Bill Laimbeer

Bill Laimbeer was the enforcer and anchor of the Detroit Pistons’ “Bad Boys” dynasty. Acquired from Cleveland in 1982, Laimbeer became one of the league’s most polarizing figures due to his physical, bruising style of play. A rugged rebounder and tough post defender, he relished the psychological battles that made Detroit feared across the NBA. Yet Laimbeer’s game extended beyond intimidation—he was an early prototype of the modern stretch big, possessing a reliable outside shot that stretched defenses. He was a four-time All-Star and a central figure in Detroit’s 1989 and 1990 championship runs, providing both interior toughness and timely scoring. While opponents despised his tactics, Pistons fans revered him as the embodiment of their gritty, no-nonsense identity. Laimbeer’s willingness to do the dirty work, challenge superstars, and protect teammates made him indispensable to the Pistons’ rise, and his legacy remains intertwined with Detroit’s hard-nosed basketball culture.

Bill Laimbeer Regular Season Stats

Only this team All teams

	Season	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TOV	OREB	DREB
	1980-81	81	30:22	9.8	8.6	2.7	1.0	0.6	4.2	8.3	50.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.4	1.9	76.0	1.4	3.0	4.6
	1981-82	30	31:10	12.8	11.3	1.8	1.0	0.3	4.9	9.4	51.6	0.0	0.2	16.7	3.0	3.7	81.2	1.1	0.9	2.8
	1981-82	50	17:50	6.7	5.5	0.9	0.6	0.4	2.4	5.1	47.0	0.1	0.1	42.9	1.9	2.4	77.5	1.2	2.5	3.1
	1982-83	82	35:00	13.6	12.1	3.2	1.3	0.4	5.3	10.7	49.7	0.0	0.1	18.2	3.0	3.8	79.0	1.8	2.9	7.5
	1983-84	82	34:55	17.3	12.2	1.8	1.0	0.6	6.7	12.7	53.0	0.0	0.1	0.0	3.9	4.5	86.6	1.8	4.0	8.2
	1984-85	82	35:16	17.6	12.4	1.9	0.9	0.8	7.3	14.4	50.6	0.0	0.2	22.2	3.0	3.7	79.7	1.6	3.6	8.8
	1985-86	82	35:15	16.6	13.1	1.8	0.8	0.7	6.6	13.5	49.2	0.0	0.2	28.6	3.2	3.9	83.4	1.6	3.7	9.4
	1986-87	82	34:48	15.4	11.6	1.8	0.8	0.9	6.2	12.3	50.1	0.1	0.3	28.6	3.0	3.3	89.4	1.5	3.0	8.7
	1987-88	82	35:19	13.5	10.1	2.4	1.0	0.8	5.5	11.3	49.3	0.2	0.5	33.3	2.3	2.6	87.4	1.7	2.0	8.1
	1988-89	81	32:35	13.7	9.6	2.2	1.2	0.6	5.5	11.1	49.9	0.4	1.1	34.9	2.2	2.6	84.0	1.6	1.7	7.9
	1989-90	81	33:01	12.1	9.6	2.1	1.0	0.7	4.7	9.7	48.4	0.7	2.0	36.1	2.0	2.4	85.4	1.2	2.0	7.6
	1990-91	82	32:32	11.0	9.0	1.9	0.7	0.5	4.5	9.5	47.8	0.5	1.5	29.6	1.5	1.8	83.7	1.2	2.1	6.9
	1991-92	81	27:34	9.7	5.6	2.0	0.7	0.6	4.2	9.0	47.0	0.4	1.0	37.7	0.8	0.9	89.3	1.3	1.3	4.3
	1992-93	79	24:28	8.7	5.3	1.6	0.5	0.6	3.7	7.3	50.9	0.1	0.3	37.0	1.2	1.3	89.4	0.7	1.4	3.9
	1993-94	11	22:32	9.8	5.1	1.3	0.4	0.5	4.3	8.2	52.2	0.3	0.8	33.3	1.0	1.2	84.6	0.9	0.8	4.3
		937	32:39	13.5	10.1	2.1	0.9	0.6	5.5	11.0	49.8	0.2	0.7	32.6	2.4	2.8	84.4	1.4	2.5	7.2
		1068	31:47	12.9	9.7	2.0	0.9	0.6	5.2	10.5	49.8	0.2	0.6	32.7	2.3	2.7	83.6	1.4	2.5	6.8
		131	25:35	8.6	7.4	2.0	0.8	0.6	3.5	7.0	49.4	0.0	0.1	42.9	1.6	2.1	76.6	1.3	2.8	4.0

Bill Laimbeer Playoff Stats

	Season	GP	MIN	PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TOV	OREB	DREB
	1983-84	5	33:00	15.2	12.4	2.4	0.6	0.8	5.8	10.2	56.9	0.0	0.0	0.0	3.6	4.0	90.0	2.4	2.8	9.6
	1984-85	9	36:06	14.7	10.7	1.7	0.8	0.8	5.3	11.9	44.9	0.0	0.2	0.0	4.0	5.7	70.6	1.8	4.0	6.7
	1985-86	4	42:00	22.5	14.0	0.3	0.8	0.5	8.5	17.0	50.0	0.3	0.3	100.0	5.3	5.8	91.3	2.0	5.0	9.0
	1986-87	15	36:12	12.3	10.4	2.5	0.8	1.0	5.6	10.9	51.5	0.1	0.3	20.0	1.0	1.6	62.5	1.3	2.0	8.4
	1987-88	23	33:52	11.9	9.6	1.9	0.8	0.8	5.0	10.9	45.6	0.2	0.7	29.4	1.7	2.0	88.9	1.3	1.9	7.7
	1988-89	17	29:14	10.1	8.2	1.8	0.5	0.4	3.9	8.4	46.5	0.9	2.5	35.7	1.5	1.8	80.6	1.1	1.5	6.7
	1989-90	20	33:21	11.1	10.6	1.4	0.9	1.2	4.6	10.0	45.7	0.8	2.2	34.9	1.3	1.5	86.2	0.8	2.1	8.5
	1990-91	15	29:44	10.9	8.1	1.3	0.8	0.3	4.4	9.9	44.6	0.3	1.1	29.4	1.8	2.1	87.1	1.1	2.8	5.3
	1991-92	5	29:00	8.2	6.6	1.6	0.2	0.8	3.4	9.2	37.0	0.4	2.0	20.0	1.0	1.0	100.0	1.0	1.0	5.6
		113	33:03	12.0	9.7	1.7	0.7	0.7	4.9	10.4	46.8	0.4	1.2	32.1	1.9	2.3	81.9	1.3	2.3	7.4
		113	33:03	12.0	9.7	1.7	0.7	0.7	4.9	10.4	46.8	0.4	1.2	32.1	1.9	2.3	81.9	1.3	2.3	7.4

Bill Laimbeer Best Ten Games (Points)

	Date	Opponent	MIN	PTS	AST	REB	STL	BLK	FGM	FGA	FG%	3PM	3PA	3P%	FTM	FTA	FT%	TOV	OREB	DREB
	Jan 26, 1985	Seattle SuperSonics (W)	36:00	35	2	11	1	1	16	26	0.62	0	0	0.00	3	4	0.75	0	3	8
	Jan 02, 1985	Cleveland Cavaliers (W)	41:00	35	2	21	1	1	14	22	0.64	0	1	0.00	7	9	0.78	3	5	16
	Jan 18, 1984	New Jersey Nets (L)	39:00	33	2	17	0	0	13	18	0.72	0	0	0.00	7	7	1.00	0	5	12
	Feb 18, 1989	Golden State Warriors (L)	38:00	32	0	15	0	0	11	21	0.52	1	3	0.33	9	10	0.90	3	5	10
	Feb 04, 1985	Milwaukee Bucks (W)	47:00	32	1	17	1	1	10	25	0.40	0	0	0.00	12	13	0.92	1	7	10
	Jan 26, 1990	Phoenix Suns (W)	41:00	31	1	23	0	4	10	14	0.71	5	8	0.63	6	8	0.75	0	5	18
	Feb 23, 1985	New Jersey Nets (L)	46:00	31	0	21	2	0	12	27	0.44	0	2	0.00	7	8	0.88	1	9	12
	Apr 19, 1984	New York Knicks (W)	35:00	31	2	15	0	0	9	14	0.64	0	0	0.00	13	13	1.00	2	1	14
	Dec 08, 1987	Portland Trail Blazers (W)	40:00	30	3	14	1	2	14	23	0.61	1	1	1.00	1	1	1.00	3	4	10
	Mar 28, 1987	Denver Nuggets (W)	36:00	30	2	18	1	1	13	18	0.72	1	1	1.00	3	3	1.00	2	2	16