Bison Dele

Bison Dele (/ˈbaɪsən ˈdɛli/ BYE-sən DEL-ee; born Brian Carson Williams; April 6, 1969 - July 7, 2002) was an American professional basketball player who played center for the NBA's Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons. Dele won a championship with the Bulls in 1997. He is believed to have been murdered at sea by his older brother Miles Dabord in 2002.[1] His girlfriend, Serena Karlan, and skipper Bertrand Saldo are also presumed to have been killed by Dabord.

Bison Dele
Personal information
Born(1969-04-06)April 6, 1969
Fresno, California
DiedJuly 7, 2002(2002-07-07) (aged 33)
Tahiti, French Polynesia
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school
College
NBA draft1991 / Round: 1 / Pick: 10th overall
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Playing career1991–1999
PositionCenter
Number8, 18
Career history
1991–1993Orlando Magic
1993–1995Denver Nuggets
1995–1996Los Angeles Clippers
1997Chicago Bulls
1997–1999Detroit Pistons
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points4,536 (11.0 ppg)
Rebounds2,564 (6.2 rpg)
Blocks355 (0.9 bpg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men’s basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA U19 World Championship
1987 Bormio Team competition

Early life and NCAA career

Williams was born on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1969,[2] in Fresno, California, the second son of Patricia Phillips and of singer Eugene "Geno" Williams Jr. of the musical group The Platters, who later divorced.[3] Patricia Phillips remarried and raised her two sons in Fresno until that marriage ended when Brian was in junior high.[4] He was of African-American and Native American (Cherokee) descent.[5][6][7]

As a senior in high school, he attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada.[8] He averaged 17.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.5 steals and 9.1 blocks per game in his senior season, shooting 57.7% from the field.[9] Before transferring to Bishop Gorman, he attended Saint Monica Catholic High School in Santa Monica, California, where his jersey is retired.[10] He was a track and field runner, until a high school growth spurt pushed him towards basketball.[3][4] His collegiate basketball career began at the University of Maryland, where he played for one year before sitting out the next season while transferring to the University of Arizona.

Professional career

After playing for two seasons at Arizona, Williams was drafted with the 10th pick in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He saw limited action during two seasons in Orlando.

After playing for Orlando, Williams joined the Denver Nuggets, for whom he played two seasons. In 1993–94, he played a career-high 80 games and averaged 8.0 points per game. Williams then played one year for the Los Angeles Clippers, earning increased playing time and averaging 15.8 points per game. Due to a contract dispute and reports that Williams' asking price was too high, he could not find a team at the beginning of the 1996–97 season, sitting out most of the season. He was then signed by the Chicago Bulls nine games before the end of the season and became an important backup player in the Bulls' run to their fifth championship. Williams finished his career playing two seasons with the Detroit Pistons, where he set career highs of 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game in 1997–98.

In 1998, he changed his name to Bison Dele to honor his Native American (Cherokee)[4] and African ancestry, and played his final season under that name.

Retirement

Dele suddenly retired from the NBA before the start of the 1999–2000 season at age 30, when he was still in the prime of his career. He had been the Pistons' highest-paid player, but had strained relationships with the organization and decided to walk away from the remaining five years and US$36.45 million on his contract rather than be traded.[11] It has also been theorized he had never been especially passionate about playing basketball and felt he had earned enough money to allow him to walk away from the pro game and lifestyle.[3]

Personal life

Dele reportedly dated Madonna at one point in his career.[1][12] He played the saxophone, violin and trumpet, enjoyed adventure travel, and earned a pilot's license. After his retirement he spent long periods traveling to Lebanon, the Mediterranean, and the Australian outback before learning to sail and purchasing a catamaran to sail the Seven Seas.[4]

Disappearance in the South Pacific

On July 6, 2002, Dele and his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, along with skipper Bertrand Saldo, sailed from Tahiti on Dele's catamaran, the Hukuna Matata.[4] Dele's brother, Miles Dabord (born Kevin Williams), was the only person involved in the voyage who was seen or heard from after July 8, 2002, when the last of three satellite phone calls from the voyage was made.[4] Dele and Karlan had previously kept regular contact with their banks and family members. On July 20, Dabord brought the boat into Tahiti; he was alone aboard the vessel.[13]

On September 5, 2002, police used a sting operation organized by Dele's family and friends to detain Dabord in Phoenix, Arizona. Dabord had forged Dele's signature in order to buy US$152,000 worth of gold under his brother's name, using Dele's passport as identification.[14] Mexican police later found that Dabord had been staying at a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico. Two days before, the Hukuna Matata, which had been registered in Tahiti under another name, was found off the coast of Tahiti with its name plate removed and some possible bullet holes patched. About the same time, Dabord phoned his mother, Patricia Phillips, telling her that he would never hurt Dele and that he could not survive in prison.[15]

The FBI and French authorities became involved in the investigation, and concluded that Dele, Karlan and Saldo were probably murdered and then thrown overboard, by Dabord. Given that the bodies were likely dumped in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it would be highly unlikely that the three would ever be found.[3][14]

Dabord, the only first-person source of information regarding the case, intentionally overdosed on insulin and slipped into a coma. On September 27, 2002, Dabord died in a California hospital. In his account of events, Dabord said he and his brother had fought, and that Karlan had been accidentally hit and died when her head struck part of the boat. When Saldo wanted to report her death, a panicked Dele killed him; Dabord then shot his brother in self-defence, threw the bodies overboard and subsequently fled back to the U.S.[4] After Dabord's insulin overdose, officials did not expect to find much more regarding the case. A memorial service was then held for both Dabord and Dele.

The brothers were frequently at odds with each other. After Dabord's death, his lawyer and lifelong best friend, Paul White, was questioned regarding his client but gave little information about what happened. Dabord had said that he knew for sure that Dele and Karlan were in French Polynesia, but not much more other than that he was trying to help Dele.[14]

See also

References
  1. Keown, Tim (October 3, 2002). "Paradise Lost". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved October 19, 2013.
  2. List of Easter Sunday Dates 1900-1999
  3. Michael BeDan; Brian D. Crecente (October 12, 2002). "Dearly Departed: The Relationship Between Bison Dele and Miles Dabord was Filled with Love, Jealousy - and Unanswered Questions (Sports)". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015 – via HighBeam Research.
  4. Ballard, Chris (October 21, 2013). "Lost Soul". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  5. Rosenbaum, Cary (January 17, 2017). "Ron Baker Is Native America's Next NBA Star". Indian Country Today. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  6. Holmes, Dan (November 26, 2012). "Pistons' Dele died tragically 10 years ago". Detroit Athletic Co. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  7. Cohen, Josh (November 8, 2011). "Unsolved Basketball Dreams". NBA Media Ventures. NBA. Retrieved January 19, 2019.
  8. Anderson, Mark (October 1, 1999). "Ex-Bishop Gorman star Dele tells Pistons he plans to retire". Las Vegas Sun.
  9. "Maryland 87-88 Media Guide" (PDF). University of Maryland, College Park. 1987. p. 31.
  10. Pugmire, Lance (January 30, 2003). "Dabord's Autopsy Released". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 28, 2011.
  11. "Pistons' Dele Retires". CBS News. The Associated Press. October 22, 1999. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  12. "Cohen: An Unsolved Mystery". Orlando Magic.
  13. The Associated Press (September 15, 2002). "Witnesses say Dele's brother brought boat in alone". ESPN. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  14. Michael Bedan; Brian D. Crecente (October 12, 2002). "Dearly Departed". Rocky Mountain News. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
  15. The Associated Press (September 12, 2002). "Ex-NBA star Dele, girlfriend missing in Pacific". ESPN. Retrieved September 29, 2007.
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