3. Bill Sharman
Bill Sharman might be a forgotten name for modern-day Los Angeles Lakers fans. He is not one of the big-name coaches of yesteryear as he did not win multiple championships with the team. It also does not help that he coached in the 1970s.
That being said, Sharman is absolutely one of the three best coaches in Los Angeles Lakers history and if we were including the Minneapolis days he would be the fourth person on the Mount Rushmore. He is one of the five coaches in LA history to win a championship and his championship might be the most impactful.
Sharman was hired to be the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1971 and in his first season at the helm, he helped an all-time great win his only championship. Sharman helped guide the Lakers to the 1972 NBA Championship, the only championship that Jerry West would win in many tries.
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That was also the season of the 33-game winning streak, which is a record that still stands today. The Lakers set the all-time record for wins in a season that year (it has since been broken) and Sharman absolutely had a hand in that.
He did not win another championship as a coach but he did continue to impact the Los Angeles Lakers in the front office. Sharman was either the general manager or president for the Lakers’ five showtime titles and had his handprint all over that team as well.