I’m an NBA icon who won two finals and earned $8m in career

BILL Laimbeer swapped basketball for a very normal job after leaving the sport behind.

The Detroit Pistons legend, 66, teamed up with his father to open a box factory in the Motor City.

Laimbeer enjoyed a prolific basketball career and won two NBA championships during his time in Detroit.

Standing 6ft 11in, the towering center was a threat at both ends of the court with his supreme rebounding ability.

After retiring in 1993, he attempted to go into business with his dad William Snr.

The pair opened Laimbeer Packaging Corp, providing boxes for everything from car parts to food storage.

William Snr. said in 1993: “If my son works as hard at being the winner in the box business as he did winning in his old job, Laimbeer Packaging will be an enormous success.”

Unfortunately for the pair, the company struggled to succeed and filed for bankruptcy in 2002.

Laimbeer was selected as the 65th overall pick in the 1979 Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He had been a middling player in college for Notre Dame, primarily being used off the bench in his senior year.

The Cavaliers sent him to play in the Italian league for Brescia for a year before he returned to Cleveland in 1980.

Laimbeer never established himself as a starter for the Cavaliers, who eventually traded him to the Pistons in 1982.

The Boston native would go on to become a Detroit legend with his No. 40 jersey retired by the organization.

He won two rings with the Pistons and was the NBA’s rebounding leader in 1986.

Laimbeer is estimated to have raked in over $8million over his career, per Spotrac.

The center was also known for his aggressive on-court play, with former teammate Dennis Rodman saying: “He [Laimbeer] was more than a thug, but that’s what he’ll be remembered for.”

Following the closure of his packaging business, the former Piston turned his attention back to basketball.

He led the WNBA’s Detroit Shock to three titles as their head coach from 2002 to 2009.

Laimbeer most recently was in charge of the Las Vegas Aces, retiring from coaching and basketball altogether in 2021.