Bill Gaines (basketball)
William Roosevelt Gaines (born March 10, 1946) is a former American basketball guard who played briefly in the ABA.
He went to James Madison High School in Dallas, Texas, where he played basketball and football with his brother Henry. After a football injury cut his senior season short, he initially signed to play for the University of Wichita but never enrolled there. He began his college career at Henderson County Community College, earning Junior College All-American honors in 1965 and twice making the All-Texas Eastern Conference team. In 1966 he led TEC in scoring with 30.6 points per game.
Gaines later transferred to East Texas State University (now Texas A&M University–Commerce). In his first year there he averaged 16.8 points and 6.2 rebounds and was named to the All-Lone Star Conference second team. He missed much of the next season but still led the team with 326 points (25.1 ppg).
In 1968, Gaines was drafted by the San Diego Rockets in the NBA draft (15th round, 185th overall) and by the Houston Mavericks in the ABA draft (13th round). He signed with the Mavericks and played in the opening game of the 1968–69 season, scoring two points, but was waived a week later.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 06:08 (CET).