Billy Gabor
 Billy the Bullet (1950) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born |
May 13, 1922 Binghamton, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school |
Binghamton Central (Binghamton, New York) |
| College | Syracuse (1942–1943, 1945–1948) |
| NBA draft | 1948 / Round: -- / Pick: -- |
| Selected by the Rochester Royals | |
| Playing career | 1948–1955 |
| Position | Point guard |
| Number | 35, 7 |
| Career history | |
| 1948–1955 | Syracuse Nationals |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,997 (9.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 448 (1.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 626 (2.0 apg) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
William A. Gabor (born May 13, 1922) is an American former professional basketball player.
A 5'11" guard/forward known as "Billy the Bullet",[1] Gabor played collegiately at Syracuse University during the 1940s. He averaged 12.1 points per game during his freshman year before joining the United States Army Air Corps in 1943. He returned to Syracuse in 1945 and played three more seasons, finishing with a (then) team-record 1,344 career points. Gabor's jersey was retired by Syracuse University on March 1, 2009.
Gabor spent his professional career with the Syracuse Nationals of the National Basketball League and later the National Basketball Association. He played with Syracuse until injuries forced him into retirement in 1955. In his NBA career, Gabor averaged 9.8 points per game and logged one NBA All-Star Game appearance. He won a league championship with Syracuse in 1955.
Time at Syracuse
When Gabor first starting playing basketball at Syracuse there was a Freshmen and Varsity Team. He started all the freshmen games and then would suit up for the Varsity game. Gabor started his first game on Varsity against Cornell in 1942–43 season and scored 22 points. He started every game after that.
Gabor holds many school records including:
- Only person to ever lead the team in scoring all four years
- First to score 400 points in a single season
- First to score over 1,000 points in a career
He held the all-time scoring record until Dave Bing broke it.[2]
On May 1, 2009, Gabor was invited back to the Carrier Dome to retire his jersey, number 17.
Family
Gabor has been married once. He has three children: Bill, Bob and Hallie, and eight grandchildren: Annie, Emily, SarahRose, Malone, Mimi, Jack, Will, and Madison. He currently resides in Jupiter, Florida.[1]
References
- 1 2 George, Dave (May 13, 2015). "Jupiter's Billy Gabor Gets NBA Championship Ring He Earned 60 Years Ago". Palm Beach Post.
- ↑ Syracuse University to retire Billy Gabor's jersey