NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 27: A ball sits courtside during the game between the New York Knicks and the Memphis Grizzlies at Madison Square Garden on March 27, 2013 in New York City. The Knicks defeated the Grizzlies 108-101. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Pistons legend Bill Laimbeer isn’t completely ruling out a future in basketball, but the former Las Vegas Aces coach knows his days on the sideline are over.
Speaking to media members Saturday, Laimbeer was very candid about his coaching career going forward.
I’m not ever going to coach again. I just don’t have that kind of energy. I don’t have that willpower. It’s an all-consuming thing.
Whether I participate in basketball going forward, I don’t know. It’s too early to tell. I just had six months off. I’ve never spent a summer at my farm in Michigan. So I’m looking forward to that. What the future holds, I don’t really have a solid handle on right now. I’m having fun. I’m relaxed.
The 65-year-old enjoyed a very successful NBA career, spending all but two seasons as one of the centerpieces of the “Bad Boy” Pistons.
In 2002, Laimbeer began coaching in the WNBA as a member of the Detroit Shock, leading them to three WNBA titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008.
After a brief stint as an assistant in the NBA, Laimbeer returned to The W to coach the New York Liberty from 2012-2017 before jumping to the Las Vegas Aces and leading them to a 2020 Finals appearance.
Now former Spurs assistant Becky Hammond runs the show in Las Vegas. And while Laimbeer admits it was hard to walk away from his ladies, he’s happy with the job Hammond has done.
It was an easy decision, but it was hard to implement. Last year, it was clear to myself — and I think some of the players — that I was running out of energy. I had just run my course in the coaching ranks.
Most of the time when coaches go away, they’re fired because they suck or because they leave a bad team. I was fortunate to pass the [torch] to a quality up-and-coming young coach with a very good basketball team. So she’s set up for success immediately.
I’m just sitting here right now watching the good things that are happening to this franchise … I like the way they play.
Laimbeer is not only a historic figure in the NBA, but helped lift the women’s game to new heights.
A tremendous basketball life.
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