# Bill Sharman
**Bill Sharman** (May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was an American professional basketball player, coach, and executive who won championships in three professional leagues and was enshrined in the [Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/naismith-memorial-basketball-hall-of-fame) as both a player and a coach.[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) Born in [Abilene, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/abilene-texas), he spent most of his 11-year playing career as a guard with the [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics), then coached the Los Angeles Lakers to their first championship in Los Angeles.[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) • [2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | May 25, 1926, Abilene, TX; October 25, 2013[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) |
| Playing career | 11 NBA seasons, mostly with the Boston Celtics; 4 NBA titles (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961), 8 All-Star Games, 7 All-NBA selections[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) |
| Shooting | Career free-throw percentage .883; led the NBA in free-throw percentage a record seven seasons, including five consecutive (1952-53 through 1956-57)[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) • [3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) |
| Coaching titles | Only person to win championships in three professional leagues: ABL (1962), ABA (1971), NBA (1972)[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) |
| 1971-72 Lakers | 69-13 record, then the best in NBA history, and a record 33-game winning streak; NBA Coach of the Year[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) • [1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) |
| Hall of Fame | Enshrined as a player in 1976 and as a coach in 2004, the third person honored in both roles, after John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens[3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) |
| Executive career | Lakers general manager, then president, through 1990; later 23 years as a Lakers special consultant[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) • [3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) |
## Playing career
Sharman was a standout in both baseball and basketball at the [University of Southern California](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-southern-california), where he was a basketball All-American and the Pacific Coast Conference Most Valuable Player in 1949 and 1950.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) He signed a minor league contract with the [Brooklyn Dodgers](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooklyn-dodgers) in 1950 and later that year was drafted in the second round by the [Washington Capitols](https://www.edgepedia.org/washington-capitols); he played both sports for five years before abandoning baseball in 1955.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman)
After the Capitols folded during the 1950-51 season, Celtics coach [Red Auerbach](https://www.edgepedia.org/red-auerbach) acquired Sharman from the Fort Wayne Pistons in exchange for the draft rights to Charlie Share.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) Paired with [Bob Cousy](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-cousy), he formed one of the most formidable backcourts in league history.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) He was among the first NBA guards to shoot above .400 from the field for a season, and he led the league in free-throw percentage seven times, including a league-record five consecutive seasons.[3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) His single-season free-throw mark of .932, set in 1958-59, stood until 1981.[4](https://www.nba.com/news/archive-75-bill-sharman)
With Boston he won four NBA championships, in 1957, 1959, 1960, and 1961, and was voted to the All-NBA First or Second Team seven times while appearing in eight All-Star Games, earning MVP of the 1955 game.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) In 711 career games he averaged 17.8 points.[3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) He was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History during the league's 50th anniversary season (1996-97).[3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman)
## Coaching career
After retiring as a player in 1961, Sharman coached the Cleveland Pipers of the new American Basketball League to the 1962 title, winning ABL Coach of the Year honors.[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) He then moved to the [American Basketball Association](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-basketball-association), where he guided the Utah Stars to the 1971 ABA championship and again won Coach of the Year honors.[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) He is the only person in professional basketball history to win championships in three professional leagues.[3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman)
**The 1971-72 Lakers.** Taking over a Los Angeles team that had reached seven [NBA Finals](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-finals) without a title since moving from [Minneapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/minneapolis), Sharman installed a demanding conditioning program, a fast-paced style, and the morning shootaround, a practice now routine across the NBA.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) • [3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) The Lakers won 33 consecutive games from November 5 to January 7, an NBA record, and finished 69-13, then the best regular-season record in league history.[2](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman) They won the 1972 NBA championship, the franchise's first in Los Angeles, and Sharman was named [NBA Coach of the Year](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-coach-of-the-year).[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) • [3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) He finished his professional coaching career with 466 regular-season and 57 playoff victories and three titles.[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1)
## Executive career and recognition
Sharman served as the Lakers' general manager and then president through 1990, and later spent 23 years as a special consultant with the team.[1](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1) • [3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman) He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1976, and in April 2004 he became just the third individual, after [John Wooden](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-wooden) and [Lenny Wilkens](https://www.edgepedia.org/lenny-wilkens), to be honored as both a player and a coach.[3](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman)
## References
1. [Bill Sharman, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame](https://www.hoophall.com/hall-of-famers/bill-sharman-1)
2. [Legends profile: Bill Sharman, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/history-nba-legend-bill-sharman)
3. [Bill Sharman History, Los Angeles Lakers](https://www.nba.com/lakers/history/bill-sharman)
4. [Archive 75: Bill Sharman, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/news/archive-75-bill-sharman)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › Early NBA and BAA players*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license