William A. Gabor (May 13, 1922 – June 4, 2019) was an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. A 5'11"

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

/ forward known as "Billy the Bullet", Gabor played collegiately at Syracuse University in the 1940s. He averaged 12.1 points per game during his freshman year before joining the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

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 The Philadelphia 76ers are an American basketball team currently playing in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The 76ers are third in NBA history in wins and playoff appearances. 1946– ...

of the National Basketball League and later the

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. 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 The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...

appearance. He won a league championship with Syracuse in 1955.

Time at Syracuse University

When Gabor first began playing basketball at Syracuse, there was a freshman and

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. He started all the freshmen games and then would suit up for the varsity game. Gabor started his first game on varsity against

Cornell Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach a ...

in 1942–43 season and scored 22 points. He started every game after that. Gabor holds many school records, including: *Only person to lead the team in scoring all four years they took the court *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 David Bing (born November 24, 1943) is an American former professional basketball player, businessman, and politician who served as the 74th mayor of Detroit, Michigan from 2009 to 2013. He is a member of the Democratic Party. After starring a ...

bested it.Syracuse University to retire Billy Gabor's jersey
/ref> On May 1, 2009, Gabor was invited back to the Carrier Dome to see his jersey number 17 retired.

Family

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 in

Jupiter, Florida Jupiter is the northernmost town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 Census, the town had a population of 61,047 as of April 1, 2020. It is 84 miles north of Miami, and the northernmost community in the Miami met ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

College statistics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabor, Bill 1922 births 2019 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players United States Army Air Forces personnel of World War II American people of Hungarian descent Basketball players from New York (state) Military personnel from New York (state) National Basketball Association All-Stars People from Jupiter, Florida Point guards Rochester Royals draft picks Sportspeople from Binghamton, New York Syracuse Nationals players Syracuse Orange men's basketball players