Hall of Fame Coach, Player Bill Sharman Dies at 87

(AP) Hall of Fame coach, player Bill Sharman dies at 87
By GREG BEACHAM
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES
Bill Sharman, the Hall of Famer who won NBA titles as a player for the Boston Celtics and a coach for the Los Angeles Lakers, has died. He was 87.

Sharman died Friday at his home in Redondo Beach, the Lakers announced.

Sharman’s unique basketball career spanned both sides of the Celtics-Lakers rivalry.

He won four NBA titles during an 11-season career as a shooting guard in Boston. Sharman then spent the past four decades with Los Angeles as a successful coach and front office executive.

Sharman coached the 1971-72 Lakers to a championship with 69 victories and a 33-game winning streak, the longest in pro sports history.

Sharman was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in 1976 and a coach in 2004.