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 Billy the Bullet (1950) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1922-05-13)May 13, 1922 Binghamton, New York, U.S. |
| Died | June 4, 2019(2019-06-04) (aged 97) Jupiter, Florida, U.S. |
| 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, — |
| Drafted by | 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 NBA.com  | |
| Stats atBasketball Reference | |
William A. Gabor (May 13, 1922 – June 4, 2019)[1] was an American professionalbasketball player. A 5'11"guard/forward known as "Billy the Bullet",[2] Gabor played collegiately atSyracuse University in the 1940s. He averaged 12.1points per game during his freshman year before joining theUnited 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'sjersey was retired by Syracuse University on March 1, 2009.
Gabor spent his professional career with theSyracuse Nationals of theNational Basketball League and later theNational 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 oneNBA All-Star Game appearance. He won a league championship with Syracuse in 1955.
When Gabor first began playing basketball at Syracuse, there was afreshman andvarsity team. He started all the freshmen games and then would suit up for the varsity game. Gabor started his first game on varsity againstCornell in 1942–43 season and scored 22 points. He started every game after that.
Gabor holds many school records, including:
He held the all-time scoring record untilDave Bing bested it.[3]
On May 1, 2009, Gabor was invited back to theCarrier Dome to see his jersey number 17 retired.
In his time at Syracuse University, Gabor was a member of Theta Chi Fraternity.
Gabor was married once. He had three children: Bill, Bob and Hallie, and eight grandchildren: Annie, Emily, SarahRose, Malone, Mimi, Jack, Will, and Madison. He last resided inJupiter, Florida.[2]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–50 | Syracuse | 56 | – | .337 | .689 | – | 1.9 | 10.9 |
| 1950–51 | Syracuse | 61 | – | .342 | .740 | 2.5 | 2.0 | 11.3 |
| 1951–52 | Syracuse | 57 | 19.0 | .322 | .776 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 8.6 |
| 1952–53 | Syracuse | 69 | 19.4 | .350 | .764 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 9.4 |
| 1953–54 | Syracuse | 61 | 19.9 | .370 | .716 | 1.6 | 2.7 | 9.0 |
| 1954–55† | Syracuse | 3 | 15.7 | .318 | .600 | 1.7 | 3.7 | 5.7 |
| Career | 307 | 19.4 | .344 | .737 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 9.8 | |
| All-Star | 1 | 25.0 | .000 | .000 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 0.0 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Syracuse | 10 | – | .258 | .839 | – | 2.5 | 7.6 |
| 1951 | Syracuse | 7 | – | .375 | .643 | 2.9 | 2.6 | 9.0 |
| 1952 | Syracuse | 7 | 11.4 | .333 | .750 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 4.9 |
| 1953 | Syracuse | 2 | 14.0 | .417 | .615 | 1.5 | 1.0 | 9.0 |
| 1954 | Syracuse | 10 | 19.6 | .289 | .700 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 7.6 |
| Career | 307 | 19.4 | .344 | .737 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 9.8 | |