William Paul Mlkvy[1] (born January 19, 1931) is an American former professional basketball player who spent his one-year career with the Philadelphia Warriors (now the Golden State Warriors). Philadelphia selected Mlkvy with a territorial pick of the 1952 NBA draft out of Temple University.

Bill Mlkvy
Personal information
Born (1931-01-19) January 19, 1931 (age 93)
Palmerton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolStephen S. Palmer
(Palmerton, Pennsylvania)
CollegeTemple (1949–1952)
NBA draft1952: territorial pick
Selected by the Philadelphia Warriors
Playing career1952–1953
PositionSmall forward
Number16
Career history
1952–1953Philadelphia Warriors
Career highlights and awards
Career NBA statistics
Points181
Rebounds101
Assists62
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

A 6'4" (1.93 m) and 190 lb (86 kg) forward, he was nicknamed "the Owl without a Vowel."[2] His parents, John and Margaret, migrated to the United States in 1907 from present-day Slovakia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when his father got a job with The New Jersey Zinc Company.[1] Mlkvy is one of eight children.[3]

After being drafted, Mlkvy continued with his schooling, attending Temple's dental school while playing with the Warriors. After his rookie season, Warriors general manager and coach Eddie Gottlieb made Mlkvy choose between school and basketball. Mlkvy initially chose basketball but changed course when he was informed that he would be drafted into the United States Army as a private if he was no longer enrolled in school but, if he finished school, he would be drafted as a dental officer.[2]

Mlkvy finished dental school the following year and enlisted in the Army as a dentist and served for six years, eventually reaching the rank of major and serving in the Korean War.[2]

In 1992, Mlkvy was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame.[4]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Source[5]

Regular season

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Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG
1952–53 Philadelphia 31 19.6 .305 .646 3.3 2.0 5.8

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Burian, Evan (March 6, 2011). "Palmerton star was player of the year 60 years ago this season". The Morning Call. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Verlin, Josh (September 23, 2014). "At 84, Bill Mlkvy wants to leave student-athlete legacy at Temple". City of Basketball Love. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  3. ^ The Morning Call, Palmerton star was player of the year 60 years ago this season
  4. ^ Hedes, Ed (November 10, 2014). "Mlkvy inducted in Hall of Fame". Times News. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  5. ^ "Bill Mlkvy NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
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