From the Archive

Bill Laimbeer

Height
6-11
Weight
245 lb
Jersey
#40
Drafted
1979 · Rd 3 · Pick 65
College
Notre Dame
Team
Detroit Pistons

From the Archive Editor · Bad Boys

Loathed in nineteen American cities and beloved in one. The math worked out.

Joined the Pistons in 1982 via trade from Cleveland. Twelve seasons in Detroit, two championships, four All-Star games. The center the Bad Boys built around.

Set screens that left bruises and took charges that left lawsuits. He could shoot from the perimeter before the perimeter had a name. Averaged a double-double for his career and rebounded like the floor owed him money — but his real value was the snarl.

He could be coached. He could not be intimidated. The arena turned against him every night and he never flinched. Detroit decided that was the kind of person they wanted their team named after.

Career Lines

Pistons tenure
1982-94 · 12 seasons
Career PPG
12.9
Career RPG
9.7
Championships
2 (1989, 1990)
All-Star games
4

Accolades

  • · 4× NBA All-Star
  • · Led NBA in total rebounds (1985-86)
  • · Pistons all-time rebounding leader
  • · Jersey No. 40 retired by the Pistons

The numbers haven't surfaced

We've got the file on Bill Laimbeer— the season-by-season ledger hasn't come up yet. The archive's reach gets thinner the deeper you go before 1980. Try another name, or head back to the era pages.

NBA records, 1946–present