Bill was a 6-11 All-CIF dominating center at Palos Verdes HS where he led PV to the 1975 CIF title, upsetting five-time champion Verbum Dei in the semi-finals, and beating Marina HS in the finals. He turned down local college scholarships to attend Notre Dame. After a solid college career with the Fighting Irish (he averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds per game), as the starting center for the only ND team to ever reach the Final Four in 1978 (with fellow inductee Rich Branning), Laimbeer went onto a 14-year professional career, mostly with the Detroit Pistons (he played with 2022 inductee Tayshaun Prince). At

Detroit he won two NBA titles, was a four-time all-star selection, and became the fifth most durable player in NBA history (played 865 consecutive games). He established himself as one of the first ‘big man’ that could shoot outside, making over 200 three-point shots. He scored over 10,000 points and had over 10,000 rebounds as a pro. After retiring he went onto a distinguished WNBA coaching career, which has lasted almost 20 years. This included coaching Detroit to three WNBA championships, and was twice being named WNBA Coach of the Year. He was also the head coach for the NY Liberty (5 years), and his final four years with Las Vegas Aces before retiring in 2021 with over 300 career wins. He lives in Florida.