Bill Cartwright

James William Cartwright was born to James and Marie Cartwright on July 30, 1957, in Lodi, California.{{Cite web|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1975/02/24/a-high-road-for-a-hot-highschooler|title=A high road for a hot high-schooler|website=Sports Illustrated|last=McDermott|first=Barry|date=February 24, 1975}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/cartwright_bio_010213.html|title=Bill Cartwright|website=www.nba.com|access-date=August 19, 2023}}{{Cite web|url=https://sportsmanbiography.com/bill-cartwright/|title=The Unbeatable Bill Cartwright: A Biography of Triumph|website=SportsBiography.com|date=April 20, 2023}}

In high school, Cartwright played basketball for the Elk Grove Thundering Herd under coach Dan Risley. With Cartwright on the squad, the team went undefeated in the 1973–1974 season and was named the best high school basketball team in California in both 1974 and 1975. In 1975, Elk Grove won the NorCal Tournament of Champions.{{Cite web|url=http://www.egcitizen.com/news/local-basketball-legend-reunites-with-champion-herd-team/article_14750c8a-aa6d-11e9-b85c-0ba77e8bb703.html|title=Local basketball legend reunites with champion Herd team|date=July 19, 2019|website=Elk Grove Citizen}} In 1974 and 1975, Cartwright was named California High School State Basketball Player of the Year. In 1975, he was named California High School Sports Athlete of the Year.{{Cite web|url=http://www.egcitizen.com/sports/cartwright-selected-to-inaugural-section-hall-of-fame/article_7ee74a69-9527-58c2-b9a7-0e9cdf0a7eb7.html|title=Cartwright selected to inaugural section Hall of Fame|date=April 27, 2010|website=Elk Grove Citizen}}

As a prep star, Cartwright was just as highly regarded as fellow preps Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby.{{Cite news|date=1975-03-23|title=1975 Parade All-American|pages=226|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/47848903/1975-parade-all-american/|access-date=2020-10-27}}

Cartwright graduated from Elk Grove High School in 1975.

Cartwright played college basketball at the University of San Francisco and was a consensus second-team all-American in 1977 and 1979. During the 1978/79 USF season, Cartwright played on one of the tallest starting lineups in collegiate history with the 7'1" Cartwright at center, the 7'0" Wallace Bryant at power forward, and the 6'10" Guy Williams at small forward. He graduated as the all-time leading scorer for the Dons, averaging 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. Cartwright led San Francisco to three trips to the NCAA tournament, to the first round in the 1977 and to the Sweet Sixteen in both 1978 and 1979.[https://web.archive.org/web/20061014215508/http://www.ncaa.org/library/records/basketball/m_basketballs_finest/2005/m_basketball_finest.pdf Men's basketball finest] ncaa.org{{failed verification|date=August 2023}}

Cartwright was the third overall pick in the 1979 NBA draft selected by the New York Knicks, making his only career All-Star Game appearance in his first season.{{Cite web|title=Bill Cartwright Stats|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cartwbi01.html|website=Basketball-Reference.com|language=en|access-date=2020-05-12}} He averaged more than 20 points per game in his first two seasons for the Knicks, but after playing no fewer than 77 games in his first five seasons, a series of foot injuries caused him to miss the entire 1984–1985 season.{{Cite web|title=CARTWRIGHT THE ONE LEFT STANDING|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1991-06-17-9102230818-story.html|last=Sullivan|first=Paul|website=chicagotribune.com|date=June 17, 1991 |language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}} Following that season, the Knicks drafted center Patrick Ewing with the number-one overall pick in the 1985 NBA draft. However, ongoing foot problems limited Cartwright to only two appearances during the 1985–1986 season.{{Cite news|last=Johnson|first=Roy S.|date=1986-01-28|title=Cartwright Likely to Be Lost for Season|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/28/sports/cartwright-likely-to-be-lost-for-season.html|access-date=2020-05-12|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|title=Knicks Top Even Themselves for Injuries|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-04-06-sp-25155-story.html|date=1986-04-06|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-12}} When Cartwright returned for the 1986–1987 season, he and Ewing would often start and play together but during the 1987–1988 season Cartwright was relegated to the bench.{{Cite web|title=The Life and Times of Mr. Bill – Chicago Bulls History|url=http://history.bulls.com/the-life-and-times-of-mr-bill/|website=History.Bulls.com|date=January 15, 2018|language=en-US|access-date=May 12, 2020}}

File:Bill Cartwright - Chicago Bulls, March 28, 1991 (cropped).jpg

On June 15, 1988, Cartwright was traded, along with two draft picks, to the Chicago Bulls for forward Charles Oakley and two draft picks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/o/oaklech01.html|title = Charles Oakley Stats |website=BasketballReference.com|access-date=August 19, 2023}} The Bulls were willing to part with Oakley, the league's second-leading rebounder in the 1986–87 and 1987–88 seasons, because of their need for a center and the rapid development of power forward Horace Grant.[http://www.nba.com/bulls/history/Chicago_Bulls_History-24393-42.html?nav=ArticleList#10 "YEAR-BY-YEAR HISTORY OF THE CHICAGO BULLS"]. NBA.com. Retrieved June 16, 2015. Cartwright was the Bulls' starting center during their string of three consecutive NBA championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993. During the 1992–93 season, Cartwright took an elbow to the throat during a regular-season game against the Indiana Pacers that fractured his larynx and left him with a hoarse voice.{{cite web|work=The Seattle Times|url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19941103/1939542/bill-cartwright----elbowing-way-to-top----when-sonic-centers-around-foes-have-a-lot-to-think-about|title=Bill Cartwright – Elbowing Way To Top – When Sonic Center's Around, Foes Have A Lot To Think About|first=Bob|last=Sherwin|date=November 3, 1994|access-date=December 19, 2013}}

The Bulls, who were without Michael Jordan the following season following his retirement, made the 1994 NBA playoffs but were eliminated in a controversial game 7 in the Eastern Conference semifinals by the Knicks. Cartwright departed the team thereafter as an unrestricted free agent.

Cartwright left the Bulls as a free agent and signed with the Seattle SuperSonics. He only played in 29 games for the Sonics, and retired after the 1994–95 NBA season.

A year after his retirement, Cartwright joined the Bulls once again as an assistant coach under Phil Jackson ahead of the 1996–97 NBA season. He was a member of the championship-winning teams in 1997 and 1998. The Bulls went through significant changes following the 1997–98 season, with not only Jordan and Pippen leaving, but Tim Floyd taking over as head coach from Jackson. The Bulls had a lengthy rebuilding effort, and Cartwright took over the Bulls 27 games into the 2001–02 season, going 17–38 after the team's 4–23 start under Floyd and interim head coach Bill Berry, the latter whom coached for two games before Cartwright was named interim head coach. The Bulls finished 21–61 on the year and the following season Cartwright was promoted from interim to permanent head coach. In the 2002–03 season the Bulls finished 30–52, but Cartwright would last only 14 games into the 2003–04 season — going 4–10 — before being fired.{{cite web|publisher=NBA|url=http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/cartwright_relieved_031124.html|title=Cartwright Relieved as Bulls Head Coach|date=December 19, 2013}} Pete Myers and finally Scott Skiles coached the Bulls immediately following Cartwright's tenure.

In 2004, the New Jersey Nets hired Cartwright as an assistant coach under Lawrence Frank. In 2008, Cartwright was named as an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns under Terry Porter. Suns general manager Steve Kerr hired the former big man to help coach veteran big man Shaquille O'Neal, all-star Amar'e Stoudemire, and upcoming draft picks.{{cite web|url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/06/19/20080619sunscoach.html|title=Suns fill out coaching staff|publisher=The Arizona Republic|first=Paul|last=Coro|date=June 19, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2012}} After the Suns dismissed Porter and promoted assistant Alvin Gentry, Cartwright stayed on as assistant coach with the team.

In January 2013, Cartwright was hired to coach Osaka Evessa of the Japanese bj league.{{Cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/8868242/bill-cartwright-hired-coach-osaka-team-japan|title=Cartwright hired to coach Osaka team in Japan|date=January 22, 2013|website=ESPN.com}}{{cite web |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/02/03/basketball/bj-league/osaka-coach-cartwright-puts-focus-on-fundamentals/#.VEDAqlf9W8o |title=Osaka coach Cartwright puts focus on fundamentals |website=www.japantimes.co.jp |date=February 3, 2013 |access-date=June 16, 2015 |archive-date=August 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220806052503/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/02/03/basketball/bj-league/osaka-coach-cartwright-puts-focus-on-fundamentals/#.VEDAqlf9W8o |url-status=dead }} There, he was credited for turning the franchise around.{{cite news |title=Bill Cartwright Has Turned Around Japan Franchise |url=https://www.slamonline.com/archives/bill-cartwright-has-turned-around-japan-franchise/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=SLAM Magazine |date=30 March 2013}} When Cartwright arrived, Evessa had lost 19 of its 24 games. With Cartwright at the helm, the team won 17 of its final 28 games, including 10 straight at one point, posting a 22–30 record for the season.{{cite news |title=In Japan, Bill Cartwright Speaks the Language of Winning |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sports/basketball/in-japan-bill-cartwright-speaks-the-language-of-winning.html |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=The New York Times |agency=Associated Press |date=13 April 2013}}{{cite news |author1=Ed Odeven |title=Cartwright gives parting thoughts on experience in Japan |url=http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/05/08/basketball/bj-league/cartwright-gives-parting-thoughts-on-experience-in-japan/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=The Japan Times |date=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180403051457/http://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/05/08/basketball/bj-league/cartwright-gives-parting-thoughts-on-experience-in-japan/#.WsMN3XbP1qY |archive-date=3 April 2018}} He did not return the following season, citing his desire to be closer to his family in Chicago.{{cite news |author1=Ed Odeven |title=Family priorities factored into decision to stop coaching Osaka Evessa: Cartwright |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/sports/2013/07/01/basketball/cartwright-wont-return-as-head-coach-of-evessa/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=The Japan Times |date=1 July 2013}}

In September 2014, Cartwright was hired as the head coach of the Mexico men's national basketball team ahead of the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games, replacing recently fired Sergio Valdeolmillos.{{cite news |title=Former three-time NBA champion Bill Cartwright appointed Mexico coach |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/cartwright-appointed-mexico-coach |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=FIBA |date=25 September 2014}} Five months later, he was replaced by Eddie Casiano who himself was fired after only two months without coaching a game and replaced by the aforementioned Valdeolmillos.{{cite news |author1=Paul Weir |title=Revolutionary Road |url=https://www.slamonline.com/international/costa-rica-revolutionary-road/ |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=SLAM Magazine |date=14 July 2016}}{{cite news |title=Mexico Gone Rogue-er? |url=https://www.fiba.basketball/en/news/mexico-gone-rogue-er |access-date=5 January 2025 |work=FIBA |date=15 May 2015}}

Cartwright married his junior high school sweetheart, Sheri, and together they have four children (Justin, Jason, James and Kristin). He also has two grandkids. He earned a bachelor's degree in sociology from USF and later obtained a master's degree in organization development in 1998 from the same institution. In 2016, Cartwright became USF's director of university initiatives.{{cite web|url=https://www.usfca.edu/news/nba-star-bill-cartwright-named-usf-ambassador|title=NBA Star Bill Cartwright Named USF Ambassador|website=USFCA.edu|last=Carpenter |first=Ed|date=March 8, 2016|access-date=May 3, 2020}}

Cartwright is an avid fan of doo-wop music from the 1950s and 1960s,{{Cite web|title=Five Questions... Bill Cartwright, USF Dons|url=https://wccsports.com/news/2020/3/7/mens-basketball-five-questions-bill-cartwright-usf-dons.aspx|website=wccsports.com|last=Faraudo|first=Jeff|date=March 7, 2020|access-date=October 27, 2020|language=en}} and plays guitar and collects transistor radios as hobbies.{{cite web|url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2008/07/01/20080701suns0702.html|title=Cartwright a big-man coach, more|publisher=The Arizona Republic|first=Paul|last=Coro|date=July 1, 2008|access-date=May 3, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.azcentral.com/sports/suns/articles/2010/12/30/20101230phoenix-suns-extra-bill-cartwright-assistant-coach.html|title=Suns Extra: Q & A with assistant coach Bill Cartwright|publisher=The Arizona Republic|first=Paul|last=Coro|date=December 30, 2010|access-date=May 3, 2012}}

{{NBA player statistics legend|champion=y}}

{{NBA player statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1979}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 82 || || 38.4 || .547 || – || .797 || 8.9 || 2.0 || 0.6 || 1.2 || 21.7

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1980}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 82 || || 35.7 || .554 || .000 || .788 || 7.5 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 1.0 || 20.1

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1981}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 72 || 50 || 28.6 || .562 || – || .763 || 5.8 || 1.2 || 0.7 || 0.9 || 14.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1982}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 82 || 82 || 30.1 || .566 || – || .744 || 7.2 || 1.7 || 0.5 || 1.5 || 15.7

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1983}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 77 || 77 || 32.3 || .561 || .000 || .805 || 8.4 || 1.4 || 0.6 || 1.3 || 17.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1985}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 2 || 0 || 18.0 || .429 || – || .600 || 5.0 || 2.5 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 6.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1986}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 58 || 50 || 34.3 || .531 || – || .790 || 7.7 || 1.7 || 0.7 || 0.4 || 17.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1987}}

| style="text-align:left;"|New York

| 82 || 4 || 20.4 || .544 || – || .798 || 4.7 || 1.0 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 11.1

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1988}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| 78 || 76 || 29.9 || .475 || – || .766 || 6.7 || 1.2 || 0.3 || 0.5 || 12.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1989}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| 71 || 71 || 30.4 || .488 || – || .811 || 6.5 || 2.0 || 0.5 || 0.5 || 11.4

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1990}}†

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| 79 || 79 || 28.8 || .490 || – || .697 || 6.2 || 1.6 || 0.4 || 0.2 || 9.6

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1991}}†

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| 64 || 64 || 23.0 || .467 || – || .604 || 5.1 || 1.4 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 8.0

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|{{Nbay|1992}}†

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| 63 || 63 || 19.9 || .411 || – || .735 || 3.7 || 1.3 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 5.6

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1993}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| 42 || 41 || 18.6 || .513 || – || .684 || 3.6 || 1.4 || 0.2 || 0.2 || 5.6

|-

| style="text-align:left;"| {{Nbay|1994}}

| style="text-align:left;"|Seattle

| 29 || 19 || 14.8 || .391 || – || .625 || 3.0 || 0.3 || 0.2 || 0.1 || 2.4

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 963 || 676 || 28.5 || .525 || .000 || .771 || 6.3 || 1.4 || 0.5 || 0.7 || 13.2

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star

| 1 || 0 || 14.0 || .500 || – || – || 3.0 || 1.0 || 0.0 || 0.0 || 8.0

{{s-end}}

{{NBA player statistics start}}

|-

|style="text-align:left;"|1981

|style="text-align:left;"|New York

|2||||24.5||.353||–||.667||6.5||0.5||0.5||0.5||10.0

|-

|style="text-align:left;"|1983

|style="text-align:left;"|New York

|6||||28.7||.581||–||.773||5.7||0.7||0.5||1.2||11.2

|-

|style="text-align:left;"|1984

|style="text-align:left;"|New York

|12||||33.2||.556||–||.863||8.3||0.4||0.2||1.2||17.4

|-

|style="text-align:left;"|1988

|style="text-align:left;"|New York

|4||0||19.0||.500||–||.733||4.8||1.5||0.0||0.8||7.3

|-

|style="text-align:left;"|1989

|style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

|17||17||34.3||.486||–||.700||7.1||1.2||0.5||0.7||11.8

|-

|style="text-align:left;"|1990

|style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

|16||16||28.9||.413||–||.674||4.7||1.0||0.3||0.3||8.1

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1991†

|style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

|17||17||30.1||.519||–||.688||4.7||1.9||0.5||0.4||9.5

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1992†

|style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

|22||22||37.8||.474||–||.419||4.5||1.7||0.5||0.2||5.6

|-

| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|1993†

|style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

|19||19||23.4||.465||–||.778||4.5||1.5||0.6||0.2||6.3

|-

|style="text-align:left;"|1994

|style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

|9||8||21.0||.326||–||.813||4.9||1.2||0.3||0.2||4.6

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career

| 124 || 99 || 28.2 || .482 || – || .725 || 5.4 || 1.3 || 0.4 || 0.5 || 8.9

{{s-end}}

{{NBA coach statistics legend}}

{{NBA coach statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2001}}

| 55||17||38||{{Winning percentage|17|38}}|| style="text-align:center;"|8th in Central|||—||—||—||—

| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs

|-

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2002}}

| 82||30||52||{{Winning percentage|30|52}}|| style="text-align:center;"|6th in Central|||—||—||—||—

| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs

|-

| style="text-align:left;"|Chicago

| style="text-align:left;"|{{nbay|2003}}

| 14||4||10||{{Winning percentage|4|10}}|| style="text-align:center;"|(fired)|||—||—||—||—

| style="text-align:center;"|—

|- class="sortbottom"

| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career

| 151||51||100||{{Winning percentage|51|100}}|| ||—||—||—||—||

{{s-end}}

{{NBA coach statistics start}}

|-

| style="text-align:left;"|Osaka Evessa

| style="text-align:left;"|2013

| 28||17||11||{{Winning percentage|17|11}}|| style="text-align:center;"|7th in Western|||—||—||—||—

| style="text-align:center;"|Missed playoffs

{{s-end}}

• List of NCAA Division I men's basketball players with 2000 points and 1000 rebounds

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

• {{Official website|http://www.coachcartwright.com}}
• [http://www.nba.com/bulls/news/cartwright_bio_010213.html Official NBA bio]
• [https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/cartwbi01.html Career statistics]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Cartwright, Bill}}

Category:1957 births

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