Happy 60th Birthday to Pistons Legend Bill Laimbeer
By Greg Tonge
Just days after the team reverted back to a near copy of the logo used during the Bad Boys era, we celebrate the birthday of one of the greatest Pistons of all time: Bill Laimbeer.
Laimbeer was acquired by the Pistons in 1982 via trade and would play ten seasons in the red, white, and blue before having his number 40 sent to the rafters in 1995.
During his time in Detroit, Laimbeer was a four-time all-star and one of the most feared players in the game. The inside-out offensive game and rebounding he provided was a major factor in the back-to-back championships won by the team in 1989 and 1990.
His hard-hitting style made him a symbol of the Bad Boys era in Pistons basketball history and there’s no doubt that the team wouldn’t have been the same without him.
The reputation that Laimbeer earned from his multiple scuffles and hard fouls even earned him his own video game. In 1991, the game “Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball” was released on the Super Nintendo.
Laimbeer is currently the coach of the New York Liberty in the WNBA. Before joining the Liberty he led Detroit’s WNBA squad to three league championships.
Related Story: Pistons unveil new logo in downtown Detroit
With the Pistons going back to the look of the Bad Boys and making the move downtown next season, let’s hope we see history repeat itself in the form of the winning basketball that Laimbeer and the Bad Boys provided.