Billy Gabor facts for kids
Billy the Bullet (1950)
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| No. 35, 7 | |
|---|---|
| Point guard | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 13, 1922 Binghamton, New York |
| Nationality | American |
| Died | June 4, 2019 (aged 97) Jupiter, Florida |
| High school | Binghamton Central (Binghamton, New York) |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 170 lb (77 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Syracuse (1942–1943, 1945–1948) |
| NBA Draft | 1948 / Round: — / Pick: — |
| Selected by the Rochester Royals | |
| Pro career | 1948–1955 |
| Career history | |
| 1948–1955 | Syracuse Nationals |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NBA statistics | |
| Points | 2,997 (9.8 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 448 (1.8 rpg) |
| Assists | 626 (2.0 apg) |
William A. Gabor (born May 13, 1922 – died June 4, 2019) was an American professional basketball player. He was known as "Billy the Bullet" because he was so fast! Billy played as a guard and forward, standing 5 feet 11 inches tall. He played college basketball at Syracuse University in the 1940s.
Billy Gabor scored 12.1 points per game in his first year. In 1943, he joined the United States Army Air Corps. He returned to Syracuse in 1945 and played for three more seasons. He finished with a team record of 1,344 career points. Syracuse University honored him by retiring his jersey on March 1, 2009.
After college, Gabor played professionally for the Syracuse Nationals. He played in both the National Basketball League and later the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for Syracuse until 1955, when injuries made him retire. In his NBA career, Gabor averaged 9.8 points per game. He was also an NBA All-Star once. In 1955, he helped Syracuse win a league championship.
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Billy Gabor's College Days at Syracuse
When Billy Gabor first started playing basketball at Syracuse, there were two teams. One was for freshman students, and the other was the main varsity team. Billy played all the games for the freshman team. Then, he would also play for the varsity team.
Billy started his first varsity game against Cornell in the 1942–43 season. He scored 22 points in that game. After that, he started every game for the varsity team.
Amazing Records at Syracuse
Billy Gabor set many records at Syracuse University. Some of his impressive achievements include:
- He was the only player to lead the team in scoring for all four years he played.
- He was the first player to score 400 points in a single season.
- He was also the first player to score over 1,000 points in his college career.
Billy held the all-time scoring record for many years. Later, another great player named Dave Bing broke his record.
On May 1, 2009, Billy Gabor was invited back to the Carrier Dome. This was a special day where his jersey number 17 was officially retired. This means no other player at Syracuse will wear that number again.
About Billy's Family
Billy Gabor was married and had three children. Their names were Bill, Bob, and Hallie. He also had eight grandchildren: Annie, Emily, SarahRose, Malone, Mimi, Jack, Will, and Madison. Billy Gabor lived in Jupiter, Florida before he passed away.
Billy Gabor's NBA Statistics
These tables show Billy Gabor's statistics from his time playing in the NBA.
Regular season
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 | |
Playoffs
| 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 | |
See also
In Spanish: Billy Gabor para niños
