Bill Sharman (Born May 25, 1926 – October 25, 2013) was a former American professional basketball player who played as a scoring guard.
Bill Charman was a basketball and baseball star who signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the Second Division baseball league in 1950 and gave up his baseball career in 1955. Selected by the Washington Capitol in the 2nd round of the 1950 NBA Draft, he played for the Washington Capitol and the Boston Celtics in his basketball career, winning the NBA championship four times, being named to the NBA All-Star Team eight times and the NBA All-Star MVP in 1955, being named to the NBA All-Star First Team four times, and being named the NBA Best Team Second Team three times, becoming the NBA Free Throw King for seven seasons.
In 1961, Bill Sharman announced his retirement from the NBA. He then played 19 games for the ABL Los Angeles Jets before officially announcing his retirement in 1962. He was the first guard in NBA history to improve his shooting percentage to more than 40 percent. After retiring, Bill Charman began coaching and was the only head coach to lead the team to championships in all three professional basketball leagues (NBA, ABL and ABA). He won 10 NBA championships, 1962 ABL championships, and 1971 ABA championships as a player, coach, and team management. In 1976, he was inducted into the Nye Smith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player. In 1996, he was named one of the NBA's Top 50 Superstars. The No. 21 jersey was retired by the Celtics. In 2004, he was re-inducted into the N.N. Smith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach, becoming the only three people in the NBA to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach (the remaining two being John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens, respectively). The Lakers later retired his No. 1 jersey as a recognition and commemoration of his leadership to the 1972 NBA championship.
On October 25, 2013, Bill Charman died of a stroke at his home in Redondo Beach at the age of 87.
Early experience
In high school, Bill Charman was an athletic all-rounder, showing extraordinary talent in five sports: football, baseball, basketball, tennis, and athletics. After graduating from high school, he joined the Navy for two years before returning from the Pacific ocean in 1946 to join the University of Southern California.
In 1949 and 1950, during Bill Shaman's junior and senior seasons, Bill Shaman became the Pacific Coast Basketball League's Most Valuable Player. In his senior year, he averaged 18.6 points per game for USC and was named to the All-American College Team.
Baseball career
In 1950, Bill Charman signed a $12,000 contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers of the Second Division Baseball League.
In 1955, Bill Charman gave up his baseball career.
Athletic career
In 1950, the Washington Capitol selected Bill Charman in the second round of the NBA Draft, 17th.
In the 1950–51 season, Bill Shaman averaged 12.2 points per game during his rookie year with the Washington Capitol. At the end of the season, the Washington Capitol disbanded, and the Pistons used the dissolution clause to select Bill Shaman, who was subsequently traded to the Celtics.
In 1951-52, the Celtics' first season, Bill Shaman averaged 10.7 points per game and maintained an 85.9 percent shooting percentage on the free throw line. Boston finished second in the Eastern Division with 39 wins and 27 losses, and in the playoffs, in a three-game, two-win division semifinal, the Celtics lost to New York.
In the 1952–53 season, Bill Shaman's playing time increased, and so did his contribution. He is the league's number one (85 percent) shooting percentage on the free throw line, fourth in mid-range shooting (43.6 percent) and sixth on the scoring list (1,147 points, 16.2 points per game). Boston finished third in the East Side with 46 wins and 25 losses, losing to the New York Knicks in the East Side Finals. Bill Shaman made his All-Star Game debut in 1953 and was named to the NBA's Second Team at the end of the season.
Player period
In 1953-54, Bill Shaman averaged 16 points per game and for the second consecutive season at the top of the league's free throw shooting percentage (84.4%). He ranks second in the league in 45 percent shooting, behind teammate Edward Macaulay. The Celtics were swept by the Nationals in the divisional finals.
In the 1954-55 season, after the league introduced a 24-second offensive time limit, Bill Shaman's peripheral projection became increasingly important. He improved his scoring to an average of 18.4 points per game, made his third consecutive All-Star Game and was selected to the NBA's Second Team for the second time. At the 1955 NBA All-Star Game, he was the Most Valuable Player. Bill Shaman's free throw shooting percentage this season was 89.7 percent, the third consecutive year in the league, and the sixth in the league in mid-range shooting. The Celtics lost to The Nations in the Eastern Conference Finals.
In the 1955–56 season, Bill Shaman topped the Celtics team with an average of 19.9 points per game, and he was named to the NBA All-NBA Team and his first four consecutive selections. Bill Shaman topped the league with 86.7 percent free throw percentage, sixth in the league on the scoring list and fifth in mid-range shooting (0.438). However, the Celtics lost three games to Syracuse Nationals in the division semifinals.
In 1956–57, the Celtics had Bill Russell, who averaged 21.1 points per game, and the Celtics won the NBA's best regular season record of 44 wins and 28 losses. The Celtics then beat the St. Andrews Hawks in the Finals to win their first championship.
In 1957-58, Bill Shaman helped the Celtics set the NBA's best regular season record again, 49-23. He shot 42.4 percent from mid-range shooting, a career-high 22.3 points per game, and maintains an 89.3 percent shooting percentage on the free throw line. The Celtics' highest scorer for three consecutive seasons has been Bill Shaman, who is also sixth on the league's scoring list. But his free throw shooting percentage is second in the league. The Boston Celtics lost to the St. Louis Hawks in the Finals.
In 1958-59, Bill Shaman again topped the free throw list and shot the best 93.2 percent of his career. He became the Celtics' highest scorer for the fourth consecutive year, averaging 20.4 points per game and was named to the NBA's All-NBA Team. The Celtics won the title again. In the playoffs, Bill Shaman averaged 20.1 points per game and hit 57 of his 59 free throws.
In the 1959–60 season, Bill Charman averaged 19.3 points per game, and in 1960 he was named to the All-Star Game for the eighth consecutive time. The Celtics successfully defended their title.
In 1960–61, Bill Charman averaged 16.0 points per game and earned his seventh free throw title. The Celtics managed to win the title for the third consecutive year.
In 1961, Bill Sharman announced his retirement from the NBA. His No. 21 jersey was later retired by the Celtics. But his career is not over. He played for the ABL Los Angeles Jets in 1961–62. Averaging 5.6 points in 19 games, Bill Charman officially announced his retirement with the team's exit halfway through.
Coaching career
In 1961, Bill Charman became head coach of the Crifran Bagpipes. Under the direction of Bill Charman, the bagpipes team won the ABL championship. By the end of the season, his record was 43 wins and 26 losses. ABL ended its journey this season, with Bill Sharman coaching Cal State-Los Angeles. He led the team to a record of 27 wins and 20 losses in two seasons, and then switched to work as an announcer.
In 1966, Bill Charman became head coach of the San Francisco Warriors. Bill Charman spent two years in San Francisco, with a combined record of 87 wins and 76 losses.
Coaching career
In 1968, Bill Shaman moved to coach the ABA's Los Angeles Stars. He led the Stars to a record of 43 wins and 41 losses in the 1969–70 season and was named coach of the year (1970) alongside Denver's Joe Belmont. In the 1970–71 season, after the team moved to Youta, the Stars reached the ABA Finals, where they defeated the Kentucky Colonels to win the championship (1971).
In the 1971–72 season, Bill Shaman became the head coach of the NBA Los Angeles Lakers. His team won 33 consecutive games in the first two months from November 5 to January 7, setting an NBA record, and the Lakers won 69-13 that year, which was also the best regular season record in the NBA at that time. In the playoffs, the Lakers swept the Chicago Bulls, eliminating the Milwaukee Bucks in the second round and beating the New York Knicks in five innings in the 1972 Finals to win the title. Bill Shaman was also named NBA Head Coach of the Year.
In the 1972-73 season, the Lakers still made it to the Finals, where they lost to the New York Knicks after five games.
In the 1973-74 season, Chamberlain retired, West played very limited, and finally the Lakers only reached the top in the Pacific region, losing to Milwaukee in the league semifinals.
In the 1974-75 season, West retired and the Lakers went down and failed to make the playoffs.
In the 1975-76 season, the Lakers still failed to make the playoffs. After the season, Bill Shaman resigned as coach.