The Curious Case of Bison Dele

Recently there have been a few pet projects about those who have had run ins with the justice system. Serial, Making a Murder, and The Jinx have been all popular when addressing this topic. Even ESPN has gotten into the action with their 30 for 30 on the OJ trial. Mysterious cases seem to be all the rage now a days. Everyone wants to be the Jack McCoy. Yet there is still a case that seems to be neglected for a wide variety of reasons. The events took place 14 years ago. Those that were involved were not famous enough for it to be dubbed a national tragedy, nor were they people that were disenfranchised like a Steven Avery. Yet this case has everything that is compelling: lies, deceit, murder, and a ambiguous conclusion. But the story of Bison Dele is hardly ever talked about and has faded into obscurity. 

It has always been strange that the story of Dele is not mentioned more. That there have been exactly 0 30 for 30s on the topic is mind boggling. There has only Maybe I am the only person who cares about the topic. Maybe everyone has forgottenp how shocking the circumstances of the Bison Dele's disappearance and death really were. The intrigued, the emotions of what happened. Everyone either does not remember or does not care to remember what exactly happened to Bison Dele. I had forgotten what had happened and only remembered  because of the Law and Order episode based on the case. That led me to the wonderful article by Chris Ballard called Lost Soul about Bison Dele. But now that article is 3 years old and Dele has faded from public memory. Still I find myself drawn to the extraordinary circumstances surrounding what happened to Bison Dele.

Part 1: A story to tell

One has to go back to the beginning to fully understand why the Bison Dele case is intriguing. Bison Dele never did anything in the traditional sense of normal. Even his lineage was extraordinary. He was not born Bison Dele, rather his birth name was Brian Williams. He was the youngest of the 2 brothers, his brother Kevin Williams was the older one. His parents were members of the famous band The Platters. So it is no wonder why Dele appeared to be more of an artist than a basketball player. He excelled at the sport winning a silver medal in the Under 19 competition in 1987. His collegiate career started  at Maryland. But for whatever reason, Brian Williams transferred to Arizona. It was at Arizona where the center excelled and earned 1st team PAC 10 honors his senior year. 

Williams' NBA career started unspectacularly in Orlando. Yes, he was a first round pick, but the Magic under utilized Williams and he left after 2 seasons.  He would then end up with the Clippers where the Brian Williams that had emerged at Arizona would put it together in the NBA. In his one season in LA, Williams averaged 15.8 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game. It appeared that Williams was finally becoming the player that many had projected him to be. That Williams was going to become the next big center in the NBA. But then Williams seemingly walked away from the game of basketball. He sat out a majority of the next season due to a contract dispute in 1996. But that was just masking the true reason of why Williams sat out 

In "Lost Soul", Chris Ballard tells the story of Williams sitting by his locker and reading the biography of Miles Davis. The biography brought Williams to tears and when asked by his teammate why he was crying Williams responded "I just wish I had the passion for basketball that Miles has for music.". You see Williams was a artists soul trapped in a 7'0 foot body. He wasn't lazy or an egomaniac, rather a man trying to find himself. Trying desperately to find out who he was. Yet, he had the pressure of being the provider thrust onto him. His parents divorced and by all accounts his brother Kevin was asking him for money. He couldn't just quit basketball, he needed to stay in the game and provide like many athletes.

But there was a light at the end of the tunnel. The Chicago Bulls needed a center for their playoff run. The person that Michael Jordan wanted? Brian Williams. So Williams signed with the Bulls and played 9 games for the Bulls. According to a few Bulls players the team would not have repeated as champions if not for the efforts of Williams. Coming off the bench, Williams averaged 7 points per game and gave the team an edge in rebounding and defense. Finally the journey and self exploration had coincided with this. Williams was a champion. In turn he was offered a 5 year deal with the Detroit Pistons for around $50 million. In Detroit he shined his first year, posting career highs in points(16.2) and rebounds (8.6). Perhaps the winning of the championship with the Bulls reignited his passion for basketball. 

Many athletes have changed their names for a wide variety of reason. Cassius Clay became Muhammed Ali, Lew Alcinder became Kareem Abdul Jabar. Well at the start of the 1998 season, Brian Williams changed his name to Bison Dele. He said that he wanted to honor his Native American and African heritage. Bison as that was the animal that was used by the Native Americans for different variations. Dele because that was a common surname in African nations. Oh, but this wouldn't be the only surprise that Dele would have in store.

A year after his name change, Dele would do something even more shocking. Something that would flip the sports world on its collective head. Following a solid 1998-1999 campaign, Bison Dele would retire. He still had about 37 million dollars remaining on his contract. This wasn't like a Jim Brown retiring in the twilight of his career. No this was a player in the prime of his career that appeared to have finally turned the corner. A player that was perfectly healthy. A player that had finally become the player that many had projected that he would be. And Dele chose to walk away. 

Many believed that this was Dele being selfish, a player that had dated Madonna and was prone to erratic behavior. Of course there are some erratic moments: Dele once pulled the emergency exit hatch on an airplane that was 30,000 miles in the air. In his contract dispute with the Clippers, Dele backpacked through Europe.  But let us dig deeper. Here was a man from not the most stable of homes, who had to fall into being the provider. Whose brother Kevin Williams(changed name to Miles Dabord) would consistently ask for money, cars, etc. And Dele would be happy to oblige. Dele was in essence trapped into staying in a job that he clearly hated. An artist in a 7 foot body. Dele saw a chance where he could finally get out and treat himself. Bison Dele could finally be the man that he had always wanted to be. In that his actions are commendable. Haven't we all wanted to quit a job we hated to try and find our passion? Well Dele did that.

In his retirement, Dele traveled the world with his catamaran named the Hukuna Matata. Here Dele would constantly sail from Tahiti and every other island in the South Pacific. Bison would even travel the world going from Lebanon, the Outback, and everywhere I between. Dele would even begin dating a woman named Serena Karlan. It appeared that the eccentric former player had finally found his passion. Had finally found some peace of mind that he had struggled to find during his playing career. Finally had unearthed the real Bison Dele. 

Part 2: The Death of Bison Dele

While Dele was finding himself, he still had a shadow following him. One that had been with him his whole life. One that had asked for money ever since Dele had made it in the NBA. That shadow was Miles Dabord. While Dele had found success, Dabord had struggled. He moved through jobs and towns.often relying on his younger brother's charity for his own personal toys, Dabord was always ''Brian's brother.'' Even though Dele had appeared to have found joy after he walked away from the NBA, Dabord still remained attached to Dele's hip. 

On July 6, 2002 Dele, Karlan, Bertrand Saldo(a boat captain) were joined by Dabord as they left Tahiti on Dele's boat. Then on July 8th the satellite phones on the boat were turned off. On July 20th the Hukuna Matata pulled into port in Tahiti, only 1 person of the 4 that had sailed out returned. That person was Miles Dabord. For months Dabord was under suspicion and questioned by police, then all of a sudden it appeared that Bison Dele had bought $152,000 worth of gold. Dele appeared to be alive, but what about the other two? Had the brothers killed Karlan and Saldo in some sort of accident or murder? And where exactly was Dele? Nothing made any sense, why would someone that had preached non violence kill someone else? Sure Dele was eccentric, but no one thought he was capable of putting together an elaborate plot. Well the answers would come.

September 2002, a boat fitting the  Hukuna Matata's description appears on the coast of Tahiti with its name plate removed. Oh and the boat is riddled with bullet holes. Then there was the strange voicemails left on Dele's/Dabord's mother's machine. A voicemail in which Dabord claimed he would never hurt Dele and that he loved his brother. It was perplexing to say the least. Oh and there was the little matter of Dabord having fled the country.  Two days later the truth would begin to emerge. In a sting operation, Dabord was captured by authorities in Phoenix. Here Dabord would admit that he had forged his brother's signature on bank documents and had used Bison Dele's passport to sneak into Mexico. Oh and Dabord would admit that Karli , Saldo, and Dele were all dead. 

That should be the end of the story, right? Dabord killed his brother and the other passengers in a fit of jealous rage. A modern day Cain and Able. A tragic story with a tragic conclusion.  Well, there is a hitch to that. On September 27, 2002, Miles Dabord overdosed on Insulin. He would die that same day.  The only person with first hand knowledge about the case dead. The details of what happened on that boat dying with him. We will never get a clear picture about what happened that day. Sure we can speculate, but we will never have definitive knowledge. There is no closure. The bodies of Karlan, Saldo, and Dele were never found. 

Part 3: Legacy 

So why write about such a tragic figure? And make no mistake Bison Dele was the definition of a tragic figure. He was also fascinating. Though not truly known to those outside of NBA circles, he was one of the most colorful characters in the basketball world. On the surface, Dele appeared to be an eccentric. Dennis Rodman 2.0 with a worse publicist. But that was just the public image of Dele. When you peel back the layers, one learns more and more about Dele. That he was not just this eccentric player, but rather a man trapped doing something that he hated. A man that would rather be playing a saxophone and traveling the world than playing basketball. 

It has been 14 years since Bison Dele was declared dead. 14 years since a trip from Tahiti ended up in murder. Yet as every single year has passed it appears that the memory of Dele has faded away. Ask any fan under the age of 25 who Bison Dele was and you will get blank stares. Maybe there will be some that make a joke about the name. But they will not know him or the tragic circumstances of his demise. It is sad that Dele will fade into obscurity. There has been no 30 for 30s or HBO documentaries on him. And that's a damn shame.