Bill Sharman
1950–51 to 1960–61 · 11 seasons
NBA player comparison
Bill Sharman vs. Jerry Sloan: Career comparison
Regular-season verdict
Bill Sharman ranks higher in career impact
Jerry Sloan
1965–66 to 1975–76 · 11 seasons
Impact comparison
Box impact estimates points per 100 possessions above each season's league average. Higher is better. Career ranks and average league finishes work the other way: lower is better.
#80LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#155
10.7LeadsBest 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better15.7
+1,816 ptsPoints above replacementCumulative regular-season value+1,940 ptsLeads
2LeadsTop-10 impact seasons1
15.8LeadsBest 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better31.7
+2.3Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.3
Career Impact Rank places Bill Sharman #80 and Jerry Sloan #155. It combines league finishes across each player's best three, five, and ten regular seasons, giving the most weight to the best three. Jerry Sloan had the higher single-season impact estimate and more total career value.
Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.
Career Impact RankSee exactly how both rankings are calculatedBill Sharman12.093 · No. 80Jerry Sloan20.053 · No. 155
Only the three league-finish windows below determine Career Impact Rank. Career Value and peak impact are separate measures; neither adds points to this calculation. Lower composite scores rank higher.
Bill Sharman
12.093 composite · No. 80 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 101952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 10.667 | 50% | 5.333 |
| Best 5No. 101952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 151959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 12.000 | 30% | 3.600 |
| Best 10No. 101952–53Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 101956–57Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 121953–54Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 131957–58Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 151959–60Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 161954–55Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181960–61Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 201958–59Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221951–52Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221955–56Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 15.800 | 20% | 3.160 |
5.333 + 3.600 + 3.160= 12.093
Jerry Sloan
20.053 composite · No. 155 all-time
| Window and finishes used | Average finish | Weight | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best 3No. 71966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221970–71Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 15.667 | 50% | 7.833 |
| Best 5No. 71966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221970–71Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 251971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 19.600 | 30% | 5.880 |
| Best 10No. 71966–67Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 181968–69Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 221970–71Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 251971–72Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 261967–68Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 301974–75Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 381965–66Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 451972–73Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 471973–74Recorded box inputsIncludes bounded historical defense estimateNo. 591969–70Reconstructed historical estimateIncludes bounded historical defense estimate | 31.700 | 20% | 6.340 |
7.833 + 5.880 + 6.340= 20.053
Averages, contributions, and totals are displayed to three decimal places. The ranking calculation keeps full source precision. Read the full method →
Full comparison · Career comparison
Understand the numbers
Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.
1 · Ranking evidence
Impact: who ranks higher, and why?
Career Impact Rank compares entire regular-season careers across NBA history. It combines average league places across the best three, five, and ten seasons, weighted 50%, 30%, and 20%. A lower rank or average place is better.
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Career Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank | #80Better result for this metric. | #155 |
| Best 3 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 10.7Better result for this metric. | 15.7 |
| Best 5 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 12.0Better result for this metric. | 19.6 |
| Best 10 average finishAverage league place · lower is better | 15.8Better result for this metric. | 31.7 |
Show more stats: Impact
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Points-above-replacement rankAll-time rank in estimated regular-season points above replacement | #212 | #191Better result for this metric. |
| Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.3 | +2.3 |
| Best 3 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +2.1 | +2.1 |
| Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.9 | +1.9 |
| Best 10 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better | +1.4Better result for this metric. | +1.1 |
| Points above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better | +1,816 pts | +1,940 ptsBetter result for this metric. |
| Seasons ranked No. 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-five impact seasons | 0 | 0 |
| Top-ten impact seasons | 2Better result for this metric. | 1 |
2 · Playing time and responsibility
How much did each player take on?
Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Games | 711 | 755 |
| Minutes | 22,614 | 25,750 |
3 · Individual skills
Where does each player have an advantage?
These are each player's averages across up to ten best seasons. Career Impact Rank gives the Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights, giving the most weight to the highest peak. The model accounts for position, role, pace, playing time, and team results. Statistics that were not recorded in earlier eras are left out. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.
Shooting
True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| True shooting percentage | 49.7%Better result for this metric. | 47.7% |
| True shootingAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | 49.5%Better result for this metric. | 47.7% |
Show more stats: Shooting
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Field-goal percentage | 42.6% | 42.7%Better result for this metric. |
| Three-point percentage | Unavailable | Unavailable |
| Free-throw percentage | 88.3%Better result for this metric. | 72.2% |
Passing
Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Assist rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 10.9% |
| Assists per game | 3.0Better result for this metric. | 2.5 |
Rebounding
Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Rebound rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 10.5% |
| Rebounds per game | 3.9 | 7.4Better result for this metric. |
Defense
Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Steal rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 3.0% |
Show more stats: Defense
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Block rateAverage across the best impact seasons selected for the model input profile | Unavailable | 0.3% |
Scoring
Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.
| Metric | Bill Sharman | Jerry Sloan |
|---|---|---|
| Points per game | 17.8Better result for this metric. | 14.0 |
4 · Team context, not ranking inputs
What happened with and without them?
A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.
Four separate questions
Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards
These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.
Regular Season Impact
Bill Sharman ranks higher in career impact.
Bill SharmanMetricJerry Sloan
#80LeadsCareer Impact RankPeak-weighted regular-season rank#155
+2.3Peak box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+2.3
+1.9Best 5 average box impactEra-adjusted points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better+1.9
+1,816 ptsPoints above replacementRegular season · fixed -2.0 replacement baseline · higher is better+1,940 ptsLeads
This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.
Team Success
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Bill SharmanMetricJerry Sloan
473Listed-team regular-season wins899Leads
62.4%LeadsListed-team winning percentage0.4%
350-win team seasons11Leads
060-win team seasons11Leads
10LeadsPlayoff team seasons9
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.
Playoff Résumé
Bill Sharman leads every available measure below.
Bill SharmanMetricJerry Sloan
10LeadsPlayoff appearances9
78LeadsPlayoff games52
45LeadsTeam playoff wins19
5LeadsFinals appearances0
4LeadsChampionships0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.
Awards
The advantages are split across the available measures.
Bill SharmanMetricJerry Sloan
8LeadsAll-Star2
0MVP0
7LeadsAll-NBA0
0All-Defense6Leads
0DPOY0
0Rookie of the Year0
Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.
How each context field is counted
- Listed-team regular-season wins
- The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
- Listed-team winning percentage
- Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
- 50- and 60-win team seasons
- Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
- Team seasons reaching playoffs
- Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
- Playoff appearances and games
- Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
- Team playoff wins
- Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
- Finals appearances and championships
- Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
- Awards
- Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.
Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09.
Career Shape Explorer
How the careers developed
Follow every regular season by NBA experience or age. This view describes the path; it does not create another verdict.
Bill SharmanJerry SloanPeak seasonHistorical source qualification
Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average
Striped bars mark seasons with fewer than 40 games. A dashed mark means that player had no season at the aligned point.
Season-by-season evidenceRead both careers at the same stage
Every observed season keeps its age, era-centered impact estimate, league rank when qualified, career-stage label, and exact evidence link. A missing career point stays missing.
Bill SharmanNBA seasonJerry Sloan
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7
Season 8
Season 9
Season 10
Observed values come from the accepted season comparison record. Historical source qualifications stay attached to affected seasons. Missing means no NBA season exists at that aligned point; it is never interpolated. Missing is not the same as estimated.