Billy Hunter (basketball) facts for kids

George William Hunter, born on November 5, 1942, is a former American professional football player. He played as a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins. After his football career, he became a lawyer and later served as the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), which is the union for players in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Early Life and Education

Growing Up and Sports

Billy Hunter grew up playing baseball. In 1955, he helped lead his team to the Little League World Series, a big competition for young baseball players. He went to Delaware Township High School, which is now known as Cherry Hill High School West, in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

College Years at Syracuse

After high school, Hunter attended Syracuse University and played college football for the Syracuse Orange team. While he was a student-athlete there, he took part in an important movement. He helped organize a protest at his college against schools in the Southern United States that separated people based on their race in their sports stadiums. This showed his early commitment to fairness and equality.

Professional Football Career

Playing in the NFL

Billy Hunter played professional football in the NFL. He was a wide receiver for two teams: the Washington Redskins in 1965 and the Miami Dolphins in 1966.

Memorable Play

During his time in the NFL, Hunter made one career reception that resulted in a touchdown. This happened on October 10, 1965, during a game at District of Columbia Stadium. He caught a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dick Shiner in the fourth quarter of the game.

Career as a Lawyer

Becoming an Attorney

After his football career, Billy Hunter decided to study law. He attended law school at UC Berkeley School of Law and became an attorney. He quickly became known for his legal skills.

Serving as a U.S. Attorney

Hunter became one of the youngest United States Attorneys in history. He was appointed to work for the Northern District of California. In this role, he handled important federal cases. He worked on cases involving various groups and individuals, including reviewing the case of Patty Hearst, which led to her pardon.

Leading the NBA Players' Union

Becoming Executive Director

In 1996, Billy Hunter was chosen to be the executive director of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA). This organization is the union that represents professional basketball players in the NBA. His job was to protect the rights and interests of the players.

Challenges and Departure

During his time leading the NBPA, Hunter faced some challenges. An independent review, started by NBA player Derek Fisher, looked into how the union was run. On February 16, 2013, a group of NBA players decided to remove Hunter from his position during the NBA All-Star break.

After leaving the NBPA, Hunter filed a lawsuit in May 2013. He sought money he believed he was owed and other damages. He claimed that Derek Fisher had a secret agreement with NBA team owners during the 2011 NBA lockout, which was a time when players and owners could not agree on a contract. In January 2014, a judge dismissed many of Hunter's claims against Fisher and his business partner. Hunter later dropped his appeal. However, the judge also ruled that the union had the right to fire Hunter, but allowed his claim for $10.5 million that he believed he was still owed to continue.