College - Notre Dame
Bill Laimbeer’s name sparks one thing in the collective mind of the Detroit community – a fierce competitor with the desire to win and achieve success in whatever he is involved with. As the leader of the 2003 WNBA Champions, he played an integral part in turning a professional sports team from the worst team in the league to the best team in a single season and then followed that up with another championship for the 2006 season. The 2006 season marked the fourth consecutive, fifth overall, time that the Shock had made the playoffs. The Shock won the 2006 championship with an 80-75 win over the Sacramento Monarchs in Game 5 of the Finals.

Laimbeer—2003 WNBA Coach of the Year—has the highest winning percentage of any coach in Shock history entering the 2006 season. He led Detroit to what was at the time the most wins and best winning percentage of any Eastern Conference team in the history of the WNBA during the 2003 season (.735, 25-9, previous best was Cleveland in 2001, 22-10, .687). Under his guidance, the team also made the biggest improvement in the win column of any WNBA team in history (+16). Laimbeer was not only instrumental in leading the Shock to the 2003 and 2006 WNBA Championships, but he also made the personnel decisions that gave the Shock 2003 WNBA Rookie of the Year Cheryl Ford and 2003 WNBA Finals MVP Ruth Riley. Just prior to the end 2005 regular season, Laimbeer was able to bring the all-time leading scorer in U.S. women’s professional basketball history, guard Katie Smith, to Detroit.

Laimbeer was named head coach of the Detroit Shock June 19th, 10 games into the 2002 WNBA season. Laimbeer, the third head coach in the Shock’s eight-year history, inherited an 0-10 team and guided them to a strong 8-7 finish to close out the 2002 WNBA campaign. Detroit improved in many statistical categories due to Laimbeer’s hard-nosed approach and uncanny ability to gain the instant respect of his players. After taking the helm, the Shock’s rebounding average improved from 27.8 rpg to 36.4 rgp and their point production jumped from 64.4 ppg to 66.8 ppg within the 2002 season. Detroit also took more high percentage shots as their three-point attempts went down from 17.4 to 8.6 per game.

Laimbeer also pushed the team to play more aggressively on the offensive end, improving free throw opportunities to 22.2 attempts per game in their last 22 games compared to 16.3 in their first 10 contests. Laimbeer oversees Detroit’s basketball staff, its roster development and all player acquisitions, while also coaching the team on the floor.

Laimbeer joined the Shock prior to the ’02 season as a special consultant, assisting the Shock organization in marketing and ticket sales, as well as providing an experienced sounding board for the coaching staff. As a recognized name in the Detroit area, Laimbeer provides instant credibility to every Shock initiative, on and off the court. He brings hands-on NBA experience, from both a basketball and a business perspective.

He began his NBA career after being drafted in the third round (65th overall) by Cleveland in the 1979 draft. He was traded from Cleveland to Detroit along with Kenny Carr in exchange for Phil Hubbard, Paul Mokeski, and future first and second round draft choices on February 16, 1982. A four-time NBA All-Star, Laimbeer was known as one of the nastiest members of the famed “Bad Boys” of the late 1980’s that won back-to-back NBA Championships in 1989 and 1990.

The Pistons’ franchise leader in total rebounds (9,430), Laimbeer averaged 12.9 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 2.0 apg in 1,068 games during his 14-year NBA career with Cleveland and Detroit. In 113 playoff games with the Pistons, he averaged 12.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 1.7 apg. He was the NBA’s leading rebounder in 1985-86 with 13.1 rpg. Laimbeer announced his retirement from the NBA on December 1, 1993. Recognized as one of the all-time best centers in franchise history, on February 4, 1995 he became one of six Pistons players to have their number retired.

A fierce competitor, Laimbeer finished his career with a 580-434 (.572) overall regular season record as a member of the Pistons. Preparing himself for an eventual coaching career, he was able to learn from Chuck Daly, the all-time winningest coach in Pistons history (467-271, .633, regular season and 71-42, .628, playoffs).

As a member of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, he helped the squad to the Final Four in the 1978-79 season and was eliminated by the eventual National Champion Michigan State Spartans in the finals of the Mideast Region during his senior season of 1979. He graduated later that year with a degree in Economics.