View source for Bill Cartwright

{{Short description|American basketball player and coach}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
 | name              = Bill Cartwright
 | image             = NBA Champion Bill Cartwright Celebrates Launch of New Book at College of DuPage (54292035685).jpg
 | caption           = Cartwright in 2025
 | height_ft         = 7
 | height_in         = 1
 | weight_lb         = 245
 | birth_date        = {{birth date and age|1957|07|30}}
 | birth_place       = [[Lodi, California]], U.S.
 | high_school       = [[Elk Grove High School (Elk Grove, California)|Elk Grove]] ([[Elk Grove, California]])
 | college           = [[San Francisco Dons men's basketball|San Francisco]] (1975–1979)
 | draft_year        = 1979
 | draft_round       = 1
 | draft_pick        = 3
 | draft_team        = [[New York Knicks]]
 | career_start      = 1979
 | career_end        = 1995
 | career_position   = [[Center (basketball)|Center]]
 | career_number     = 25, 24
 | coach_start       = 1996
 | coach_end         = 2013
 | years1            = {{nbay|1979|start}}–{{nbay|1987|end}}
 | team1             = [[New York Knicks]]
 | years2            = {{nbay|1988|start}}–{{nbay|1993|end}}
 | team2             = [[Chicago Bulls]]
 | years3            = {{nbay|1994|full=y}}
 | team3             = [[Seattle SuperSonics]]
 | cyears1           = {{nbay|1996|start}}–{{nbay|2001|start}}
 | cteam1            = Chicago Bulls (assistant)
 | cyears2           = {{nbay|2001|start}}–{{nbay|2003|start}}
 | cteam2            = Chicago Bulls
 | cyears3           = {{nbay|2004|start}}–{{nbay|2007|end}}
 | cteam3            = [[New Jersey Nets]] (assistant)
 | cyears4           = {{nbay|2008|start}}–{{nbay|2011|end}}
 | cteam4            = [[Phoenix Suns]] (assistant)
 | cyears5           = 2013
 | cteam5            = [[Osaka Evessa]]
 | cyears6           = 2014
 | cteam6            = [[Mexico men's national basketball team|Mexico]] 
 | highlights        = 
'''As player:'''
* 3× [[NBA champion]] ({{nbafy|1991}}–{{nbafy|1993}})
* [[NBA All-Star]] ({{nasg|1980}})
* [[NBA All-Rookie First Team]] ({{nbay|1979|end}})
* 2× Consensus second-team [[NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|All-American]] ([[1977 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1977]], [[1979 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1979]])
* 3× [[West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year|WCAC Player of the Year]] (1977–1979)
* 3× First-team All-[[West Coast Conference|WCAC]] (1977–1979)
* Second-team All-WCAC (1976)
* No. 24 [[San Francisco Dons men's basketball#Retired numbers|retired by San Francisco Dons]]
* [[Mr. Basketball USA]] (1975)
* First-team [[Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team|''Parade'' All-American]] (1975)
* Third-team ''Parade'' All-American (1974)
* 2× [[California Mr. Basketball]] (1974, 1975)
'''As assistant coach:'''
* 2× [[NBA champion]] ({{nbafy|1997}}, {{nbafy|1998}})
 | stat1label        = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
 | stat1value        = 12,713 (13.2 ppg)
 | stat2label        = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
 | stat2value        = 6,106 (6.3 rpg)
 | stat3label        = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
 | stat3value        = 1,390 (1.4 apg)
}}
'''James William Cartwright''' (born July 30, 1957) is an American former professional [[basketball]] player and a former coach. A {{convert|7|ft|1|in|m|adj=on}} [[Center (basketball)|center]], he played 16 seasons in the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) for the [[New York Knicks]], [[Chicago Bulls]] and [[Seattle SuperSonics]], helping the Bulls capture consecutive championships in the [[1991 NBA Finals|1991]], [[1992 NBA Finals|1992]] and [[1993 NBA Finals|1993]] seasons. He attended Elk Grove High School in [[Elk Grove, California]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bill Cartwright, NBA Legend, Discusses Memoir at Elk Grove Historical Society {{!}} Elk Grove Citizen |url=https://www.egcitizen.com/2025/03/27/527250/bill-cartwright-nba-legend-discusses-memoir-at-elk-grove-historical-society |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=www.egcitizen.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Hagan |first=Chris Nichols, Chris |title=Elk Grove native and NBA champion Bill Cartwright to be added to Sacramento Walk of Stars |url=https://www.capradio.org/articles/2024/05/23/elk-grove-native-and-nba-champion-bill-cartwright-to-be-added-to-sacramento-walk-of-stars/ |access-date=2025-04-17 |website=www.capradio.org}}</ref> and played [[college basketball]] for the [[San Francisco Dons men's basketball|San Francisco Dons]]. Following his playing career, he served as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, the [[Osaka Evessa]] of the [[bj League]] and the [[Mexico men's national basketball team]] as well as an assistant coach for several years in the NBA.

==Early life==
James William Cartwright was born to James and Marie Cartwright on July 30, 1957, in [[Lodi, California]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1975/02/24/a-high-road-for-a-hot-highschooler|title=A high road for a hot high-schooler|website=[[Sports Illustrated]]|last=McDermott|first=Barry|date=February 24, 1975}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/cartwright_bio_010213.html|title=Bill Cartwright|website=www.nba.com|access-date=August 19, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://sportsmanbiography.com/bill-cartwright/|title=The Unbeatable Bill Cartwright: A Biography of Triumph|website=SportsBiography.com|date=April 20, 2023}}</ref>

In high school, Cartwright played basketball for the Elk Grove Thundering Herd under coach Dan Risley. With Cartwright on the squad, the team went undefeated in the 1973–1974 season and was named the best high school basketball team in California in both 1974 and 1975. In 1975, Elk Grove won the NorCal Tournament of Champions.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=http://www.egcitizen.com/news/local-basketball-legend-reunites-with-champion-herd-team/article_14750c8a-aa6d-11e9-b85c-0ba77e8bb703.html|title=Local basketball legend reunites with champion Herd team|date=July 19, 2019|website=Elk Grove Citizen}}</ref> In 1974 and 1975, Cartwright was named California High School State Basketball Player of the Year. In 1975, he was named California High School Sports Athlete of the Year.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.egcitizen.com/sports/cartwright-selected-to-inaugural-section-hall-of-fame/article_7ee74a69-9527-58c2-b9a7-0e9cdf0a7eb7.html|title=Cartwright selected to inaugural section Hall of Fame|date=April 27, 2010|website=Elk Grove Citizen}}</ref>

As a prep star, Cartwright was just as highly regarded as fellow preps [[Darryl Dawkins]] and [[Bill Willoughby]].<ref>{{Cite news|date=1975-03-23|title=1975 Parade All-American|pages=226|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/47848903/1975-parade-all-american/|access-date=2020-10-27}}</ref>

Cartwright graduated from [[Elk Grove High School (Elk Grove, California)|Elk Grove High School]] in 1975.<ref name="auto"/>

==College basketball career==
Cartwright played college basketball at the University of San Francisco and was a consensus second-team all-American in [[1977 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1977]] and [[1979 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans|1979]]. During the 1978/79 USF season, Cartwright played on one of the tallest starting lineups in collegiate history with the 7'1" Cartwright at center, the 7'0" [[Wallace Bryant]] at power forward, and the 6'10" [[Guy_Williams_(basketball)|Guy Williams]] at small forward. He graduated as the all-time leading scorer for the Dons, averaging 19.1 [[Point (basketball)|points]] and 10.2 [[Rebound (basketball)|rebounds]] per game. Cartwright led San Francisco to three trips to the NCAA tournament, to the first round in the [[1977 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1977]] and to the Sweet Sixteen in both [[1978 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1978]] and [[1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|1979]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20061014215508/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/basketball/m_basketballs_finest/2005/m_basketball_finest.pdf Men's basketball finest] ncaa.org</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2023}}

{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Team W-L
! G
! FG
! FGA
! FG%
! FT
! FTA
! FT%
! RBs
! Avg
! Pts
! Avg
|-
| 1976
| 22–8
| 30
| 151
| 282
| 53.0
| 72
| 98
| 73.5
| 207
| 6.9
| 374
| 12.5
|-
| 1977
| 29–2
| 31
| 241
| 426
| 56.6
| 118
| 161
| 73.3
| 262
| 8.5
| 600
| 19.4
|-
| 1978
| 23–6
| 21
| 168
| 252
| 66.7
| 96
| 131
| 73.3
| 213
| 10.2
| 432
| 20.6
|-
| 1979
| 22–7
| 29
| 268
| 443
| 60.6
| 174
| 237
| 73.4
| 455
| 15.7
| 710
| 24.5
|-
| Total
| 96–23
| 111
| 828
| 1406
| 58.9
| 460
| 627
| 73.4
| 1137
| 10.2
| 2116
| 19.1
|}

==Professional career==

===New York Knicks (1979–1988)===
Cartwright was the third overall pick in the [[1979 NBA draft]] selected by the [[New York Knicks]], making his only career [[1980 NBA All-Star Game|All-Star Game]] appearance in his first season.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Bill Cartwright Stats|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cartwbi01.html|website=Basketball-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> He averaged over 20 points per game in his first two seasons for the Knicks, but after playing at least 77 games in each of his first five seasons, a series of foot injuries caused him to miss the 1984–1985 season.<ref>{{Cite web|title=CARTWRIGHT THE ONE LEFT STANDING|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-06-17-9102230818-story.html|last=Sullivan|first=Paul|website=chicagotribune.com|date=June 17, 1991 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> Following that season, the Knicks drafted center [[Patrick Ewing]] with the number-one overall pick in the [[1985 NBA draft]]. However, ongoing foot problems limited Cartwright to only two appearances during the [[1985–86 NBA season|1985–1986 season]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Johnson|first=Roy S.|date=1986-01-28|title=Cartwright Likely to Be Lost for Season|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/28/sports/cartwright-likely-to-be-lost-for-season.html|access-date=2020-05-12|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Knicks Top Even Themselves for Injuries|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-04-06-sp-25155-story.html|date=1986-04-06|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> When Cartwright returned for the [[1986–87 NBA season|1986–1987 season]], he and Ewing often started and played together but during the [[1987–88 NBA season|1987–1988 season]] Cartwright was relegated to the bench.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Life and Times of Mr. Bill – Chicago Bulls History|url=http://history.bulls.com/the-life-and-times-of-mr-bill/|website=History.Bulls.com|date=January 15, 2018|language=en-US|access-date=May 12, 2020}}</ref>

===Chicago Bulls (1988–1994)===
[[File:Bill Cartwright - Chicago Bulls, March 28, 1991 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Cartwright playing for the Chicago Bulls in 1991]]
On June 15, 1988, Cartwright was traded along with two draft picks to the [[Chicago Bulls]] for forward [[Charles Oakley]] and two draft picks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oaklech01.html|title = Charles Oakley Stats |website=BasketballReference.com|access-date=August 19, 2023}}</ref> The Bulls were willing to part with Oakley, the league's second-leading rebounder in the [[1986–87 NBA season|1986–87]] and [[1987–88 NBA season|1987–88]] seasons, because they needed a center and given the rapid development of power forward [[Horace Grant]].<ref>[http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/Chicago_Bulls_History-24393-42.html?nav=ArticleList#10 "YEAR-BY-YEAR HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO BULLS"]. NBA.com. Retrieved June 16, 2015.</ref> Cartwright was the Bulls' starting center during their string of three consecutive NBA championships in [[1991 NBA Finals|1991]], [[1992 NBA Finals|1992]] and [[1993 NBA Finals|1993]]. During the [[1992–93 Chicago Bulls season|1992–93]] season, Cartwright was elbowed in the throat during a regular-season game against the [[Indiana Pacers]]; his [[larynx]] fractured and he was left with a hoarse voice.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19941103/1939542/bill-cartwright----elbowing-way-to-top----when-sonic-centers-around-foes-have-a-lot-to-think-about|title=Bill Cartwright – Elbowing Way To Top – When Sonic Center's Around, Foes Have A Lot To Think About|first=Bob|last=Sherwin|date=November 3, 1994|access-date=December 19, 2013}}</ref>

The Bulls, who were without [[Michael Jordan]] the [[1993–94 NBA season|following season]] following his retirement, made the [[1994 NBA playoffs]] but were eliminated in a controversial game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Knicks. Cartwright departed the team thereafter as an unrestricted free agent.

===Seattle SuperSonics (1994–1995)===
Cartwright left the Bulls as a free agent and signed with the [[Seattle SuperSonics]]. He only played in 29 games for the Sonics, and retired after the [[1994–95 NBA season]].

==Coaching career==
A year after his retirement, Cartwright joined the Bulls again as an assistant coach under Phil Jackson ahead of the [[1996–97 NBA season]]. He was a member of the championship-winning teams in [[1997 NBA Finals|1997]] and [[1998 NBA Finals|1998]]. The Bulls underwent significant changes following the [[1997–98 NBA season|1997–98 season]], with not only Jordan and Pippen leaving, but [[Tim Floyd]] taking over as head coach. The Bulls had a lengthy rebuilding effort, and Cartwright took over as interim head coach of the Bulls 27 games into the [[2001–02 Chicago Bulls season|2001–02 season]], going 17–38 after the team's 4–23 start under Floyd and interim head coach [[Bill Berry (basketball)|Bill Berry]], who served in that position for two games before Cartwright. The Bulls finished 21–61 that year and the following season Cartwright was promoted from interim to permanent head coach. In the [[2002–03 Chicago Bulls season|2002–03 season]] the Bulls finished 30–52, but Cartwright only lasted 14 games into the [[2003–04 Chicago Bulls season|2003–04 season]] — going 4–10 — before being fired.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]|url=http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/cartwright_relieved_031124.html|title=Cartwright Relieved as Bulls Head Coach|date=December 19, 2013}}</ref> [[Pete Myers]] and finally [[Scott Skiles]] coached the Bulls immediately following Cartwright's tenure.

In 2004, the [[New Jersey Nets]] hired Cartwright as an assistant coach under [[Lawrence Frank]]. In 2008, Cartwright was named an assistant coach for the [[Phoenix Suns]] under [[Terry Porter]]. Suns [[General manager (basketball)|general manager]] [[Steve Kerr]] hired the former big man to help coach veteran big man [[Shaquille O'Neal]], all-star [[Amar'e Stoudemire]], and upcoming draft picks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/06/19/20080619sunscoach.html|title=Suns fill out coaching staff|publisher=The Arizona Republic|first=Paul|last=Coro|date=June 19, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2012}}</ref> After the Suns dismissed Porter and promoted assistant [[Alvin Gentry]], Cartwright remained as assistant coach with the team.

In January 2013, Cartwright was hired to coach [[Osaka Evessa]] of the Japanese [[bj league]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/8868242/bill-cartwright-hired-coach-osaka-team-japan|title=Cartwright hired to coach Osaka team in Japan|date=January 22, 2013|website=ESPN.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/02/03/basketball/bj-league/osaka-coach-cartwright-puts-focus-on-fundamentals/#.VEDAqlf9W8o |title=Osaka coach Cartwright puts focus on fundamentals |website=www.japantimes.co.jp |date=February 3, 2013 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=August 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806052503/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/02/03/basketball/bj-league/osaka-coach-cartwright-puts-focus-on-fundamentals/#.VEDAqlf9W8o |url-status=dead }}</ref> There, he was credited with turning the franchise around.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bill Cartwright Has Turned Around Japan Franchise |url=https://www.slamonline.com/archives/bill-cartwright-has-turned-around-japan-franchise/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=[[SLAM Magazine]] |date=30 March 2013}}</ref> When Cartwright arrived, Evessa had lost 19 of its 24 games. With Cartwright at the helm, the team won 17 of its final 28 games, including 10 straight at one point, posting a 22–30 record for the season.<ref>{{cite news |title=In Japan, Bill Cartwright Speaks the Language of Winning |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sports/basketball/in-japan-bill-cartwright-speaks-the-language-of-winning.html |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |date=13 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author1=Ed Odeven |title=Cartwright gives parting thoughts on experience in Japan |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/05/08/basketball/bj-league/cartwright-gives-parting-thoughts-on-experience-in-japan/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403051457/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/05/08/basketball/bj-league/cartwright-gives-parting-thoughts-on-experience-in-japan/#.WsMN3XbP1qY |archive-date=3 April 2018}}</ref> He did not return the following season, citing his desire to be closer to his family in Chicago.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Ed Odeven |title=Family priorities factored into decision to stop coaching Osaka Evessa: Cartwright |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/07/01/basketball/cartwright-wont-return-as-head-coach-of-evessa/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=[[The Japan Times]] |date=1 July 2013}}</ref>

In September 2014, Cartwright was hired as the head coach of the [[Mexico men's national basketball team]] ahead of the [[Basketball at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games|2014 Central American and Caribbean Games]], replacing recently fired [[Sergio Valdeolmillos]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Former three-time NBA champion Bill Cartwright appointed Mexico coach |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/cartwright-appointed-mexico-coach |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=[[FIBA]] |date=25 September 2014}}</ref> Five months later, he was replaced by [[Eddie Casiano]] who himself was fired after only two months without coaching a game and replaced by the aforementioned Valdeolmillos.<ref>{{cite news |author1=Paul Weir |title=Revolutionary Road |url=https://www.slamonline.com/international/costa-rica-revolutionary-road/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=[[SLAM Magazine]] |date=14 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mexico Gone Rogue-er? |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/mexico-gone-rogue-er |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=[[FIBA]] |date=15 May 2015}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Cartwright married his junior high school sweetheart, Sheri, and together they have four children (Justin, Jason, James and Kristin). He also has two grandchildren. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from USF and later obtained a master's degree in organization development in 1998 from the same institution. In 2016, Cartwright became USF's director of university initiatives.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usfca.edu/news/nba-star-bill-cartwright-named-usf-ambassador|title=NBA Star Bill Cartwright Named USF Ambassador|website=USFCA.edu|last=Carpenter |first=Ed|date=March 8, 2016|access-date=May 3, 2020}}</ref>

Cartwright is an avid fan of [[doo-wop]] music from the 1950s and 1960s,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Five Questions... Bill Cartwright, USF Dons|url=https://wccsports.com/news/2020/3/7/mens-basketball-five-questions-bill-cartwright-usf-dons.aspx|website=wccsports.com|last=Faraudo|first=Jeff|date=March 7, 2020|access-date=October 27, 2020|language=en}}</ref> and plays [[guitar]] and collects [[transistor radio]]s as hobbies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/07/01/20080701suns0702.html|title=Cartwright a big-man coach, more|publisher=The Arizona Republic|first=Paul|last=Coro|date=July 1, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/12/30/20101230phoenix-suns-extra-bill-cartwright-assistant-coach.html|title=Suns Extra: Q & A with assistant coach Bill Cartwright|publisher=The Arizona Republic|first=Paul|last=Coro|date=December 30, 2010|access-date=May 3, 2012}}</ref>

==NBA career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

===Regular season===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1979}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1979–80 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| '''82''' ||  || '''38.4''' || .547 || – || .797 || '''8.9''' || 2.0 || 0.6 || 1.2 || '''21.7'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1980}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1980–81 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| '''82''' ||  || 35.7 || .554 || .000 || .788 || 7.5 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 1.0 || 20.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1981}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1981–82 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 72 || 50 || 28.6 || .562 || – || .763 || 5.8 || 1.2 || '''0.7''' || 0.9 || 14.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1982}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1982–83 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| '''82''' || '''82''' || 30.1 || '''.566''' || – || .744 || 7.2 || 1.7 || 0.5 || '''1.5''' || 15.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1983}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 77 || 77 || 32.3 || .561 || .000 || .805 || 8.4 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 1.3 || 17.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1985}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985–86 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 2 || 0 || 18.0 || .429 || – || .600 || 5.0 || '''2.5''' || 0.5 || 0.5 || 6.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1986}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986–87 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| 58 || 50 || 34.3 || .531 || – || .790 || 7.7 || 1.7 || '''0.7''' || 0.4 || 17.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1987}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 New York Knicks season|New York]]
| '''82''' || 4 || 20.4 || .544 || – || .798 || 4.7 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 11.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1988}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1988–89 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 78 || 76 || 29.9 || .475 || – || .766 || 6.7 || 1.2 || 0.3 || 0.5 || 12.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1989}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 71 || 71 || 30.4 || .488 || – || '''.811''' || 6.5 || 2.0 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 11.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1990}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1990–91 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 79 || 79 || 28.8 || .490 || – || .697 || 6.2 || 1.6 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 9.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1991}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1991–92 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 64 || 64 || 23.0 || .467 || – || .604 || 5.1 || 1.4 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 8.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1992}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1992–93 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 63 || 63 || 19.9 || .411 || – || .735 || 3.7 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 5.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1993}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1993–94 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| 42 || 41 || 18.6 || .513 || – || .684 || 3.6 || 1.4 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 5.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1994}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1994–95 Seattle SuperSonics season|Seattle]]
| 29 || 19 || 14.8 || .391 || – || .625 || 3.0 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 2.4
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 963 || 676 || 28.5 || .525 || .000 || .771 || 6.3 || 1.4 || 0.5 || 0.7 || 13.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star
| 1 || 0 || 14.0 || .500 || – || – || 3.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 8.0
{{s-end}}

===Playoffs===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1981 NBA playoffs|1981]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1980–81 New York Knicks season|New York]]
|2||||24.5||.353||–||.667||6.5||0.5||0.5||0.5||10.0
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1983 NBA playoffs|1983]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1982–83 New York Knicks season|New York]]
|6||||28.7||'''.581'''||–||.773||5.7||0.7||0.5||'''1.2'''||11.2
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1984 NBA playoffs|1984]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 New York Knicks season|New York]]
|12||||33.2||.556||–||'''.863'''||'''8.3'''||0.4||0.2||'''1.2'''||'''17.4'''
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1988 NBA playoffs|1988]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 New York Knicks season|New York]]
|4||0||19.0||.500||–||.733||4.8||1.5||0.0||0.8||7.3
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1989 NBA playoffs|1989]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1988–89 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|17||17||'''34.3'''||.486||–||.700||7.1||1.2||0.5||0.7||11.8
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1990 NBA playoffs|1990]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|16||16||28.9||.413||–||.674||4.7||1.0||0.3||0.3||8.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1991 NBA playoffs|1991]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1990–91 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|17||17||30.1||.519||–||.688||4.7||'''1.9'''||0.5||0.4||9.5
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1992 NBA playoffs|1992]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1991–92 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|'''22'''||'''22'''||37.8||.474||–||.419||4.5||1.7||0.5||0.2||5.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1993 NBA playoffs|1993]]†
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1992–93 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|19||19||23.4||.465||–||.778||4.5||1.5||'''0.6'''||0.2||6.3
|-
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1994 NBA playoffs|1994]]
|style="text-align:left;"|[[1993–94 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
|9||8||21.0||.326||–||.813||4.9||1.2||0.3||0.2||4.6
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 124 || 99 || 28.2 || .482 || – || .725 || 5.4 || 1.3 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 8.9
{{s-end}}

==Head coaching record==
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}

===NBA===
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2001–02 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2001}}
| 55||17||38||{{Winning percentage|17|38}}|| style="text-align:center;"|8th in Central|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2002–03 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2002}}
| 82||30||52||{{Winning percentage|30|52}}|| style="text-align:center;"|6th in Central|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2003–04 Chicago Bulls season|Chicago]]
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2003}}
| 14||4||10||{{Winning percentage|4|10}}|| style="text-align:center;"|(fired)|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|—
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 151||51||100||{{Winning percentage|51|100}}|| ||—||—||—||—||
{{s-end}}

===Japan===
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|- 
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Osaka Evessa]]
| style="text-align:left;"|2013
| 28||17||11||{{Winning percentage|17|11}}|| style="text-align:center;"|7th in Western|||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
{{s-end}}

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.coachcartwright.com}}
* [https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/cartwright_bio_010213.html Official NBA bio]
* [https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cartwbi01.html Career statistics]

{{Navboxes
| list1 =
{{Chicago Bulls coach navbox}}
{{Chicago Bulls 1990–91 NBA champions}}
{{Chicago Bulls 1991–92 NBA champions}}
{{Chicago Bulls 1992–93 NBA champions}}
{{Chicago Bulls 1996–97 NBA champions}}
{{Chicago Bulls 1997–98 NBA champions}}
{{Mr. Basketball USA}}
{{1977 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{1979 NCAA Men's Basketball Consensus All-Americans}}
{{West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year navbox}}
{{1979 NBA draft}}
}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartwright, Bill}}
[[Category:1957 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:All-American college men's basketball players]]
[[Category:American expatriate basketball people in Japan]]
[[Category:American men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Sacramento County, California]]
[[Category:Centers (basketball)]]
[[Category:Chicago Bulls assistant coaches]]
[[Category:Chicago Bulls head coaches]]
[[Category:Chicago Bulls players]]
[[Category:NBA All-Stars]]
[[Category:New Jersey Nets assistant coaches]]
[[Category:New York Knicks draft picks]]
[[Category:New York Knicks players]]
[[Category:Osaka Evessa coaches]]
[[Category:Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)]]
[[Category:Phoenix Suns assistant coaches]]
[[Category:San Francisco Dons men's basketball players]]
[[Category:Seattle SuperSonics players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Elk Grove, California]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Lodi, California]]