Remembering Them Forever (RTF)!
Sharman, William Walton
- Abilene, Texas, Taylor County, United States
Military Information:
- US Navy
- Deceased
- WWII Veteran
- QR Code
- WWII Victory Medal
- 1-Alpha List
- Celebrity: Athlete
- Lone Star Merit Award (TVHOF Class of 2024)
Bio:
Sharman completed high school in the Central California city of Porterville, California. He served during World War II from 1944 to 1946 in the US Navy, and was a graduate of the University of Southern California. He played 1st base on the 1948 USC Trojans' College World Series championship team. Following his senior year, Sharman was selected as one of the 1950 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans.
Following service with the United States Navy during World War II, he continued to build his sports attributes on the collegiate level at the University of Southern California. In 1950, he was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers (although he was a late season call-up, he never played in the Major Leagues). Additionally, he was drafted by the Washington Capitols during the 2nd-round of the 1950 NBA Draft. It would be as a Boston Celtic (1951 to 1961), with who Sharman established himself as one of the greatest guards to play during his era, as he shared the back court with Bob Cousy. He was a major contributor to four NBA Champion teams (1957, 1959 to 1961 Celtics) and individually earned All-Star status eight consecutive times (1953 to 1961). He received MVP honors from the 1955 All-Star contest. In 711 regular season games, he compiled 12,665 points during eleven total NBA seasons (1950 to 1961). After retiring as a player, he went onto have an equally successful coaching career. He had periods as head coach with the San Francisco Warriors (1966 to 1968), Los Angeles (later Utah) Stars (1968 to 1971) and Los Angeles Lakers (1971 to 1976). He guided the Utah Stars to the ABA Title in 1971 and was at the helm, when the 1971-1972 Lakers won the NBA Championship. The Los Angeles squad for which included Hall of Fame players Wilt Chamberlain, Jerry West and Gail Goodrich is considered by many as being one of the greatest NBA teams in the league's history. He was named NBA Coach of the Year for the 1971-1972 season. He later served as the Lakers' general manager and president.
Sharman died at his home in Redondo Beach, California on October 25, 2013 at the age of 87, after having had a stroke the week prior
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