Bill Cartwright
A gentle giant whose soft-spoken leadership and reliable hook shot anchored the Chicago Bulls' first championship three-peat.
Born 1957 (age 69)·American basketball player and coach·Birthday: July 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bill Cartwright's career is a tale of two cities and one defining trade. Drafted third overall by the New York Knicks in 1979, the seven-footer from California was an immediate force, a classic back-to-the-basket center with a trademark sweeping hook shot. For a decade, he was the quiet, consistent heart of the Knicks. Then, in 1988, he was sent to Chicago in a seismic deal for Charles Oakley, becoming the missing piece for a young Michael Jordan. Tasked with providing veteran stability, interior defense, and a calming presence, Cartwright's unselfish play and high-post passing were crucial to the Bulls' transformation from exciting showmen to champions. He started at center for the first three title teams, his stoic demeanor a perfect counterbalance to the team's intensity. After his playing days, he returned to coach the Bulls, completing a full-circle journey with the franchise he helped build into a dynasty.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bill was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won three consecutive NBA championships as the starting center for the Chicago Bulls in 1991, 1992, and 1993.
- Averaged over 20 points per game in three separate seasons with the New York Knicks early in his career.
- Played in 16 NBA seasons, appearing in over 1,000 regular season games for the Knicks, Bulls, and SuperSonics.
- Served as head coach of the Chicago Bulls for two seasons following his playing career.
- Was a first-team All-American at the University of San Francisco and the third overall pick in the 1979 NBA Draft.
Did You Know?
He is one of only two players (with Artis Gilmore) to lead the NCAA in field goal percentage for two consecutive seasons.
Despite his size and physical play, he was an excellent free-throw shooter, with a career average of over 80%.
He and Michael Jordan were initially distant after the trade that brought him to Chicago, but developed a strong mutual respect.
After his NBA coaching career, he coached professionally in Japan for the Osaka Evessa.
“The hook shot is a lost art; it's about angles and touch.”
