Sharman, Bill (1926-2013), was a leading American basketball player and coach. Sharman played for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 10 seasons. During that time, the Celtics won four NBA championships. Sharman played guard and became known for his accurate shooting. He was one of the greatest free throw shooters in basketball history, leading the NBA in accuracy seven seasons. Sharman was also a successful NBA coach, especially with the Los Angeles Lakers. His Laker team won the 1971-1972 NBA championship. The team won 69 games that season, an NBA record until the Chicago Bulls won 72 games in the 1995-1996 season.
William Walton Sharman was born on May 25, 1926, in Abilene, Texas. He played for the University of Southern California from 1946 to 1950 and was drafted by the Washington Capitols of the NBA in 1950. Sharman came to the Boston Celtics in 1951 after the Capitols franchise folded. He averaged 17.8 points a game for his regular season career and 18.5 points a game in 78 play-off games.
After retiring as a player in 1961, Sharman coached California State University at Los Angeles from 1962 to 1964. He coached the San Francisco (now Golden State) Warriors from 1966 to 1968 and the Los Angeles Lakers from 1971 to 1976. He also coached in the American Basketball Association for three seasons. Sharman was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1976. He was elected as a coach in 2004. Sharman became only the third person elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. The other two are John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens. Sharman died on Oct. 25, 2013.
