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{{Short description|American basketball player and coach (born 1957)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Bill Laimbeer
| image = Bill Laimbeer 2 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Laimbeer in 2019 as Las Vegas Aces head coach
| team = 
| position = 
| league = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1957|05|19}}
| birth_place = [[Boston, Massachusetts]], U.S.
| height_ft = 6
| height_in = 11
| weight_lb = 245
| high_school = [[Palos Verdes High School|Palos Verdes]]<br />([[Palos Verdes, California]])
| college = [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball|Notre Dame]] (1975–1979)
| draft_year = 1979
| draft_round = 3
| draft_pick = 65
| draft_team = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]
| career_start = 1979
| career_end = 1993
| career_position = [[Center (basketball)|Center]] / [[power forward]]
| career_number = 41, 40
| coach_start = 2002
| coach_end = 2021
| years1 = 1979–1980
| team1 = [[Pallacanestro Brescia|Basket Brescia]]
| years2 = {{nbay|1980|start}}–{{nbay|1981|end}}
| team2 = [[Cleveland Cavaliers]]
| years3 = {{nbay|1981|end}}–{{nbay|1993|start}}
| team3 = [[Detroit Pistons]]
| cyears1 = [[2002 WNBA season|2002]]–[[2009 WNBA season|2009]]
| cteam1 = [[Detroit Shock]]
| cyears2 = {{nbay|2009|start}}–{{nbay|2010|end}}
| cteam2 = [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] (assistant)
| cyears3 = [[2013 WNBA season|2013]]–[[2017 WNBA season|2017]]
| cteam3 = [[New York Liberty]]
| cyears4 = [[2018 WNBA season|2018]]–[[2021 WNBA season|2021]]
| cteam4 = [[Las Vegas Aces]]
| highlights = '''As player:'''
* 2× [[List of NBA champions|NBA champion]] ([[1989 NBA Finals|1989]], [[1990 NBA Finals|1990]])
* 4× [[List of NBA All-Stars|NBA All-Star]] ({{nasg|1983}}–{{nasg|1985}}, {{nasg|1987}})
* [[List of National Basketball Association season rebounding leaders|NBA rebounding leader]] ({{nbay|1985|end}})
* No. 40 [[Detroit Pistons#Retired numbers|retired by Detroit Pistons]]
* Second-team [[Parade All-America Boys Basketball Team|''Parade'' All-American]] (1975)
'''As coach:'''
* 3× [[WNBA Finals|WNBA champion]] ([[2003 WNBA Finals|2003]], [[2006 WNBA Finals|2006]], [[2008 WNBA Finals|2008]])
* 2× [[WNBA Coach of the Year Award|WNBA Coach of the Year]] ([[2003 WNBA season|2003]], [[2015 WNBA season|2015]])
* [[WNBA All-Star Game|WNBA All Star Game Head coach]] ([[2019 WNBA All-Star Game|2019]])
| stat1label = [[Point (basketball)|Points]]
| stat1value = 13,790 (12.9 ppg)
| stat2label = [[Rebound (basketball)|Rebounds]]
| stat2value = 10,400 (9.7 rpg)
| stat3label = [[Assist (basketball)|Assists]]
| stat3value = 2,184 (2.0 apg)
}}
'''William J. Laimbeer Jr.''' (born May 19, 1957) is an American former professional [[basketball]] coach and player who spent the majority of his career with the [[Detroit Pistons]]. Known for his physical style of play, he played a big part in the Pistons earning the nickname the “Bad Boys" in the mid-1980s before helping them win back-to-back [[NBA championships]].

In his [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) career, Laimbeer was known for his 11-year tenure with the [[Detroit Pistons]] during their "Bad Boys" era. Although a solid shooter and rebounder, Laimbeer became notorious for his physical play and reputation for delivering hard, often flagrant fouls. Laimbeer played at [[Center (basketball)|center]] with [[Hall of Fame]] backcourt guards [[Isiah Thomas]] and [[Joe Dumars]] and forward [[Dennis Rodman]], winning back-to-back NBA Championships in [[1988–89 Detroit Pistons season|1989]] and [[1989–90 Detroit Pistons season|1990]] with the Pistons, and being named an NBA All-Star four times.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-11-21 |title=BILL LAIMBEER: MR. PERSONALITY » Mitch Albom |url=https://www.mitchalbom.com/bill-laimbeer-mr-personality/ |access-date=2023-03-30 |language=en-US |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330194349/https://www.mitchalbom.com/bill-laimbeer-mr-personality/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=B |first=Mike |title=Shining Light on Isiah Thomas, Detroit Pistons Memorable "Bad Boys" Era |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/421838-detroit-pistons-shining-the-spotlight-on-the-memorable-bad-boys-era |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330194344/https://bleacherreport.com/articles/421838-detroit-pistons-shining-the-spotlight-on-the-memorable-bad-boys-era |url-status=live }}</ref> Prior to the NBA, he played for the [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball|University of Notre Dame]] and [[Palos Verdes High School]] in Southern California.

After his playing career, Laimbeer served as the [[head coach]] and general manager of the [[Detroit Shock]] in the [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]] from 2002 to 2009, coaching the team to three league championships in [[2003 Detroit Shock season|2003]], [[2006 Detroit Shock season|2006]], and [[2008 Detroit Shock season|2008]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Longman |first=Jeré |date=2007-06-05 |title=Aggressive, Infuriating and Successful |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/sports/basketball/05wnba.html |access-date=2023-03-30 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=March 30, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330194346/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/05/sports/basketball/05wnba.html |url-status=live }}</ref> He was the head coach of the [[New York Liberty]] from 2013 to 2017 and the head coach of the [[Las Vegas Aces]] from 2018 until 2021. He has twice been named the WNBA's [[WNBA Coach of the Year Award|Coach of the Year]].

==Early life==
[[File:Bill Laimbeer 1975 Palos Verdes HS.jpg|left|thumb|Laimbeer playing for [[Palos Verdes High School]] in 1975]]
Laimbeer was born in [[Boston]] and raised in the [[Chicago]] suburb of [[Clarendon Hills, Illinois|Clarendon Hills]]<ref name="badboys">''[[30 for 30]]: Bad Boys'', published by [[ESPN]] on April 18, 2014. Time: 7:20.</ref> before moving with his family to [[Palos Verdes Estates]], California. His father, William Laimbeer Sr., was an [[Owens-Illinois]] executive who rose as high as company president.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gulfshorelife.com/August-2010/Philanthropists-of-the-Year-2010/ |title=Philanthropists of the Year 2010 - Gulfshore Life - August 2010 - Naples, FL |access-date=April 1, 2017 |publisher=Gulfshore Life |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171012051352/http://www.gulfshorelife.com/August-2010/Philanthropists-of-the-Year-2010/ |archive-date=October 12, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The younger Laimbeer once famously joked, "I'm the only player in the NBA who makes less money than his father."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1986/04/07/643897/a-crashing-success|title=A Crashing Success|access-date=June 22, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601185712/http://www.si.com/vault/1986/04/07/643897/a-crashing-success|archive-date=June 1, 2016}}</ref>

Laimbeer played a [[Sleestak]] on the children's TV series ''[[Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)|Land of the Lost]]'' before attending [[University of Notre Dame|Notre Dame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071005/epcast|title=Episodes cast for ''Land of the Lost'' (1974)|website=IMDb.com|access-date=April 1, 2017|archive-date=December 17, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091217032448/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071005/epcast|url-status=live}}</ref> He was a [[Palos Verdes High School]] student, and the ''[[Land of the Lost (1974 TV series)|Land of the Lost]]'' show solicited their basketball team for tall people to play [[Sleestak|Sleestaks.]]

As a senior in high school in 1975, Laimbeer led Palos Verdes to a CIF basketball title and a stunning<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-05-21-cb-1662-story.html|title=Another Miracle for Laimbeer? : Ex-PV Cager Has Flaws, but He's a Powerhouse for the Detroit Pistons|first=Scot|last=Butwell|date=May 21, 1987|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref> upset over 6-time defending champion [[Verbum Dei Jesuit High School|Verbum Dei]].

== College career ==
For college, Laimbeer attended Notre Dame where he played basketball, but he flunked out after his freshman year. To regain his eligibility, he spent two semesters at [[Owens Community College|Owens Technical College]] in [[Toledo, Ohio]]. Laimbeer then re-entered Notre Dame. He spent two years playing for [[Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball|Notre Dame's basketball team]]. For his last two years of college, he averaged 7.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game while playing 20 minutes a game, primarily as a substitute behind starting center [[Bruce Flowers]]. With the Fighting Irish, Laimbeer appeared in the [[Final Four (college basketball)|Final Four]] of the [[NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament|NCAA Tournament]] in 1978, and the [[Elite Eight]] in 1975.

==Professional career==

=== Brescia (1979–1980) ===
Laimbeer was [[NBA draft|drafted]] by the [[Cleveland Cavaliers]] [[1979 NBA draft|in 1979]], but the team's hesitation in signing him to a contract led him to instead spend his first professional season in Europe. He played in [[Italy]] for Pinti Inox Brescia, where he averaged 21.1 points and 12.5 rebounds.

=== Cleveland Cavaliers (1980–1982) ===
Laimbeer returned to play for the Cavaliers in 1980.<ref>{{cite web |title=Legends profile: Bill Laimbeer |url=https://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/bill-laimbeer |website=NBA.com |publisher=[[National Basketball Association]] |access-date=19 November 2019 |archive-date=July 31, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210731001453/https://www.nba.com/history/legends/profiles/bill-laimbeer |url-status=live }}</ref> He was a reserve for the entire 1980–81 season and started only 4 games for the 1981–82 team.

=== Detroit Pistons (1982–1993) ===
On February 16, 1982, Laimbeer was traded to the [[Detroit Pistons]], where he remained for the rest of his career. He was immediately installed as the Pistons starting center. During his playing career, Laimbeer was one of the most notorious players in the NBA. While highly popular among Piston fans, Laimbeer was despised by opposing players and fans for his disdain of his opponents, his poor sportsmanship, and his dangerous play, such as repeatedly committing violent intentional [[Personal foul (basketball)|fouls]]. In the public eye, Laimbeer's reputation for physical play tended to overshadow his skills. His former teammate [[Dennis Rodman]] noted this in his book ''[[Bad As I Wanna Be]]'', saying, "He [Laimbeer] was more than a thug, but that's what he'll be remembered for." In an interview for the 1990 NBA Home Video release "Pure Pistons," teammate Isiah Thomas also talked about Laimbeer's effect on opposing players, saying, "He frustrates people," but then added, "He frustrates people...because he's ''good''."

In the ESPN ''[[30 for 30]]'' film ''Bad Boys'', Laimbeer said his approach to the game was all psychological. When the Pistons would take to the court before a game, Laimbeer made it a point to lead the rest of the team out from the locker room and he always did so with a scowl on his face to show he was not intimidated by anyone.

While a serviceable and solid player for most of his career, Laimbeer knew there were better skilled players than him. However, there were not as many players who were as physical on the court as he was, and Laimbeer was able to use that to his advantage. The hard-nosed approach he used was designed to wear on opposing players to the point where they began focusing more on retaliating against him and the rest of the Pistons instead of trying to win the game; Laimbeer said if he was able to do that to an opponent during the course of a game, he had broken him down.<ref>''[[30 for 30]]'' episode 64. “Bad Boys”. Premiered April 17, 2014.</ref> He even said the local media would play a role as his and the team's reputation preceded them: "When the Pistons came into a town, all the media would write about were the 'Bad Boys' and how rough we played. They'd be asking players if they were going to stand up to us. And once we got teams thinking like that, we had them. We already got them out of their game."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/os-xpm-1994-11-13-9411121033-story.html |title=THE MAGIC OF LAIMBEER: IT WAS ALL IN FUN . . . REALLY |last=Schmitz |first=Brian |date=November 13, 1994 |access-date=February 11, 2021}}</ref>

Laimbeer was one of the top outside-shooting centers of his era, draining over 200 three-pointers for his career, and excelled at running the [[pick and pop]] with guards [[Isiah Thomas]] and [[Joe Dumars]]. Then-head coach [[Chuck Daly]] used Laimbeer's inside-outside skills to great effect. On the defensive end, Laimbeer was one of the best [[Rebound (basketball)|rebounders]] in the game. On the offensive end, Daly would often have Laimbeer fade to the perimeter rather than roll to the basket, which had the additional effect of keeping the opposing team's best rebounder far from the backboard.

Laimbeer was selected to the [[NBA All-Star Game]] on four occasions (1983, 1984, 1985 and 1987) and finished among the league leaders in rebounding and [[free throw]] percentage several times. He won the NBA rebound title in the [[1985–86 NBA season|1985–86 season]]. He made a career-high 53.0% of his field goal attempts in the [[1983–84 NBA season|1983–84 season]], and the following season he posted a career-high 17.5 points per game. Laimbeer started on the Pistons' [[1989 NBA Finals|1989]] and [[1990 NBA Finals|1990]] [[NBA Finals|NBA championship]] teams.

Laimbeer spent 14 seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Detroit Pistons. Laimbeer became the 19th player in league history to amass more than 10,000 points and 10,000 rebounds. Laimbeer was most effective off the defensive glass – from 1982 to 1990 no player in the league totaled more defensive rebounds. He was also remarkably durable, never playing fewer than 79 regular-season games during his first 13 seasons, and playing all 82 games seven times. His streak of 685 consecutive games played (which ended due to suspension in the [[1988–89 NBA season|1988–89 season]]) is the fifth longest in league history. Laimbeer retired early in the [[1993–94 NBA season|1993–94 season]] at age 36 after an incident in practice with longtime friend Isiah Thomas that led to Thomas breaking his hand. Laimbeer, upset over the fight as well as worried over the reaction of Pistons fans for injuring their team captain, decided to retire, believing the fight with Isiah was his "downfall". He announced his retirement after a meeting with Thomas and head coach [[Don Chaney]] that ended with him and Thomas teary-eyed and remaining best friends.<ref>{{cite news | title = 'Sensitive' Laimbeer Mulled Retiring After Fighting Isiah | work = Chicago Tribune | date = November 21, 1993 | url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/1993/11/21/sensitive-laimbeer-mulled-retiring-after-fighting-isiah/ | access-date = March 8, 2017 | archive-date = March 9, 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170309061537/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1993-11-21/sports/9311210320_1_joe-dumars-pistons-coach-don-chaney-punch | url-status = live }}</ref> Laimbeer had his jersey number (40) retired by the Pistons in February 1995. He remains the franchise's all-time leader in career rebounds.

Laimbeer endorsed a [[video game]] for the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], ''[[Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball]]'', a futuristic basketball game in which physical play is encouraged. In a cameo in the ninth season of ''[[Cheers]],'' [[Kevin McHale (basketball)|Kevin McHale]] of the rival Celtics remarked, when presented with the X-Ray of an adult male gorilla's ankle, "...could be Laimbeer."<ref>{{Citation|last=Burrows|first=James|title=Cheers Fouls Out|date=September 27, 1990|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0539710/|others=Ted Danson, Kirstie Alley, Rhea Perlman|access-date=December 13, 2017|archive-date=April 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409112102/http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0539710/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y|leader=y}}

===Regular season===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1980}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1980–81 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]]
| 81 || — || 30.4 || .503 || {{sort|-|—}} || .765 || 8.6 || 2.7 || .7 || 1.0 || 9.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1981}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1981–82 Cleveland Cavaliers season|Cleveland]]
| 50 || 4 || 17.9 || .470 || '''.500''' || .775 || 5.5 || .9 || .4 || .6 || 6.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1981}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1981–82 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 30 || 30 || 31.2 || .516 || .143 || .813 || 11.3 || 1.8 || .6 || 1.1 || 12.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1982}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1982–83 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''82''' ||''' 82''' || 35.0 || .497 || .154 || .790 || 12.1 || '''3.2''' || .6 || '''1.4''' || 13.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1983}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''82''' ||''' 82''' || 34.9 || '''.530''' || .000 || .866 || 12.2 || 1.8 || .6 || 1.0 || 17.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1984}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1984–85 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''82''' ||''' 82''' || '''35.3''' || .506 || .222 || .797 || 12.4 || 1.9 || .8 || .9 || '''17.5'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1985}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985–86 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''82''' ||''' 82''' || '''35.3''' || .492 || .286 || .834 ||style="background:#cfecec;"| '''13.1'''* || 1.8 || .7 || .8 || 16.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1986}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986–87 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''82''' ||''' 82''' || 34.8 || .501 || .286 || '''.894''' || 11.6 || 1.8 || '''.9''' || .8 || 15.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1987}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''82''' ||''' 82''' || '''35.3''' || .493 || .333 || .874 || 10.1 || 2.4 || .8 || 1.0 || 13.5
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|{{nbay|1988}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1988–89 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 81 || 81 || 32.6 || .499 || .349 || .840 || 9.6 || 2.2 || .6 || 1.2 || 13.7
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|{{nbay|1989}}†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 81 || 81 || 33.0 || .484 || .361 || .854 || 9.6 || 2.1 || .7 || 1.0 || 12.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1990}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1990–91 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''82''' || 81 || 32.5 || .478 || .296 || .837 || 9.0 || 1.9 || .5 || .7 || 11.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1991}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1991–92 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 81 || 46 || 27.6 || .470 || .376 || .893 || 5.6 || 2.0 || .6 || .7 || 9.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1992}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1992–93 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 79 || 41 || 24.5 || .509 || .370 || '''.894''' || 5.3 || 1.6 || .6 || .5 || 8.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|1993}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1993–94 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 11 || 5 || 22.5 || .522 || .333 || .846 || 5.1 || 1.3 || .5 || .4 || 9.9
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 1,068 || 861 || 31.8 || .498 || .326 || .837 || 9.7 || 2.0 || .7 || .9 || 12.9
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|All-Star
| 4 || 0 || 11.3 || .650 || {{sort|-|—}} || .667 || 2.8 || .5 || .5 || .5 || 7.0
{{s-end}}

===Playoffs===
{{NBA player statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1984 NBA Playoffs|1984]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1983–84 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 5 || 0 || 33.0 || '''.569''' || {{sort|-|—}} || .900 || 12.4 || 2.4 || .8 || .6 || 15.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985 NBA Playoffs|1985]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1984–85 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 9 || 9 || 36.1 || .449 || .000 || .706 || 10.7 || 1.7 || .8 || .8 || 14.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986 NBA Playoffs|1986]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1985–86 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 4 || 4 || '''42.0''' || .500 || '''1.000''' || .913 || '''14.0''' || .3 || .5 || .8 || '''22.5'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1987 NBA Playoffs|1987]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1986–87 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 15 || 15 || 36.2 || .515 || .200 || .625 || 10.4 || '''2.5''' || 1.0 || .8 || 12.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1988 NBA Playoffs|1988]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1987–88 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| '''23''' || '''23''' || 33.9 || .456 || .294 || .889 || 9.6 || 1.9 || .8 || .8 || 11.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1989 NBA Playoffs|1989]]†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1988–89 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 17 || 17 || 29.2 || .465 || .357 || .806 || 8.2 || 1.8 || .4 || .5 || 10.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|[[1990 NBA Playoffs|1990]]†
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1989–90 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 20 || 20 || 33.4 || .457 || .349 || .862 || 10.6 || 1.4 || '''1.2''' || '''.9''' || 11.1
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1991 NBA Playoffs|1991]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1990–91 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 15 || 15 || 29.7 || .446 || .294 || .871 || 8.1 || 1.3 || .3 || .8 || 10.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1992 NBA Playoffs|1992]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[1991–92 Detroit Pistons season|Detroit]]
| 5 || 4 || 29.0 || .370 || .200 || '''1.000''' || 6.6 || 1.6 || .8 || .2 || 8.2
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 113 || 107 || 33.1 || .468 || .321 || .819 || 9.7 || 1.7 || .7 || .7 || 12.0
{{s-end}}

==Post-playing life==
In 1994, Laimbeer and his father, William Sr. co-founded Laimbeer Packaging Corp., a company located in [[Melvindale, Michigan]], a Detroit suburb, producing [[corrugated cardboard]] boxes. The company struggled through the late 1990s and closed in early 2002.<ref>{{cite web|last=Goldman|first=Leslie|url=https://www.espn.com/espnw/athletes-life/inthegame/story/_/id/9507762/bill-laimbeer-espnw|title=In the game with Robin Roberts: Bill Laimbeer|website=Espn.go.com|date=June 24, 2014|access-date=April 1, 2017|archive-date=July 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701020956/http://espn.go.com/espnw/athletes-life/inthegame/article/9507762/bill-laimbeer-espnw|url-status=live}}</ref> 
Laimbeer won the [[NBA Shooting Stars Competition]] at the [[2007 NBA All-Star Weekend|2007 All-Star Weekend]] in [[Las Vegas Valley|Las Vegas]] along with [[Chauncey Billups]] of the Detroit Pistons and [[Swin Cash]] of the Detroit Shock. In February 2009 he won the competition with [[Arron Afflalo]] and [[Katie Smith]].<ref>{{cite web|title=NBA All-Star Shooting Stars Winners|date=August 24, 2017|website=NBA.com|url=http://www.nba.com/history/all-star/shooting-stars#/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180224155543/http://www.nba.com/history/all-star/shooting-stars|archive-date=February 24, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1999, Laimbeer was inducted into the [[Michigan Sports Hall of Fame]].

Laimbeer is a former [[color commentator]] for the Pistons and was a studio analyst for [[ESPN]] in 2003.

==Coaching career==

=== Detroit Shock (2002–2009) ===
In the middle of the 2002 WNBA season, Laimbeer took over the head coaching position for the [[Detroit Shock]]. A year later, he led the franchise to its first [[WNBA Finals|WNBA championship]] and was named [[WNBA Coach of the Year Award|Coach of the Year]] that year. It marked the first time in WNBA history that a team other than [[Los Angeles Sparks|Los Angeles]] or [[Houston Comets|Houston]] won the title. On September 9, 2006, Laimbeer led the Shock to their second WNBA championship against the [[Sacramento Monarchs]] in five games. Two years later, on October 5, 2008, Laimbeer led the team to its third league championship in six years by defeating San Antonio.

Laimbeer has talked about the possibility of one day coaching in the NBA. The [[New York Knicks]]' former team president, former Piston teammate Isiah Thomas, once considered Laimbeer as a possibility.<ref>{{cite web|author=Ian O'Connor|url=https://www.espn.com/new-york/columns/story?columnist=oconnor_ian&id=5766026|title=Isiah Thomas itching for encore with New York Knicks - ESPN New York|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=November 6, 2010|access-date=August 8, 2012|archive-date=November 5, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105210422/http://sports.espn.go.com/new-york/columns/story?columnist=oconnor_ian&id=5766026|url-status=live}}</ref> The Pistons, presided by former teammate [[Joe Dumars]], had considered the possibility of Laimbeer replacing departing coach [[Larry Brown (basketball)|Larry Brown]], before ultimately hiring former [[Minnesota Timberwolves]] head coach [[Flip Saunders]].

On June 15, 2009, Laimbeer resigned as head coach of the Detroit Shock, due to family reasons and the desire to become an NBA head coach.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/news/story?id=4260271|title=Laimbeer resigns as Shock coach|date=June 15, 2009|work=ESPN|access-date=June 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090621180255/http://sports.espn.go.com/wnba/news/story?id=4260271|archive-date=June 21, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Minnesota Timberwolves (2009–2012) ===
Though he was unable to secure an NBA head coaching position, that same year Laimbeer was offered, and accepted, an assistant coach position with the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.slamonline.com/online/the-magazine/features/2010/12/original-old-school-the-piston-you-love-to-hate/|title=Original Old School: The Piston You Love To Hate|publisher=SLAMonline|date=December 11, 2010|access-date=April 1, 2017|archive-date=August 25, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130825032021/http://www.slamonline.com/online/the-magazine/features/2010/12/original-old-school-the-piston-you-love-to-hate/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== New York Liberty (2012–2017) ===
In 2012, Laimbeer returned to the WNBA to become the head coach and general manager of the [[New York Liberty]], replacing [[John Whisenant]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Ackert|first=Kristie|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/libs-tap-laimbeer-new-head-coach-gm-article-1.1192391|title=Liberty tabs ex-Piston Laimbeer as new coach/GM|newspaper=[[New York Daily News]]|date=October 25, 2012|access-date=April 1, 2017|archive-date=December 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213144515/http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/libs-tap-laimbeer-new-head-coach-gm-article-1.1192391|url-status=live}}</ref> He quickly returned to his pugnacious ways, drawing a fine for saying Minnesota Lynx player [[Maya Moore]] "should get hurt" for playing late into a game in which the Lynx easily defeated the Liberty.<ref>{{cite web|last=Youngblood|first=Kent|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/220675061.html|title=Laimbeer fined for saying Moore "should get hurt"|website=StarTribune.com|date=August 22, 2013|access-date=April 1, 2017|archive-date=January 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105223143/http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/220675061.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On October 14, 2014, the Liberty parted ways with Laimbeer after two seasons,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/new-york/story/_/id/11700498/new-york-liberty-part-ways-bill-laimbeer|title=New York Liberty part ways with Bill Laimbeer|website=Espn.go.com|date=October 16, 2014|access-date=April 1, 2017|archive-date=March 3, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180216/http://espn.go.com/new-york/story/_/id/11700498/new-york-liberty-part-ways-bill-laimbeer|url-status=live}}</ref> but he was rehired as the Liberty head coach on January 8, 2015.<ref>[http://www.wnba.com/liberty/news/liberty_rename_bill_laimbeer_h_2015_01_08.html Liberty Rename Bill Laimbeer Head Coach] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109085706/http://www.wnba.com/liberty/news/liberty_rename_bill_laimbeer_h_2015_01_08.html|date=January 9, 2015}}</ref>

=== Las Vegas Aces (2018–2021) ===
On October 17, 2017, the then-unnamed [[Las Vegas Aces]] announced Laimbeer as head coach and President of Basketball Operations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-team-las-vegas-san-antonio-stars-relocation/|title=WNBA Announces Relocation of San Antonio Stars to Las Vegas - WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA|work=WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA|access-date=October 17, 2017|language=en-US|archive-date=October 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018013700/http://www.wnba.com/news/wnba-team-las-vegas-san-antonio-stars-relocation/|url-status=live}}</ref> Laimbeer coached the Aces through 2021. After the 2021 season Laimbeer retired from coaching.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-05-21 |title=Ex-Ace Laimbeer: 'Not ever going to coach again' |url=https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33958974/former-las-vegas-aces-coach-bill-laimbeer-says-coaching-career-rule-future-basketball |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=ESPN.com |language=en |archive-date=November 27, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221127004102/https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/33958974/former-las-vegas-aces-coach-bill-laimbeer-says-coaching-career-rule-future-basketball |url-status=live }}</ref>

In total, Laimbeer finished first seven times as a head coach in the WNBA, winning the WNBA Finals three times in five trips.

===Coaching record===
{{NBA coach statistics legend}}
{{NBA coach statistics start}}
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2002 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2002 WNBA season|2002]]
| 22||9||13||{{Winning percentage|9|13}}|| style="text-align:center;"|8th in Eastern||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|- style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2003 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2003 WNBA season|2003]]
| 34||25||9||{{Winning percentage|25|9}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||8||6||2||{{Winning percentage|6|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[2003 WNBA Finals|WNBA Championship]]'''
|- 
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2004 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2004 WNBA season|2004]]
| 34||17||17||{{Winning percentage|17|17}}|| style="text-align:center;"|3rd in Eastern||3||1||2||{{Winning percentage|1|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[2004 WNBA Playoffs|Conference semifinals]]
|- 
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2005 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2005 WNBA season|2005]]
| 34||16||18||{{Winning percentage|16|18}}|| style="text-align:center;"|4th in Eastern||2||0||2||{{Winning percentage|0|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[2005 WNBA Playoffs|Conference semifinals]]
|- style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2006 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2006 WNBA season|2006]]
| 34||23||11||{{Winning percentage|23|11}}|| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Eastern||10||7||3||{{Winning percentage|7|3}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[2006 WNBA Finals|WNBA Championship]]'''
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2007 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2007 WNBA season|2007]]
| 34||24||10||{{Winning percentage|24|10}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||11||6||5||{{Winning percentage|6|5}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[2007 WNBA Finals|WNBA Finals]]
|- style="background:#FDE910;"
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2008 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2008 WNBA season|2008]]
| 34||22||12||{{Winning percentage|22|12}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||9||7||2||{{Winning percentage|7|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|'''Won [[2008 WNBA Finals|WNBA Championship]]'''
|- 
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2009 Detroit Shock season|DES]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2009 WNBA season|2009]]
| 4||1||3||{{Winning percentage|1|3}}|| style="text-align:center;"|(resigned)||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2013 New York Liberty season|NYL]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2013 WNBA season|2013]]
| 34||11||23||{{Winning percentage|11|23}}|| style="text-align:center;"|5th in Eastern||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2014 New York Liberty season|NYL]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2014 WNBA season|2014]]
| 34||15||19||{{Winning percentage|15|19}}|| style="text-align:center;"|5th in Eastern||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2015 New York Liberty season|NYL]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2015 WNBA season|2015]]
| 34||23||11||{{Winning percentage|23|11}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||5||3||2||{{Winning percentage|3|2}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[2015 WNBA Playoffs|Conference finals]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2016 New York Liberty season|NYL]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2016 WNBA season|2016]]
| 34||21||13||{{Winning percentage|21|13}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||1||0||1||{{Winning percentage|0|1}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in Second Round
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2017 New York Liberty season|NYL]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2017 WNBA season|2017]]
| 34||22||12||{{Winning percentage|22|12}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Eastern||1||0||1||{{Winning percentage|0|1}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in Second Round
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2018 Las Vegas Aces season|LVA]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2018 WNBA season|2018]]
| 34||14||20||{{Winning percentage|14|20}}|| style="text-align:center;"|6th in Western||—||—||—||—
| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2019 Las Vegas Aces season|LVA]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2019 WNBA season|2019]]
| 34||21||13||{{Winning percentage|21|13}}|| style="text-align:center;"|2nd in Western||5||2||3||{{Winning percentage|2|3}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[2019 WNBA Playoffs|Conference finals]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2020 Las Vegas Aces season|LVA]]
| style="text-align:left;"|[[2020 WNBA season|2020]]
| 22||18||4||{{Winning percentage|18|4}}|| style="text-align:center;"|1st in Western||8||3||5||{{Winning percentage|3|5}}
| style="text-align:center;"|Lost in [[2020 WNBA Finals|WNBA Finals]]
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | [[2021 Las Vegas Aces season|LVA]]
| style="text-align:left;" | [[2021 WNBA season|2021]]
| 32 || 24 || 8 ||{{Winning percentage|24|8}} || style="text-align:center;" | 1st in Western || 5 || 2 || 3 || {{Winning percentage|2|3}}
| style="text-align:center;"| Lost in [[2021 WNBA Playoffs|Conference finals]]
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 521 || 306 || 215 || {{Winning percentage|306|215}} || &nbsp; || 68 || 37 || 31 || {{Winning percentage|37|31}}|| &nbsp;
{{s-end}}

==In popular culture==
In 1990, [[Nintendo]] ported a game called ''[[Future Basketball]]'' to their [[SNES]] console under the name '''''Bill Laimbeer's Combat Basketball'''''. The game was set in a future where Laimbeer was commissioner of a basketball league with no rules, and weapons allowed.<ref name=Courier>"[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=829LAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vH0DAAAAIBAJ&dq=bill%20laimbeer's%20combat%20basketball&pg=7261%2C5468396 Bill Laimbeer in a Video Game.]" AP File Photo. September 27, 1991. The Prescott Courier.</ref>

The song "Tough Guy" off the 1994 [[Beastie Boys]] album ''[[Ill Communication]]'' mentions Laimbeer referencing his physically aggressive style of playing basketball.

Laimbeer is referenced by name in the 2005 song "Welcome to Tally Hall" by Michigan-based band [[Tally Hall]].

Laimbeer is also referenced by name in the 2025 song "Jordan Rules" by alternative rapper and producer [[JPEGMafia]].

==See also==
* [[List of NBA career rebounding leaders]]
* [[List of NBA career personal fouls leaders]]
* [[List of NBA annual rebounding leaders]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
{{basketballstats |nba=100263 |bbr=l/laimbbi01}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050526185734/http://www.wnba.com/coachfile/bill_laimbeer/ WNBA.com coach profile]
*{{IMDb name|0481806}}

{{Navboxes|list1=
{{NBA rebounding leaders}}
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{{Detroit Pistons 1988–89 NBA champions}}
{{Detroit Pistons 1989–90 NBA champions}}
{{Detroit Shock 2003 WNBA champions}}
{{Detroit Shock 2006 WNBA champions}}
{{Detroit Shock 2008 WNBA champions}}
{{WNBA Coach of the Year Award}}
}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Laimbeer, Bill}}
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