Sports

Terribly Awesome Basketball Card: Bill Laimbeer

By February 12, 2014June 18th, 2018No Comments
bill-laimbeer-upper-deck-basketball-card

bill-laimbeer-upper-deckBill Laimbeer was a dick. To take a line from the Sopranos, you didn’t have to like Bill Laimbeer (did anyone?), but you did have to respect him. He always seemed to be wearing that Phantom of the Opera nose guard, not because he was fragile, but because his opponents couldn’t resist popping the notorious agitator in the nose any time the opportunity presented itself. Laimbeer won back-to-back championships with the Pistons and helped the team earn its “Bad Boys” nickname. His reputation even scored him a video game endorsement deal.

Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball for Super Nintendo was a total piece of crap. Playing it will make you about as angry as you would be having Laimbeer matched up on you man-to-man, so maybe that was it’s intent.

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Laimbeer retired after 14 NBA seasons. He went on to have success as a WNBA coach with the Detriot Shock. I always found that hire strange. Not to sound chauvinistic, but I can’t imagine how that job search went down. “So, we need someone to coach the fairer gentler sex. You know who would be perfect? Bill Laimbeer.” Whatever the thought process, Laimbeer led the team to three championships, so the hire was a successful one.

Bonus Bill Laimbeer links:

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Jim Gruseck

Jim Gruseck

Jim is a life-long hoops junkie and fan of Pittsburgh sports. He can still be found in the Steel City pursuing creative endeavors in writing and music, when he's not traveling the world or stacking donkeys at the poker tables.