Sport: Basketball
Born: July 30, 1948
Town: River Edge, New Jersey
William E. Paultz Jr. was born July 30th, 1948 in River Edge, NJ. Billy attended River Dell High, a school notable for producing another sports legend, football coach Bills Parcells. Billy stood just a shade under 7′ but did not play varsity basketball until his senior year. He attended Cameron Junior College in Oklahoma, further honing his basketball skills.
Billy eventually made his way to St. John’s University as a junior, where he played for coach Lou Carnesecca for two years. During his time in the city, Billy honed his game on the local playgrounds against future NBA stars. He averaged 15.8 points 14.4 rebounds per game as a senior in 1969–70.
In 1970, Billy was drafted by the San Diego Rockets of the NBA and Virginia Squires of the ABA. After the Nets hired Carnesecca to coach, they obtained the rights to Paultz and he immediately distinguished himself as quality rebounder, scorer and shot-blocker. He was nicknamed “The Whopper” after Burger King started running the jingle It takes two hands to handle the Whopper...
In 1971–72, Billy teamed with forward Rick Barry and guards John Roche and Bill Melchionni to lead the Nets all the way to the ABA Finals. They lost to the Indiana Pacers, but Billy had an epic Game 4 for New York, scoring 30 points and pulling down 18 rebounds against future Hall of Fame Mel Daniels. Two seasons later, the lineup had turned over almost completely with the exception of Billy. He now centered for a Nets club that featured Julius Erving, Larry Kenon, Super John Williamson and Brian Taylor. The Nets defeated the Utah Stars to win the ABA title.
Billy was traded to the San Antonio Spurs in 1975, prior to the ABA’s final season. He led all players in blocked shots that year and was selected to play in the league’s All-Star Game for the third time. While many ABA players found it difficult to adjust to the demands of the NBA when the two leagues merged in 1977, Billy continued to be an effective rebounder and shot-blocker. Although he had slowed down since his 20s, he remained a clever defender. The Spurs were a 50-win team with him in the middle.
In 1979, Billy became a member of the Rockets, the NBA club that had first drafted him. He teamed with Moses Malone to help the Rockets reach the NBA Finals in 1981. Billy wound up his career as a bench player for the Spurs, Hawks and Jazz. He averaged 11.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game during his 15-year pro career. He found Texas to his liking as a player and remained there after his NBA career. He forged a successful second career in sales.