#4 / 17 Billy Gabor
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5'11" 170 lbs Forward/Guard
HS: Peekskill Military Academy Binghamton, NY
HS: Binghamton Central Binghamton, NY
Born: 5/13/1922  
Season Stats
Season Cl Pos G GS FG FGA % FT FTA % Fls DQ Pts PPG
1942-43 Fr F 16 +11 - -
- -
- - 194 12.1
1945-46 So F 26 25 - -
- -
- - 395 15.2
1946-47 Jr F/G 25 25 - -
- -
- - 409 16.3
1947-48 Sr F 23 22 129 -
88 135 65.2%
79 - 346 15.0
Career    
90
+83
+129
0
0.0
+88
+135
0.0
+79
0
1344
14.9

Bullet Billy Gabor was a tremendous playmaker and prolific scorer, and the first Syracuse player to have a significant career in the NBA. While small in stature, he was extremely fast earning the popular nickname of The Bullet. He averaged 12.1 points a game his freshman year, before World War II called him to duty. Gabor was a bombardier and Lieutenant in the Army Air Corp. During his freshman season he would set the single game scoring record of 28 points (which would be broken three days later by Bob Shaddock).

Billy Gabor Syracuse Orangemen BasketballGabor returned to college and basketball in 1945. His first season back he led the Orangemen to a then school record 23-4, with a post season NIT bid. The Orangemen won by an average of 22.1 ppg. He would set a school record for points in a game with 36 versus Oswego.

He would lead the Orangemen in scoring three seasons after his return. During his junior season (1946-47), Gabor established new school records for points in a season becoming the first Orangeman to score 400+ points. He earned All-American status that season.

Gabor would struggle early his senior year with a sprained toe and a sprained ankle. Both he and the team's production dropped off, though when Gabor finished his career he would be the school's all-time leading scorer (since broken), and the first to surpass the 1000 point mark. He would also tie his own school record with another 36 point effort, this time against a strong Temple team. He would score 30 or more points five times, a school record that would stand until Dave Bing. Gabor was also very foul prone his senior year, often missing large portions of games as a result. In his 30 point effort against Rochester, he had fouled out with seven minutes left in the game.

Gabor also played baseball at Syracuse in 1947 and 1948, playing second base. He hit over .500 his junior season.

Gabor was drafted by the NBA's Syracuse Nationals and made the league's all-rookie team in 1949. He would play seven seasons in the NBA, all for the Nationals. In 1953 he was named to the NBA All-Star team, and in 1955 he was part of the Syracuse Nationals NBA Championship team. He was frequently injured in his career and called it quits after the 1955 season.

NBA Career Statistics
Season Team Pos G Min FG FGA
%
FT FTA
%
Asst Reb Fls DQ TO ST BS Pts PPG APG RPG
1949-50 Syracuse G 56 -
226
671
33.7%
157
228
68.9%
108
-
198
  - - - 609
10.9
1.9
-
1950-51 Syracuse G 61 -
255
745
34.2%
179
242
74.0%
125
150
213
  - - - 689
11.3
2.0
2.5
1951-52 Syracuse G 57
1085
173
538
32.2%
142
183
77.6%
86
93
188
  - - - 488
8.6
1.5
1.6
1952-53 Syracuse G 69
1337
215
614
35.0%
217
284
76.4%
134
104
262
  - - - 647
9.4
1.9
1.5
1953-54 Syracuse G 61
1211
204
551
37.0%
139
194
71.6%
162
96
183
  - - - 547
9.0
2.7
1.6
1954-55 Syracuse G 3
47
7
22
31.8%
3
5
60.0%
11
5
6
  - - - 17
5.7
3.7
1.7
Total   G
365
-
1,195
3,141
38.0%
962
1,305
73.7%
626
448
1,050
27
-
-
-
3,352
9.2
1.7
1.2

In 1989 he was inducted into the Syracuse Hall of Fame, and in 2000 he was named to Syracuse University's All Century Team. In 2009 Gabor became the 9th Syracuse player to have his uniform number retired.

Gabor passed away in June 2019 at the age of 97. He was reportedly the oldest living former NBA player at the time.

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