A respectable Journeyman and 1997 title member of the Bulls, Bison Dele had one of the most tragic fates in basketball history. A macabre story, little known, that we have chosen to tell you.
Drafted with the 10th pick in 1991, Bryan Williams (who became Bison Dele in 1998 in homage to his Native American heritage) was what we call a good NBA player, he who has averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds in his career. His highlight, of course, remains to have been a member of the Bulls during the 1996-1997 season, crowned with a champion’s ring.
Appreciated in the Chicago locker room, Dele then headed off to Detroit, where he had two great seasons before suddenly hanging up his sneakers at the age of 29, in 1999. The reason? Not really passionate about the orange ball and the pace of life in the league, the pivot had estimated to have earned enough money to live peacefully the rest of his life. But these quickly ended, and tragically …
At Boris Diaw, Bison Dele had a passion for long journeys, in the air but above all at sea. He had also acquired a catamaran, baptized Hukuna matata, to go around the world of the oceans. On July 6, 2002, Dele, his girlfriend Serena Karlan, his brother Miles Dabbord, and a skipper, left Tahiti for a cruise. On July 8, the last satellite calls from cell phones were recorded.
12 days later, on July 20, 2002, Miles Dabbord returned to dry land… alone. Suspicions quickly raised the trail of his guilt, and in September, police arrested the brother of the former NBA champion for questioning. It was revealed at this point that he had forged Dele’s signature to buy $ 152,000 worth of jewelry, using the ex-Bull’s passport. He then moved to Mexico City.
All these elements obviously pushed the police to investigate further, and with good reason: still in September, the police found the Hukuna matata stranded on a beach in Tahiti, the plate removed and the bullet holes of a pistol masked. Around the same time, Dabbord called his mother, telling her that he would never have harmed his brother and could not survive in prison.
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The FBI seized the file, with the following conclusion: Bison Dele, his girlfriend and the skipper were killed by Dabbord, then thrown overboard in the Pacific Ocean, making the possibility of finding the bodies close to zero .
A few days later, the suspect voluntarily overdosed on insulin, which resulted in a coma and suicide on September 27, 2002. In his police testimony, he claimed he and his brother had fought. , and that Serena Karlan had been accidentally hit and killed when she fell on the boat. When the skipper, in a panic, wanted to give the satellite alert, Dabbord killed him. He claims to have then shot his brother in self-defense, before getting rid of the bodies.
The dubious version of the story can obviously no longer be denied or confirmed, since the 4 protagonists are deceased. Obviously, this is more of a premeditated act on the part of Dabbord, who was known for his sometimes explosive relationship with his brother.
This true story of Abel and Cain remains to this day one of the most significant personal tragedies in NBA history. Bison Dele was 33 years old at the time of his death.
Thinking of enjoying a retirement made of trips and excursions around the globe, the former teammate of Michael Jordan was the victim of his own brother. A very macabre end.
