Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by whitelisting our website.

Brian Williams (Bison Dele) death: How did the former NBA champion die?

Brian Williams (Bison Dele) death: How did the former NBA champion die? 2

Brian Williams Background

Brian Carson Williams (April 6, 1969 – July 7, 2002) was a professional Baskeball player. He played center for the NBA’s Orlando Magic, Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Chicago Bulls, and Detroit Pistons. In 1997, Dele took home a championship with the Bulls. His elder brother Miles Dabord is thought to have killed him at sea in 2002. The skipper Bertrand Saldo and his lover Serena Karlan are also thought to have perished at the hands of Dabord.

Basketball player Bison Dele, whose real name is Brian Williams, played professionally in the NBA. When he was selected in the 1991 draft, he was one of the best prospects. The Orlando Magic selected him with the tenth overall choice in the first round.

Even though he was a brilliant young player, Brian Williams had to work his way up the NBA ladder. When he shared the championship with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls in 1996–1997, he was deemed successful. Dele was able to sign a max contract with the Detroit Pistons after adding one of the league’s most significant accomplishments to his résumé.

Ironically, it was his career’s zenith that signaled the start of his decline. Brison Dele decided to leave the league after getting into some heated arguments with his teammates. After retiring, he tragically passed away a few years later.

Advertisement

Who is Bryan Williams?

Brian Williams, aka Bison Dele, was a conventional big player with the ability to effortlessly score on opponents, get rebounds, and block shots. His performance was flawless, and his playing style was ideal for the time.

Dele averaged 12.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game for his college teams. Standing at 6-foot-9, he could compete at the center position with the giants. Dele was an excellent addition to the league because he understood that the NBA still prioritized plays that sought to get the ball inside.

The Orlando Magic selected Brian Williams in the first round of the 1991 NBA Draft. Williams made an immediate impact in the paint during his freshman season. In his first campaign, he had effective averages of 9.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game.

The following few seasons allowed the league to watch Brian Williams develop as a big man. When he represented the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1995–96 season, this was very clear. The best basketball season of his career came with the Los Angeles Clippers before he signed with the Detroit Pistons in 1997. His final stat line was 15.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.

Advertisement
Brian Williams

That year, Brian Williams was so aware of his accomplishments on the court that it got to his head. Williams’ time with the Clippers ended when he was a free agent. At first, he wanted to sign with LA once more. He requested too much money, too. There are no specifics regarding the amount he was demanding, but it appears that it was so high that no other teams in 1996 wanted to sign him.

Williams had no team when the 1996–97 NBA season eventually started. But the Chicago Bulls dialed his number just before the 1997 playoffs started. As a result of his ability to just barely limit Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone, he ended up playing a crucial part in the 1997 NBA Finals. Williams ultimately won his lone championship with Michael Jordan’s Bulls.

He then pleaded with the Detroit Pistons to provide him a maximum contract. The Sportslite said that Williams was predicted to earn $36.4 million. He eventually received the contract he wanted and went on to have his best basketball career. Bison had an 8.9 rebounding and 16.2 point average in his first season with the Pistons. His performance level turned out to be worth as much as his contract.

Unfortunately, the big man’s situation grew more challenging in his final season. In order to honor his ancestors, he also changed his name from Brian Williams to Bison Dele during this time.

Advertisement

He eventually got into a disagreement with the Pistons locker room while playing as Bison Dele. High tension made Dele want to leave. He abruptly announced his retirement from the league and from the team. In fact, he returned the cash that the group had previously paid him.

What happened to Brian Williams?

After he left the league, nobody really knew where he was until the news of his passing spread. Dele, his partner Serena Karlan, and his brother Miles Dabord set off for Tahiti on July 6, 2002. The song from the motion picture “The Lion King” inspired Bison to give his boat the name “Hakuna Matata.” What was supposed to be a happy and lavish vacation became a somber tragedy.

Williams had no team when the 1996–97 NBA season eventually started. But the Chicago Bulls dialed his number just before the 1997 playoffs started. As a result of his ability to just barely limit Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone, he ended up playing a crucial part in the 1997 NBA Finals. Williams ultimately won his lone championship with Michael Jordan’s Bulls.

He then pleaded with the Detroit Pistons to provide him a maximum contract. The Sportslite said that Williams was predicted to earn $36.4 million. He eventually received the contract he wanted and went on to have his best basketball career. Bison had an 8.9 rebounding and 16.2 point average in his first season with the Pistons. His performance level turned out to be worth as much as his contract.

Advertisement

Unfortunately, the big man’s situation grew more challenging in his final season. In order to honor his ancestors, he also changed his name from Brian Williams to Bison Dele during this time.

He eventually got into a disagreement with the Pistons locker room while playing as Bison Dele. High tension made Dele want to leave. He abruptly announced his retirement from the league and from the team. In fact, he returned the cash that the group had previously paid him.

After he left the league, nobody really knew where he was until the news of his passing spread. Dele, his partner Serena Karlan, and his brother Miles Dabord set off for Tahiti on July 6, 2002. The song from the motion picture “The Lion King” inspired Bison to give his boat the name “Hakuna Matata.” What was supposed to be a happy and lavish vacation became a somber tragedy.

Relationship

There are rumors that Brian Williams formerly had a relationship with Madonna. He had a pilot’s license, enjoyed adventurous travel, and played the saxophone, violin, and trumpet. He spent a lot of time traveling after retiring, visiting Lebanon, the Mediterranean, and the Australian outback before picking up sailing and getting a catamaran.

Advertisement

Brian Williams death

On the Hukuna Matata, skipper Bertrand Saldo, Brian Williams, and his girlfriend Serena Karlan set out from Tahiti on July 6, 2002. Miles Dabord (also known as Kevin Williams), Dele’s brother, was the last member of the crew to be seen or heard from after the last of the trip’s three satellite phone calls was placed on July 8, 2002. In the past, Dele and Karlan had regular communication with their banks and families. Dabord, who was the only person on board, hauled the yacht into Tahiti on July 20.

Police detained Dabord in Phoenix on September 6, 2002, using a sting operation planned by Dele’s relatives and friends. Dabord had used Dele’s passport as identification to purchase US$152,000 worth of gold under his brother’s name by forging Dele’s signature.

Dabord had stayed at a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico, according to later findings by Mexican authorities. The Hukuna Matata, which had been registered in Tahiti under a different name, had been discovered two days earlier off the island’s shore with its name plate removed and some potential bullet holes filled. Dabord called his mother Patricia Phillips at around the same time, assuring her that he would never harm Dele and that he could not survive in prison.

Following their involvement in the inquiry, the FBI and French police came to the conclusion that Dabord had most likely killed Dele, Karlan, and Saldo before throwing them overboard. It would be extremely improbable that the three would ever be discovered because the remains were probably discarded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

Advertisement

Dabord purposefully overdosed on insulin and fell into a coma, making her the only first-hand witness to the incident. Dabord passed away on September 27, 2002, in a hospital in California. According to Dabord’s version of events, he and his brother got into a fight, and Karlan was accidently injured and killed when her head hit a component of the boat. Dele killed Saldo when he tried to report her death out of fear; Dabord then shot his brother out of self-defense, dumped the bodies overboard, and escaped back to the U.S.

If Dabord’s claim that Dele wanted to kill Saldo and that he had to shoot Dele in self-defense were accurate, it would not explain why he reportedly threw all three bodies overboard and then purposefully overdosed on insulin rather than telling the police what had happened. After Dabord’s passing, authorities didn’t anticipate learning anything more about the case. Then, a memorial service for both Dele and Dabord was held.

The brothers constantly disagreed with one another. Paul White, Dabord’s friend and lawyer, was questioned about Dabord after his passing; nevertheless, he was a little evasive and provided scant details.

Net Worth

At the time of his demise, Bison Dele’s net worth was thought to be over $30 million.
Before leaving the Detroit Pistons, Dele was one of the players on the team with the highest salary.
Furthermore, he might have earned $36.4 million if he hadn’t quit the game. He declined the offer, nonetheless, in order to live his own life.
It has been reported that Bison Dele makes $7.77 million annually.
Dele is believed to have accumulated a considerable sum of money in such a short period of time.

Advertisement

About The Author