Former Laker coach Bill Sharman passes away
By Jacob Rude
The Los Angeles Lakers long line of historically great coaches can be tracked down to the origin of Bill Sharman, who passed away today at the age of 89. Sharman was the Lakers coach from 1972 through 1976, winning 1 titles in 2 Finals appearances. His 1971-72 Lakers reeled off a still-standing record of 33 consecutive wins en route to the the title.
Coach of some of the greatest Lakers in history – Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Gail Goodrich, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – Sharman’s 410 wins ranks him 5th in Lakers history. He was also well-known for inventing the morning shoot-around with his 1971-72 squad, something that nearly all NBA teams still practice today.
We here at Lake Show Life send our condolences to the Sharman family.