LOS ANGELES: Bill Sharman, a basketball Hall of Famer with strong ties to two of the NBA’s marquee clubs the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers died yesterday at the age of 87.
The Lakers said Sharman died at his home in Redondo Beach in suburban Los Angeles. He had suffered a stroke last week.
Sharman starred as a player with the Celtics from 1951-61. He was an eight-time All-Star and won four NBA titles with Boston after playing his first season in 1950-51 with Washington.
Elected to the Hall of Fame as a player in 1976, Sharman was also inducted as a coach in 2004. John Wooden and Lenny Wilkens are the only others to be honored in both categories.
Sharman began his coaching career with San Francisco in 1966 and spent two seasons with the Warriors before moving to the American Basketball Association in 1968. He guided Utah to a championship in 1971, then returned to the NBA with the Lakers for their historic 1971-72 season.
The Lakers won 33 straight games, a US professional sports record, during Sharman’s first season and finished with a record of 69-13, then won the NBA title for the first time in Los Angeles.
Sharman coached the Lakers for another four seasons, then moved into the front office as general manager.
Meanwhile, Mike Miller, who was waived by the Miami Heat over the summer using the amnesty clause, is considering suing the Heat over a scam that victimized Miller, the Miami Herald reported.
According to the Herald, Miller, who is now a member of the Memphis Grizzlies, may file a complaint in court asking the Heat for over $1.7m in damages because the person who orchestrated the scam was introduced to Miller by a Heat
employee. AGENCIES
