The National Basketball Association has been a successful professional basketball league for over a century. The league consists of 30 different teams and is considered one of the four main professional sports leagues in both North America and Canada. It is the premier professional women’s professional basketball team in the entire world. Each year the players participate in tournaments around the globe to advance their careers.
During the late years of World War II the NBA had formed the North American Professional Basketball League or the NBAW. This was the first time that international basketball was being played. The European league, the National Basketball League or the NBA Europe, was just starting out and was competing against the NBA. Bill Price, a Canadian basketball player was the head of the organizing committee and he used to run the meetings of the teams as well as make decisions on the playing standards. Bill Price was also the longtime governor of the NBA, which is still considered as one of the largest governing bodies of sports in America.
Many legendary players were brought into the NBA and became popular like Joe Johnson, George Karl, Scottie Pippen and John Stockton. Bill Self was the coach of the Chicago Bulls and he brought many young and talented basketball players to the Bulls. He was known for his combative attitude on the court which was a big influence on today’s younger players. He led his team to three straight NBA championships and is widely regarded as one of the greatest coaches of all time.
Today, Bill Self is an adviser to the coaching staff of the university that he once coached and he also works as a ESPN analyst. He is widely regarded as one of the best coaches in the game and has coached some of the top teams in college basketball including the Kentucky, USC and Arizona. In fact, he is one of only two former college basketball champions that have gone on to become NBA coaches. His other two colleagues are Billy Gillispie and Pat Riley. He has been able to guide many young and talented basketball players to superstardom, including current Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant.
During his long career as a coach, he won titles with both the Detroit Pistons and Utah Jazz and he has coached the likes of Jordan Penny, Lew Alcindor and even Allen Iverson. He has coached some of the best players in the NBA, as evidenced by his rings with the Detroit Pistons. The fact that he is still able to get a standing ovation at every game show he does shows just how good he is as a head coach. He is well known for getting the most out of his players which is something that every basketball team wishes for.
Bill Self’s leadership is known around the world as he is one of only three coaches of teams that have won titles in two different sports. He has coached some of the all time great teams including the 1996 champions with Jordan Pierce and rebuilt the UCLA Bruins into a team that was national champions in 2021. He has been known to bench players like Clyde Drexler and Steve Francis, but has also used his coaching talents to turn talented youngsters into stars like Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd. If you want to be an NBA head coach, you can’t be without Bill Self. Check out murals of Bill Self from the past and see what a legend he is in person and on the basketball court.