Table of Contents
- Bison Dele was a professional basketball player who spent his career playing days in the NBA
- His disappearance and death still resonate among NBA fans who remember his career from the 1990s
- Dabord, who was the only source of information on Dele’s death, intentionally overdosed and slipped into a coma
The disappearance and death of Bison Dele, born Brian Carson Williams, still resonates among NBA fans who remember his career from the 1990s.
To begin with, Dele was a professional basketball player who spent his career days in the NBA. The NBA journeyman played for the Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons.
Dele played for five teams in the NBA, including the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls. Photo/ Clips Nation.
Some of his achievements include winning the NBA Championship and being First-team All-Pac-10 and Third-team Parade All-American. He averaged 11 points per game during his eight seasons in the NBA. 1998 was his best year statistically, as he averaged 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds.
In the playoffs, Dele came off the bench and averaged 6.1 points per game. He was there celebrating alongside the likes of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen when they defeated the Utah Jazz in six games to win the NBA title.
Dele shocked the basketball world when he announced his retirement before the start of the 1999-00 season. The American was at the time 30 years old and the highest-paid player of the Detroit Pistons. He walked away from the remaining five years of his contract and $36.45 million.
Bison Dele Life After The NBA
Whereas many questioned Dele’s decision to retire at such an early age, he was not bothered at all. The talented player felt he had earned enough money playing basketball and it was now time to spend it. He became a world traveller and was very busy enjoying life.
The former Chicago Bulls star ran with the bulls in Pamplona. He traversed Europe with nothing more than a backpack. With fame and money, Dele could get any woman. Like his teammate Dennis Rodman, Dele at one point dated the queen of pop Madonna.
He eventually settled in Tahiti, where he bought a 55-foot catamaran called Hakuna Matata, which translates to “no worries”. Well, we can all agree that Dele was living his best life before death located him.
Disappearance And Death
On July 6, 2002, Dele was sailing on his boat alongside his girlfriend Serena Karlan, his brother Kevin Williams and skipper Bertrand Saldo, when he met his death. No one really knows what happened in the boat because Kevin Williams, also known as Dabord, was the only one who told his side of the story.
Dele and his girlfriend had previously kept regular contact with their family members and banks before Dabord brought the boat into Tahiti; he was alone aboard the vessel.
In his account of events, Dabord said that he and his brother got into a fight on the boat. When Karlan, Dele’s girlfriend, tried to separate them, she got knocked down and suffered a fatal head injury.
When Saldo saw what happened, he ordered the boat to return as he wanted to report Karlan’s death to the authorities. However, a panicked Dele beat him to death with a wrench. Dabord then shot his brother in self-defence.
Dabord said that he then proceeded to take bodybuilder weights on the boat, weighed down all three bodies and then threw them into the water. It is not known if Dabord’s story is true that Dele killed Saldo and Dabord shot him in self-defence. The bodies of the three have never been found up to date.
Bison Dele’s disturbing death made international headlines in 2002.
What Happened To Bison Dele’s Brother?
Dabord, who was the only source of information on the death of Dele, intentionally overdosed and slipped into a coma. He had earlier threatened to kill himself. Bison Dele’s brother passed away in a California hospital on September 27, 2002, after being in a coma for two weeks.
After Dabord’s death, his lawyer and friend, Paul White, was questioned concerning Dabord. However, he gave just a little information that was not too useful. The death of Dele remains to be one of the most disturbing stories in the sporting world.
