Ex-NBA Star Big Bill Cartwright to hold book signing
Ex-NBA Star Big Bill Cartwright to hold book signing
Chicago, IL – Former NBA basketball star James William (Big Bill) Cartwright is hosting a book signing 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 21st, at the African American Contractors Association (AACA), 514 E. 95TH St., headed
by Omar Shareef
At the age of 22, Cartwright, who played Center, already had an NBA All-Star victory with a three-time World Champion with the Chicago Bulls.
Better known as “Big Bill,” Cartwright is a former professional basketball player and former coach.
At 7 foot, 1-inch (2.16m) he played 16 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks, the Chicago Bulls and the Seattle SuperSonics helping the Bulls capture consecutive championships in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Cartwright was born to a family of seven siblings in Lodi, California to James and Marie Cartwright on July 30, 1957. He played basketball for the Elk Grove Thundering Herd under the mentorship of coach Dan Risley.
His team went undefeated in the 1973-1974 season and was named the best high school basketball team in California in 1974 and 1975.
Cartwright’s team went on to win the NorCal Tournament of Champions in 1974 and 1975, and he was named California High School Sports Athlete of the Year.
Cartwright enrolled at the University of San Francisco and was a consensus second-team all-American in 1977 and 1970 and graduated as the all-time leading scorer for the Dons averaging 19.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.
Cartwright graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s degree in Organization Development both at the University of San Francisco. In 2016, he became the director of University Initiatives.
After playing for the NBA for 16 years and the Bulls, Cartwright said he was part of 5 of the 16 championship games, three as a player and two as a coach.
Having achieved so many victories in sports and in life, Cartwright said it is time to begin chronicling his historic journey from the center of his life to his childhood.
And now at 66, Cartwright is not just an author, but he is the owner of Froggie’s French Café in Highwood, IL. “I’ve been busy,” he said. He has owned the café for the past 15 years and loves being an entrepreneur.
In writing his book, Cartwright said, “I was the center for my entire life.” His book details his life’s journey beginning when he was a child including his education and his life as an NBA star.
Cartwright credits his success to the “lessons he learned growing up. “My father was a farm laborer,” he learned and valued hard work. “That led me to success in high school and at the University of San Francisco.” He credits his success to hard work and the foundation he received as a child.
Cartwright’s message for writing the book is, “There is nothing you are not capable of doing if you are willing to put the time and effort in. I was taught that.”
Cartwright married his junior high school sweetheart, Sheri, and they have four children, Justin, Jason, James and Kristin.
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