What Is Bill Laimbeer's Net Worth and Salary?
Bill Laimbeer is an American former professional basketball player and professional basketball coach who has a net worth of $13 million. Bill Laimbeer is probably best known for being a hard-lining, hard-headed brute enforcer for the legendary "Bad Boys" Detroit Pistons NBA team. Laimbeer won two NBA championships alongside the likes of Isaiah Thomas, Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn, and John Salley.
Career Earnings
During his time in the NBA, Bill earned a little under $8 million in salary alone. That's the same as around $15 million in today's dollars after adjusting for inflation. Laimbeer's highest career salary was the $1.5 million he was paid in 1990 by the Pistons. That's the same as earning around $3 million in a season today.
Early Life
Bill Laimbeer was born William Laimbeer Jr. on May 19, 1957, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was raised in Chicago, Illinois, in an upper-middle-class family. Before playing in the NBA, Laimbeer played for the University of Notre Dame as well as Palos Verdes High School in an upscale area of Southern California. During college, Laimbeer flunked out of Notre Dame after his freshman year, and to regain eligibility, he spent two semesters at Owens Technical College in Toledo, Ohio.
Laimbeer then returned to Notre Dame, spending two years playing for their basketball team. During the last two years of Bill's college career, he averaged 7.3 points, which wasn't particularly of interest to NBA scouts. However, he did manage to average 6.0 rebounds per game playing primarily as a substitute. Laimbeer and the Fighting Irish appeared in the NCAA Final Four Tournament in 1978 and the Elite Eight bracket of the famed college basketball tourney in 1979.
NBA Career
After graduating from Notre Dame, Laimbeer was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1979. He spent a year playing basketball in Italy, perhaps as a way of posturing himself to play in the NBA. He returned to the United States and re-joined the Cavaliers after his Italian league play. He was subsequently traded to the Detroit Pistons in 1982.
While the Cavaliers may not have found Laimbeer's talents useful, he ended up being a major asset to the Pistons with his goon-style play. With Laimbeer's 6'11" frame and penchant for highly physical play, he made the Pistons' defense more formidable for potent offenses like the Los Angeles Lakers and, later, the Chicago Bulls.
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Over the course of Laimbeer's playing career, he was considered one of the most notorious players in the NBA — especially for his continuous feuds with the great Larry Bird. Bill was highly popular among Piston fans, but he was actually totally despised by most NBA players who had to play against him, especially for his malicious intent on the court and willingness to do what other players wouldn't in order to stay on the court.
Laimbeer's legacy as an NBA player is his disdain for opponents, especially players superior to him, not to mention his poor sportsmanship. His dangerous playing style and violent intentional fouls would be deemed unacceptable in the league today, so Laimbeer continues to come off as a relic of a lost era. His penchant for physical play has overshadowed his actual skills and craftsmanship on the court. Even his former teammate, fellow Piston Bad Boy Dennis Rodman, mentioned Bill in his book "Bad as I Wanna Be," claiming that "[Laimbeer] was more than a thug, but that's what he'll be remembered for."
Laimbeer went on to lead the league in rebounds and free throw percentage multiple times. Over the course of his career, he managed to record more than 10,000 points and over 10,000 rebounds. Bill's defensive prowess earned him NBA All-Star honors four times, although he'd always be exposed as an inferior player when put up against the league's finest, like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.
WNBA Coaching Career
After his retirement, Laimbeer coached the Detroit Shock from 2002 to 2009. He was with the New York Liberty from 2012 to 2017, serving as head coach and General Manager, then he was head coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Las Vegas Aces from 2018 to 2021. Bill coached the Detroit Shock to three league championships (2003, 2006, and 2008). Laimbeer has twice been named the WNBA's Coach of the Year. He retired from coaching in 2021.
