Bill Bridges (basketball)

William C. Bridges
William C. Bridges
Born	4 April 1939 (age 87); Hobbs, New Mexico, U.S.
Died	25 September 2015 (aged 76); Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Professional basketball player, environmental consultant, public servant
Years active	1961–1975 (basketball)
Known for	NBA power forward, 3× NBA All-Star, NBA champion (1975)

William C. Bridges (April 4, 1939 – September 25, 2015) was a distinguished American basketball athlete who earned an NBA championship and multiple appearances in the NBA All-Star contests. Throughout a 13-season tenure in the NBA, Bridges served as a power forward for franchises such as the St. Louis / Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors.

Early years

Hailing from Hobbs, New Mexico, Bridges attended Hobbs High School, where he played under the guidance of esteemed coach Ralph Tasker. He propelled the Hobbs Eagles to back-to-back state titles in 1956 and 1957, achieving an impressive 57–5 record during those campaigns.

College career

Bridges joined the University of Kansas in the 1957–1958 academic year as a non-scholarship "walk-on" player. Since freshmen were barred from varsity competition until 1972, he spent his initial 'redshirt' season practicing against teammate Wilt Chamberlain. His outstanding practice efforts secured him a scholarship for the subsequent three seasons.

Competing with the Kansas Jayhawks during the 1958–59, 1959–60, and 1960–61 seasons, Bridges posted averages of 13.2 points and 13.9 rebounds per contest. He dominated the Big Eight in rebounding each year with averages of 13.7, 13.8, and 14.1 boards per game as a sophomore through senior. Bridges earned All-Big Eight honors every season and was recognized with honorable mention as an All-American in his final year.

Professional playing career

Upon completing his collegiate career at Kansas in 1961, Bridges was selected by the Chicago Packers (now known as the Washington Wizards) as the 32nd overall pick in the third round of the 1961 NBA draft.

American Basketball League

Rather than signing with the Packers, Bridges opted to play for the Kansas City Steers in the American Basketball League (ABL), established by Abe Saperstein in 1960 with six participating teams. He led the league in rebounds during both seasons and topped scoring charts in his second year. Notably, he set a single-game scoring record by amassing 55 points on December 9, 1962, followed immediately by a 49-point performance in the next contest. Financial difficulties led to the ABL ceasing operations at the close of 1962, with the Steers declared league champions.

St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks

Shortly after the ABL's suspension of play, Bridges was signed by the St. Louis Hawks. Over a span of thirteen NBA seasons from 1962 to 1975, he competed for the Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Golden State Warriors.

Joining the Hawks in January 1963, Bridges posted averages of 6.1 points and 5.3 rebounds while receiving limited playing time. His minutes and contributions increased steadily; by the 1964-65 season, he was logging nearly thirty minutes per game and pulling down an average of 10.8 rebounds alongside Hall of Famers Bob Pettit, Cliff Hagan, and Zelmo Beaty. After Pettit's retirement, Bridges assumed the starting power forward role in 1965-66, averaging 13 points and ranking seventh in the NBA with 12.2 rebounds per game.

Bridges experienced a breakout season in 1966-67, averaging 17.4 points and an impressive 15.1 rebounds over almost forty minutes per game, which earned him his inaugural All-Star selection. He ranked fifth league-wide in rebounding behind future Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Nate Thurmond, Bill Russell, and Jerry Lucas. The following year, he secured another All-Star nod while posting averages of 15.6 points and 13.4 rebounds as the Hawks won the Western Division but faced an early playoff exit.

Awarded spots on the All-NBA defensive second team for both the 1968-69 and 1969-70 campaigns, Bridges served as team captain beginning in 1968. In the 1969-70 season, he earned his third All-Star appearance and placed eighth in MVP voting while ranking fourth league-wide with a remarkable average of 14.4 rebounds per game behind Elvin Hayes, Wes Unseld, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Despite consistently finishing at or near first place within their division, the Hawks repeatedly fell short during postseason play.

In what would be his final full season with Atlanta (1970-71), Bridges averaged 11.9 points alongside sixteenth-best NBA rebounding at fifteen boards per contest. Although briefly suspended following a preseason disagreement with coach Richie Guerin, he maintained his role as team captain. After appearing in only fourteen games during the subsequent season while averaging an impressive 13.6 rebounds per game, Bridges was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jim Washington.

Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors

During his tenure with the 76ers, Bridges posted averages of 13.2 points and 13.5 rebounds over 64 games, placing him tenth in the league for rebounding. After ten games into the 1972-73 campaign, Philadelphia traded Bridges along with Mel Counts to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for John Q. Trapp and LeRoy Ellis. That season concluded with the Sixers enduring a historic low of 9–73, the worst record ever recorded in NBA history.

Upon joining the Lakers, Bridges reunited with teammate Wilt Chamberlain on a squad that achieved a 60–22 record and advanced to the 1972 NBA Finals. Throughout the regular season, he averaged close to 35 minutes, 10 points, and 11 rebounds per contest. In the Finals series against the New York Knicks, Bridges contributed an average of nine points and 10.6 rebounds, though the Lakers ultimately fell short.

The 1972-73 season was notable as it marked Bridges’ first absence from the NBA's top-10 rebounders list in seven years. The following year, his court time diminished to under 28 minutes per game due to Happy Hairston assuming the starting power forward role. Consequently, Bridges’ rebounding average dropped below 10 per game for the first time in nearly a decade.

In the 1974-75 season, knee issues limited Bridges to just 17 appearances for Los Angeles before his release. At age 36, he signed with the Golden State Warriors shortly before the February roster deadline. The Warriors ended that season with a 48–34 record and secured the NBA Championship by sweeping the Washington Bullets after victories over Seattle and Chicago in prior rounds. Bridges played a vital role as a reserve forward in Game 6 against Chicago, pulling down 11 rebounds in 28 minutes.

This season marked the conclusion of Bridges’ NBA career.

Career

Standing at approximately 6 ft 5½ in (1.97 m) or 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) and weighing 228 pounds (103 kg), Bridges was considered undersized for a power forward but excelled as a rebounder. Over his NBA career, he maintained an impressive double-double average of 11.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game.

With a total of 11,054 rebounds accumulated by the end of the 2024-25 season, Bridges ranks thirty-first all-time in NBA history. Among those ranked ahead of him, only Hall of Famers Charles Barkley and Elgin Baylor share his height or are shorter.

Uniquely among forwards, Bridges is one of just four players to secure more than 35 rebounds in an NBA playoff game. Representing the Atlanta Hawks, he grabbed an astounding 36 rebounds during Game 2 of the 1971 Eastern Conference Semifinals versus the New York Knicks.

In addition, during the 1967–68 season, Bridges set an NBA record by leading the league with a total of 366 personal fouls.

Personal life and death

Following his retirement from professional basketball in 1975, Bridges pursued a career as an environmental consultant based out of Santa Monica, California. During the 1980s, he also contributed to public service by working within Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley’s administration.

Bridges died at age 76 in Los Angeles after a battle with cancer.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 27 || || 13.9 || .413 || || .627 || 5.3 || 0.9 || || || 6.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 80 || || 24.4 || .397 || || .652 || 8.5 || 2.3 || || || 8.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 79 || || 29.9 || .386 || || .676 || 10.8 || 2.4 || || || 11.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 78 || || 34.3 || .407 || || .706 || 12.2 || 2.7 || || || 13.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 79 || || 39.6 || .455 || || .702 || 15.1 || 2.8 || || || 17.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 82 || || 39.0 || .462 || || .717 || 13.4 || 3.1 || || || 15.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 80 || || 36.6 || .453 || || .677 || 14.2 || 3.7 || || || 11.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 82|||| 39.9|| .475|||| .734||14.4|| 4.2||||||14.8 |-

Playoff Performance

|- | style="text-align:left;"|1963 | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 11 || || 18.5 || .427 || || .741 || 7.8 || 0.8 || || || 9.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1964 | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 12 || || 20.0 || .313 || || .632 || 7.0 || 2.0 || || || 5.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1965 | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 4 || || 36.3 || .356 || || .667 || 16.8 || 2.3 || || || 13.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1966 | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 10 || || 42.1 || .506 || || .721 || 14.9 || 2.8 || || || 20.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1967 | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 9 || || 41.0 || .375 || || .672 || 18.8 || 2.4 || || || 15.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1968 | style="text-align:left;"|St. Louis | 6 || || 36.0 || .507 || || .720 || 12.8 || 2.3 || || || 15.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1969 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 11 || || 40.2 || .442 || || .708 || 16.4 || 3.4 || || || 15.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"|1970 | style="text-align:left;"|Atlanta | 9 || || 42.3 || .400 || || .593 || 17.1 || 3.2|| || ||11.6 |}

Honors and Awards

Beginning in the year 1962, the basketball program at the University of Kansas established an annual postseason accolade for individual rebounding, named the Bill Bridges Rebounding Award to commemorate Bridges' impact.

In 2002, Bridges was honored as the inaugural Jayhawk to surpass both the milestones of 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in his collegiate career during a special event at Allen Field House.

The university formally retired his jersey number in 2004 during a ceremony hosted at Allen Field House.

Bridges' achievements were further recognized with his induction into the New Mexico Sports Hall of Fame in 2014, followed by enshrinement in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.

External Resources

Comprehensive career statistics