This September, NBA all-star Bill Carwright, one of the most well-known professional sportsmen with roots in the Sacramento area, will add another honor to his collection when he enters the Sacramento Walk of Stars.

Cartwright’s most well-known role may have been as the “man in the middle” for the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls during the 1990s, when the team won three straight titles from 1991 to 1993.

However, the 7-1 center was raised in Lodi and went to Elk Grove High School, where he won the 1975 California High School Sports Athlete of the Year award and helped the team to a Northern California championship.

Like many small towns and communities, Elk Grove’s foundation is simply work. I’m a product of that work ethic, that’s all. Growing up in the country, my dad worked as a farm laborer, Cartwright said to my colleague Chris Nichols this week on Insight. “There is just one thing we can do: work. We can work longer, harder, and more productively. And Elk Grove is a representation of that.

He grew up seeing countryside all surrounding Elk Grove Boulevard, which was only a single four-way stop. By the time Cartwright entered the eighth grade, he was six feet six inches tall and helping his father operate tractors on the farm.

His first professional sports aspiration was to be a pitcher, so he continued to play baseball and football throughout his freshman year of high school before deciding to concentrate on hoops.

He recalls, “I started spending a lot of time inside because it was blazing hot outside, which is actually good for the Sacramento summers.”

Sports Illustrated discovered a high school student who was the buzz of the town by his senior year.

Elk Grove High classmates speculate that Cartwright might win the student body president position. His fame is not that of a TV network-interviewed star, but rather that of a cheerful assistant crossing guard.

The basketball manager and a player on the golf squad that Cartwright caddies for in competitions are two of his closest buddies. He watches his coach’s children, dates the vice-principal’s daughter, and is well-liked by Sacramento students for signing autographs.

He attended the University of San Francisco from Elk Grove, where he graduated as the school’s all-time top scorer. After that, he joined the NBA and spent his first eight seasons there in New York. However, his most memorable teams with the Bulls may be ones that won championships.

Cartwright stated, “The biggest thing about what I really want to emphasize about being in Chicago is that throughout my career, I really learned lessons about what a basketball team should be in Chicago.” Together, you actually pick up basketball skills.

We had a fantastic defense and our own offense, the fabled triangle offense. We had terrific guys who would come in and play incredibly competitively; I wouldn’t call them bench guys, but second group starters. Additionally, we just so happened to have the league’s best player.

Cartwright still retains ties to Elk Grove, even though he is currently the USF Director of University Initiatives. He chatted with the players and coaches after his former high school’s first-ever state title in 2022.

He remarked, “I thought it was amazing they were really able to pull it all together and win a state championship. That was a special group, special coach, and special situation.”

“And trust me when I say that nobody forgets about something like that.” That lasts forever. When the Northern California Championship is held in 1975, people still talk about us. That being said, you won’t soon forget this.

Cartwright and fellow 2024 awardees Colin Hanks, Cornel West Jr., and Merrin Dungey will get their official stars on L Street between 18th and 19th streets on September 18, during a public event.