Bill Laimbeer began his journey as a coach when he was hired as the Detroit Shock head coach in 2002. He instantly became one of the best coaches in the WNBA, and he held that job until 2021.
In total, Laimbeer coached in the WNBA for 17 seasons. He worked hard in each campaign, but when he finally decided to retire, Lambs was certain he would never go back to coaching. In fact, Bill has been very happy in retirement, as no job would ever make him work again.
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“I’m fully retired and I’m done with basketball,” Laimbeer firmly said via Yahoo Sports. “Nothing could bring me back — not broadcasting, not coaching, not anything. I’m very happy with what I’m doing now, and that’s pretty much doing nothing.”
Bill’s body gave up
Laimbeer’s work as a coach was characterized by intensity and passion. Season after season, he gave it all he got, and his players respected him for displaying a remarkable work ethic.
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However, fatigue and aging eventually caught up with Bill. After leading the Las Vegas Aces to 24 wins in the 2021 season, Lambs called it quits.
“I ran out of gas. You know, to be a coach, it’s a lot of energy. It’s a huge amount of energy; you have to perform, and I’d ran out of gas and it was clear that somebody else had to do it,”said Laimbeer in a separate discussion about his retirement. “So the mental part is gone, which is great. So now I have to just focus on myself and my family, which is wonderful.”
An NBA and WNBA legend
Laimbeer’s coaching skills were undeniable. He led the Shock to an emphatic WNBA title in just his second season with the team. Detroit won two more titles with Lambs at the helm.
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Coach Bill also led the Aces and the New York Liberty to conference championships in his respective stints with the teams. In terms of impact, Laimbeer also unsurprisingly left his mark on his players.
“It’s something special; Bill is a players’ coach through and through. Sometimes it’s hard for us as African American women to have a seat at the table. But when you have you know someone of Bill’s stature sitting there and taking a stance with us, it means a lot, it speaks volumes,” said A’ja Wilson on her former head coach.
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“He’s done a lot for women’s basketball, too. He’s been around the game a long time. He’s an advocate for women, since he’s been in this league, and that’s why we appreciate so much about him. That’s probably the reason why I came here. I saw how he treated his players for All-Star in Vegas. And I was like, okay, this is a franchise that I want to be a part of,”added Chelsea Gray.
As an NBA player, Laimbeer was a two-time champion and four-time All-Star. As a WNBA coach, Bill retired as one of the most influential figures in the league’s history and in women’s basketball as a whole.
As it stands, Lambs is already 68 years old, and based on his recent remarks, it’s safe to say that he isn’t making a return anytime soon.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jan 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
