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Center
Three-time All-American
All-WCAC, All-Northern California, All-District, All-Pacific Coast
Two-time Northern California Player of the Year
Three-time WCAC MVP
USF Career Years: 1975-1979
Birthdate: July 30, 1957
Hometown: Elk Grove, CA
High Schol: Elk Grove High School
James William "Bill" Cartwright was born on July 30, 1957, in Lodi, CA, and attended high school in Elk Grove, CA, where he played basketball. At 6’11”, 175 lbs., he was named California High School State Basketball Player of the year in 1974 and 1975, averaging an astounding 36.0 PPG and 24.0 RPG playing as a center. In 1975, he was named California High School Sports Athlete of the Year. His team went on to win the 29th Annual Tournament of Champions in Oakland.
In college, he was 7’ 1”, 245 lbs., and played for the Dons with one of the tallest lineups in USF history. A back injury his freshman year gave him a slow start, but in his varsity years, he became USF’s leading scorer, Northern California Player of the Year twice, WCAC MVP, and All-American three times. He missed the first eight games of the 1977-1978 season due to an arm fracture, but upon his return, the Dons went on to win 18 of their subsequent 21 games and finish ranked first nationally. He led the team to their third straight WCAC title. Cartwright’s shooting ability and strength made him college basketball’s best big man, and USF retired his jersey (#24). He finished his USF career first in points (2116), field goals (828), and 460 free throws.
He was drafted third overall by the New York Knicks in the first round of the 1979 NBA draft and played for the Knicks until 1988. He made the All-Star Game in his first season. He averaged more than 20.0 PPG, but after five seasons, he missed the 1984-1985 season and played only two games in the 1985-1986 season due to a foot injury. When Cartwright returned for the 1986-1987 season, he was relegated to the bench, and Patrick Ewing, drafted in 1985, became the starting center.
On June 15, 1988, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls for forward Charles Oakley. Cartwright started at center and the team, which included power forward Horace Grant and forward Charles Oakley, earned three consecutive NBA Championships from 1991 to 1993. Cartwright took an elbow to the throat in a game against the Indiana Pacers that fractured his larynx. The Bulls made the 1994 NBA playoffs but were eliminated in Game 7 by the Knicks. Cartwright left the team as an unrestricted free agent. He signed with the Seattle Supersonics and, after 29 games, retired from the NBA in 1995. His career totals averaged 8.9 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 72.5 FT%, with highs of 17.4 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 86.3 FT%.
He moved on to coaching a few years later, first as an Assistant Coach under Phil Jackson with the Bulls, and won consecutive titles from 1996 to 1998. Cartwright was named to the interim Head Coach position following a significant team rebuild, and stayed until 2003. He worked as an Assistant Coach with the New Jersey Nets for four seasons from 2004 to 2008, and with the Phoenix Suns from 2008 to 2012. He coached the Osaka Evessa team for a year in Japan and the Mexico National Basketball Team.
He returned to USF as a student for a Master’s Degree in Organizational Development in 1998 and became USF’s Director of University Initiatives in 2016.
Cartwright was inducted into the Sacramento Sports Hall of Fame as part of the organization's inaugural class in 2013. He was inducted into the Chicago Bulls Ring of Honor on Nov. 22, 2025, recognizing his pivotal role as the starting center for the first three-peat championship team (1991-1993) and his subsequent contributions as an assistant coach. Known for his leadership, he served as co-captain alongside Michael Jordan.
*Photo courtesy of Rodney Lee, Class of 1980*
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