Description

Bill Laimbeer rookie card, 1981 Topps, recently graded PSA 9. At the time of this posting, only 25 cards were graded higher by PSA. William “Bill” Laimbeer, Jr. (May 19, 1957-) is considered one of the dirtiest players in NBA history, dubbed a “street thug”, “the prince of darkness” of “His Heinous” for his physical playing style and intensity under the rim and in the paint. However, despite his perchance for mixing it up with some of league’s elite forwards playing alongside a group of Detroit Pistons known as the “Bad Boys” of the NBA, Laimbeer and the Pistons captured back-to-back NBA Finals Championships in 1989 and 1990. Laimbeer played four years at the University of Notre Dame (1976-1979) where he averaged 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds as he helped the Fighting Irish reach the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen each year and the Final Four in 1978. The Cleveland Cavaliers then took Bill in the third round of the 1979 NBA Draft. Laimbeer created what would become the Laimbeer flop, drawing a foul with the slightest bit of contact from an opposing player. Bill played center for 14 years with the Cavs (1980-1982) and the Pistons (1981-1994), led the NBA in games four times, defensive rebounds once and total rebounds twice. Bill Laimbeer scored 13,790 points and collected 10,400 rebounds, 2,184 assists and 965 blocks in his 14-year career and was named to four NBA All-Star teams. Following his playing day in the NBA, Laimbeer has enjoyed a successful coaching career in the WNBA where he led the Detroit Shock to the 2003, 2006 and 2008 WNBA championships and earned the WNBA Coach of the Year award in 2003. In 2012, he joined the New York Liberty as general manager and head coach