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The First NBA Player To Ever Get His Jersey Retired No Longer Has His Jersey Retired.

  • August 12, 2022


I’m sure you’ve heard Bill Russell’s #6 is being retired league-wide. He’s the first such player, and almost certainly will remain the only player to receive this honor for decades to come, if not for the rest of most of our lives.

But it got me thinking about the first NBA player to have his number retired at all. The answer’s probably unexpected, in no small part due to the fact that you cannot find his name on a list of any NBA team’s retired jerseys.

Meet [Billy “The Bullet” Gabor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Gabor), whose #7 jersey was retired by the Syracuse Nationals at halftime of [this game against the Warriors](https://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/195503060SYR.html) on March 6, 1954. [Here’s the proof.](https://www.newspapers.com/clip/107434578/the-post-standard/)

Gabor won zero championships. He never made an All-NBA Team. He was an All-Star just once. He spent half his six-year *(plus three games of a seventh season)* career coming off the bench. And he didn’t even spend his whole time with that team wearing the number they retired in his honor. But nonetheless, he was the first.

He wasn’t by any means unworthy of the honor though. Billy Gabor was a hometown hero who had been a Syracuse University legend and a WWII bombardier before his pro career began. He was a crucial part of the 1949-50 team that made the Finals. He was beloved by fans for his hustle, passion, and fiery reputation for playing until (and often past) the whistle. He was both a microwave scorer and one of the best situational man-to-man defenders of star guards, earning a reputation as a Cousy stopper toward the end of his prime. He put his body on the line more than just about anybody, resulting in a torn meniscus, two fractured cheeks, a broken nose *(in an incident that made him the first player to ever wear a facemask in an NBA game)*, a broken elbow, a broken finger, a dislocated shoulder, a sprained ankle, and a twisted knee—all of which he missed just a combined 40 games over. And of course, one final thing to help his candidacy for a retired jersey was that his career ended surprisingly and suddenly with a severe recurring illness that had briefly threatened his life earlier in the season.

So why isn’t it retired anymore? Well, Syracuse relocated and became the Philadelphia 76ers. The franchise only held onto select parts of its history, not including the retirement of Gabor’s jersey. And that’s how the first jersey ever retired in league history has been worn by 24 players since then, and is currently occupied by third-string combo guard Isaiah Joe.

35 comments

  3. Very interesting. Hope to see some big minutes from Isaiah Joe this year and I’ll be sure to pour one out for Billy Gabor.

  7. realistically, which active players today are going to get their jersey retired?

    Cleveland is going to retire 23 for Lebron. Steph for sure. Eventually, I see Klay and Draymond too.
    If Giannis retires today, I’d assume Milwaukee will retire his jersey.

  9. You would think a team named the 76ers would put some respect on the history of their team

  10. Interesting read. Just wait til Monday when either Locked On, The Athletic, or The Ringer podcasts steal your content

  12. > The franchise only held onto select parts of its history, not including the retirement of Gabor’s jersey.

    If I’m not mistaken, they didn’t retire Dolph Schayes number until a few years ago, after he died. I always find it interesting what parts of history teams choose to keep when they move, and which parts they let go.

  15. The picture of his jersey retired looks like he’s standing next to the mr incredible meme

  19. So hiring Doc Rivers and not signing Bo Cruz weren’t the only dumb decisions by Sixers ownership

  23. You are just terrific and as someone who wants to make NBA history write ups, I hope I can be like 40% as good as you.

  33. > Syracuse relocated and became the Philadelphia 76ers. The franchise only held onto select parts of its history

    Sounds like the LA Lakers… they are claiming the 5 titles that the Minneapolis Lakers won but George Mikan’s number is not retired by them

  35. Was the jersey retired league wide though? In hockey at least a team can retire a jersey so no further player of that team can use it. But only Gretzky’s jersey is retired league wide.

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