992-93 79 292 574 .509 10 27 .370 93 104 .894 419 127 687 8.7 1993-94 11 47 90 .522 3 9 .333 11 13 .846 56 14 108 9.8 Det. Totals 937 5,118 10,285 .498 198 606 .327 2,139 2,531 .845 9,430 1,923 11,527 12.3 NBA Totals 1,068 5,574 11,198 .498 202 619 .326 2,440 2,916 .837 10,400 2,184 13,790 12.9

HONORS

Bill Laimbeer Wallpaper 1278x1024 | 1024x768 800x600 Detroit Pistons franchise all-time leading rebounder with 9,430 Shares NBA Finals single-game record for most points in an overtime peiod - 9 (June 7, 1990, vs. Portland) Coach of WNBA championship team Detroit Shock (2003)