One of only three people (along with John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens) to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach, success seemed to follow Bill Sharman wherever he went. As a player, Sharman brought a disciplined work ethic to basketball with a willingness to spend countless hours in the gym perfecting his skills. Sharmen is one of only 10 players in NBA history to win a championship as both a player and a coach. A superb 15-letter athlete at Porterville (CA) High School, Sharman was a star at the University of Southern California. Sharman was named an All-America in 1949 and 1950, was a two-time All-Pacific Coast Conference selection and conference MVP. In 1950, the Washington Capitols (NBA) drafted Sharman, however after one season the franchise disbanded. Sharman became the property of the Fort Wayne Pistons, but coach Red Auerbach negotiated a shrewd deal that made Sharman a Boston Celtic for the next decade. In 10 seasons with the Celtics, Sharman was named All-NBA First Team four times and played in eight All-Star Games, earning MVP honors in the 1955 tilt. Sharman teamed with Bob Cousy to form one of the NBA's most formidable backcourt duos, and the pair landed Boston four NBA championships (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961). In 1961, Sharman joined the Los Angeles Jets of the newly formed American Basketball League as a player coach. Part way through the season, the Jets disbanded, and Sharman decided to concentrate on coaching.
Following his retirement as a player, Sharman immediately landed the head coaching job with the Cleveland Pipers. In his first season, he led the Pipers to the 1961 ABL Championship, garnering Coach of the Year honors along the way. The ABL folded in 1962, and Sharman returned to Southern California as head coach of Cal State Los Angeles. He returned to the NBA in 1966 as coach of the San Francisco Warriors. He moved south in 1968 to join the new American Basketball Association, coaching the Los Angeles Stars. Sharman guided the Stars, then relocated to Utah, to the 1971 ABA title, and was named Co-Coach of the Year. In 1972, Sharman was named Coach of the Year for directing the Los Angeles Lakers to their first NBA title. That season, the Lakers finished with an amazing 69-13 regular season record, including an NBA record 33 straight victories. With the Lakers' title and his individual honors, Sharman became the first coach to win championships and Coach of the Year awards the same season in three different professional leagues (ABL, ABA and NBA). While coaching, he originated the game-day shoot-around that is a standard practice in basketball today. In 1976 Sharman was promoted to General Manager of the Lakers, and in 1982 became the club's President. He was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary team in 1996.
