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Player profile · CHI / NYK / SEA
Bill Cartwright
Bill Cartwright stats, teams and career impact
#598 all-timeCareer averages · 13.2 PPG · 6.3 RPG · 1.4 APGPeak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
- Position
- Center
- Final NBA team
- Seattle SuperSonics
- Height / weight
- 7 ft 1 in (216 cm) · 245 lb (111 kg)
- Born
- July 30, 1957 (69 yrs old)
- College
- San Francisco
- NBA seasons
- 15 seasons · 1979–80 to 1994–95
Career summaryBill Cartwright was a center who played 15 NBA seasons, from 1979–80 through 1994–95.
- Career PPG
- 13.2
- Career RPG
- 6.3
- Career APG
- 1.4
- #33 in 1982–83
- #598 all-time
Best-Season Impact Rank
Career Impact Rank
Peak-weighted regular-season model · playoffs, awards, and championships excluded
Career overview
Why Bill Cartwright ranks #598 all time
Bill Cartwright ranks #598 all time. Across his three best seasons, his average league finish was #47.3. His full-career value ranks #661, so this placement is driven more by dominance than longevity.
450+ minutes required per season
963 games · Career Value Rank #661
NBA honorsAll-StarContext only; honors are not model inputs.
Head to head
Compare Bill Cartwright with…
Suggested matchups from basketball rivalries, comparable roles, and similar careers. Compare career impact, peak seasons, and the numbers behind the result.
- Bill Cartwright vs. James Donaldson Similar career path
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- Bill Cartwright vs. Grant Long Similar career path
- Bill Cartwright vs. Orlando Woolridge Same-era comparison
- Bill Cartwright vs. Brad Davis Same-era comparison
- Bill Cartwright vs. Rolando Blackman Same-era comparison
- Bill Cartwright vs. Kurt Rambis Same-era comparison
Full player detailsTeam history, career shooting and sources
Full team history
- Teams
- New York Knicks, Chicago Bulls, and Seattle SuperSonics
Career shooting
NBA regular season- Field goal
- 52.5%FG%
- Three-point
- 0.0%3P%
- Free throw
- 77.1%FT%
963 career games · 27,491 minutes
Sources and updateConventional stats and measurements: Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 13, 2026. hussEyquation ranking data through 2025–26. Life dates: Wikidata; conflicting dates checked against Basketball Reference, accessed Sep 17, 2026.
Traditional box score
Bill Cartwright stats by season
Start with scoring and impact, then switch views for shooting or the full advanced picture. Career percentages use total makes and attempts.
Swipe for PPG · RPG · APG · Impact · Team · G · GS · MPG →
| 1994–95 | 2.4 | 3.0 | 0.3 | -7.54 | SEA | 29 | 19 | 14.8 | 39.1% | — | 62.5% | — | -47.4 |
| 1993–94 | 5.6 | 3.6 | 1.4 | -3.02 | CHI | 42 | 41 | 18.6 | 51.3% | — | 68.4% | #254 | -15.3 |
| 1992–93 | 5.6 | 3.7 | 1.3 | -4.69 | CHI | 63 | 63 | 19.9 | 41.1% | — | 73.5% | #284 | -65.1 |
| 1991–92 | 8.0 | 5.1 | 1.4 | -3.47 | CHI | 64 | 64 | 23.0 | 46.7% | — | 60.4% | #263 | -42.4 |
| 1990–91 | 9.6 | 6.2 | 1.6 | -2.91 | CHI | 79 | 79 | 28.8 | 49.0% | — | 69.7% | #231 | -41.4 |
| 1989–90 | 11.4 | 6.5 | 2.0 | -2.32 | CHI | 71 | 71 | 30.4 | 48.8% | — | 81.1% | #210 | -14.1 |
| 1988–89 | 12.4 | 6.7 | 1.2 | -4.73 | CHI | 78 | 76 | 29.9 | 47.5% | — | 76.6% | #254 | -128.7 |
| 1987–88 | 11.1 | 4.7 | 1.0 | +1.13 | NYK | 82 | 4 | 20.4 | 54.4% | — | 79.8% | #56 | 108.4 |
| 1986–87 | 17.5 | 7.7 | 1.7 | +0.28 | NYK | 58 | 50 | 34.3 | 53.1% | — | 79.0% | #84 | 93.2 |
| 1985–86 | 6.0 | 5.0 | 2.5 | -8.22 | NYK | 2 | 0 | 18.0 | 42.9% | — | 60.0% | — | -4.6 |
| 1983–84 | 17.0 | 8.4 | 1.4 | +1.17 | NYK | 77 | 77 | 32.3 | 56.1% | 0.0% | 80.5% | #53 | 162.6 |
| 1982–83 | 15.7 | 7.2 | 1.7 | +2.22 | NYK | 82 | 82 | 30.1 | 56.6% | — | 74.4% | #33 | 210.6 |
| 1981–82 | 14.4 | 5.8 | 1.2 | -0.05 | NYK | 72 | 50 | 28.6 | 56.2% | — | 76.3% | #97 | 83.4 |
| 1980–81 | 20.1 | 7.5 | 1.4 | +0.92 | NYK | 82 | 81 | 35.7 | 55.4% | 0.0% | 78.8% | #69 | 179.8 |
| 1979–80 | 21.7 | 8.9 | 2.0 | +0.41 | NYK | 82 | 82 | 38.4 | 54.7% | — | 79.7% | #74 | 168.7 |
| Career | 13.2 | 6.3 | 1.4 | — | CHI/NYK/SEA | 963 | — | 28.5 | 52.5% | 0.0% | 77.1% | — | — |
Source: Basketball Reference regular-season totals, accessed Sep 13, 2026.
What these measures mean
- Era-centered box impact
- Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average.
- Impact Rate Rank
- The player's place among qualified players in one season.
- Value contribution / Season Value
- Completed seasons use a fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. The live season instead uses Season Value, combining that season's impact with workload.
- Career Impact Rank
- An all-time rank weighted toward the player's best three, five, and ten seasons.
64.0 composite · lower is better
57.0 average league finish
648 total value
Career standing
How Bill Cartwright ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Tie-breaker across top-ten seasons
Career Composite Score64.0
Best 3, Best 5, and Best 10 average league finishes receive 50%, 30%, and 20% window weights. Missing seasons receive a replacement finish just below the player's typical qualified field. Lower is better.
- Best 3 effective weight
- 74%
- Missing-season finish
- 258.0
- Qualified seasons
- 13
- All-time rank
- #598
Strongest seasons
Every season
Bill Cartwright advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
More advanced statsAge, minutes, impact, rank, value and data coverage
Scroll for more columns
| 1994–95Historical Defense Estimate | SEA | 37 | 29 | 430 | -7.54 | — | — | -47.4 | — | Limited |
| 1993–94Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 36 | 42 | 780 | -3.02 | 13.1 | #254 | -15.3 | 16th | Standard |
| 1992–93Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 35 | 63 | 1,253 | -4.69 | 4.1 | #284 | -65.1 | 3rd | Broad |
| 1991–92Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 34 | 64 | 1,471 | -3.47 | 9.3 | #263 | -42.4 | 7th | Broad |
| 1990–91Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 33 | 79 | 2,273 | -2.91 | 21.0 | #231 | -41.4 | 11th | Broad |
| 1989–90Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 32 | 71 | 2,160 | -2.32 | 27.2 | #210 | -14.1 | 24th | Broad |
| 1988–89Historical Defense Estimate | CHI | 31 | 78 | 2,333 | -4.73 | 3.8 | #254 | -128.7 | 0th | Broad |
| 1987–88Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 30 | 82 | 1,676 | +1.13 | 78.0 | #56 | 108.4 | 74th | Broad |
| 1986–87Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 29 | 58 | 1,989 | +0.28 | 67.6 | #84 | 93.2 | 67th | Broad |
| 1985–86Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 28 | 2 | 36 | -8.22 | — | — | -4.6 | — | Limited |
| 1983–84Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 26 | 77 | 2,487 | +1.17 | 79.0 | #53 | 162.6 | 82nd | Broad |
| 1982–83Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 25 | 82 | 2,468 | +2.22 | 87.4 | #33 | 210.6 | 85th | Broad |
| 1981–82Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 24 | 72 | 2,060 | -0.05 | 62.2 | #97 | 83.4 | 63rd | Broad |
| 1980–81Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 23 | 82 | 2,925 | +0.92 | 72.6 | #69 | 179.8 | 84th | Broad |
| 1979–80Historical Defense Estimate | NYK | 22 | 82 | 3,150 | +0.41 | 68.4 | #74 | 168.7 | 81st | Broad |
Career movement
Bill Cartwright's career impact by season
Peak +2.22 in 1982–83 · 15 seasons · 27,491 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. The vertical scale adapts to this player's range and always includes zero.
Era-centered box impactMinutes
—’85
Player-specific impact scaleWorkload
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
Bill CartwrightJames Donaldson
| NBA season | Bill Cartwright | James Donaldson |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.4 | 1.0 |
| 2 | 0.9 | 1.5 |
| 3 | -0.0 | 0.7 |
| 4 | 2.2 | 0.1 |
| 5 | 1.2 | -1.0 |
| 6 | -8.2 | -0.1 |
| 7 | 0.3 | 0.9 |
| 8 | 1.1 | -0.2 |
| 9 | -4.7 | 0.1 |
| 10 | -2.3 | -1.7 |
| 11 | -2.9 | -1.9 |
| 12 | -3.5 | -2.8 |
| 13 | -4.7 | -6.5 |
| 14 | -3.0 | -3.0 |
| 15 | -7.5 | Did not play |
NBA season number
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Bill Cartwright
The career-similarity score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and experience-aligned trajectory. It describes career shape, not playing style, equal ability, or probability.
C · All-Time Career #636
James Donaldson
89career similarity score
89/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1983–84C · All-Time Career #595Mike Gminski
89career similarity score
97/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1985–86C · All-Time Career #577Herb Williams
88career similarity score
96/100 closest-season score · 1982–83 ↔ 1982–83Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played; completed player-profile rows instead show each season's fixed-baseline contribution to Career Value. Career Impact Rank rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →