1988-89 Fleer #42 Bill Laimbeer
About Bill Laimbeer
Few players wore the black hat like Bill Laimbeer. A Notre Dame product taken 65th overall by Cleveland in 1979, he spent a season starring in Italy for Brescia before joining the Cavaliers in 1980, then landed in Detroit via a February 1982 trade and never left. The Pistons' center through 1993, he made four All-Star teams (1983-85, 1987), led the NBA in rebounding in 1985-86, and anchored the Bad Boys to back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990 — retiring with 13,790 points and 10,400 rebounds, just the 19th player to reach 10,000 of each. Opposing fans and writers branded him 'The Prince of Darkness' for the elbows, flops, and hard fouls that made him the league's premier villain. Card #42 in 1988-89 Fleer is no rookie — it's Laimbeer at the peak of the Bad Boys era, from the very season Detroit claimed its first championship. His No. 40 hangs in the Pistons' rafters.
Sources: Wikipedia · Basketball-Reference
Graded population (PSA & SGC)
| Grader | Total | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 1-6 | Auth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSA | 367 | 77 | 185 | 87 | 16 | 2 | 0 |
| SGC | 11 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Graded population — a scarcity guide, not a price. Snapshot 2026-08-18. Half-grades fold down (8.5→8). The graders do not break out the stickers, so sticker pages carry no table.
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Related cards
More Detroit Pistons cards:
- #39 Adrian Dantley
- #40 Joe Dumars
- #41 Vinnie Johnson
- #43 Dennis Rodman
- #44 John Salley
- #45 Isiah Thomas
- Sticker #10 Isiah Thomas
Frequently asked questions
What is the 1988-89 Fleer Bill Laimbeer card?
It is card #42 of the 132-card 1988-89 Fleer Basketball base set, picturing Bill Laimbeer with the Detroit Pistons.
How many cards are in the 1988-89 Fleer Basketball set?
132 base cards - 119 players ordered by team, the All-Star subset #120-131 and a checklist - plus the 11-card Super Star Sticker insert, for 143 cards in a master run. There are no variations; three backs carry uncorrected errors (#20, #26, #100).
Sources: Trading Card Database, Cardboard Connection, the PSA price guide, Basketball-Reference, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, PSA & SGC population reports. Card data compiled and maintained by T206Cards.com. Page last updated 2026-08-19.