Bill Sharman

Four-time NBA champion and one of the greatest free throw shooters in basketball history.

William Walton Sharman was born in Abilene, Texas in 1926. Washington Capitols selected him in the 1950 NBA Draft. He spent the majority of his career with the Boston Celtics, winning four NBA championships (1957, 1959, 1960, 1961) as part of the dynasty Bill Russell anchored. He was selected to eight All-Star games and named to the All-NBA First Team four times. His free throw shooting — 88.3% across his career, the highest ever recorded at the time of his retirement — revolutionised how players practised the skill. He was the first professional basketball player to institute regular morning shootarounds as a coaching tool, doing so first as a coach in the ABA and NBA. He averaged 17.8 points per game. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976 as a player and in 2004 as a coach, after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the 1972 NBA championship with a 33-game winning streak. He was named to the NBA 50th Anniversary Team in 1996. He is one of very few individuals in basketball history to be inducted into the Hall of Fame as both player and coach.

Deadly accurate shooter, especially from free throw line, excellent ball handler

One of the greatest shooters in NBA history and pioneering coach

• NBA Champion 4x
• All-Star 8x
• All-NBA First Team 4x
• Hall of Fame (1976)