1. Early Life and College Career
Bison Dele's early life and foundational experiences in basketball shaped his path toward a professional career.
1.1. Birth and Family Background
Brian Carson Williams was born on April 6, 1969, which was Easter Sunday that year, in Fresno, California. He was the second son of Patricia Phillips and Eugene "Geno" Williams Jr., a singer who was part of the musical group The Platters. His parents later divorced, and Patricia Phillips remarried, raising her two sons in Fresno until her second marriage also ended when Brian was in junior high. His older brother was Kevin Williams, who later changed his name to Miles Dabord. Brian Williams was of African-American descent, and his family heritage also included Native American (Cherokee) ancestry.
1.2. High School and College Basketball
As a junior, Williams attended Bishop Gorman High School in Las Vegas, Nevada. In his senior season, he averaged 17.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.5 steals, and 9.1 blocks per game, shooting 57.7% from the field. For his senior year, he transferred to Saint Monica Catholic High School in Santa Monica, California, where his jersey was later retired as a testament to his impact. Originally a track and field runner, a significant growth spurt in high school led him to focus on basketball.
His collegiate basketball career began at the University of Maryland, where he played for one year. He then sat out the following season before transferring to the University of Arizona, where he played for two additional seasons. In 1991, he was recognized as a First-team All-Pac-10 player. He also earned a silver medal with the U.S. team at the 1987 FIBA U19 World Championship in Bormio.
2. Professional Basketball Career
Bison Dele embarked on a professional basketball career in the NBA, showcasing his skills across several teams and achieving significant milestones.
2.1. NBA Debut and Early Years
After two seasons at the University of Arizona, Williams was selected as the 10th overall pick in the first round of the 1991 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. He had limited playing time during his two seasons with the Magic. Following his tenure in Orlando, Williams joined the Denver Nuggets, playing for them for two seasons. During the 1993-94 season, he appeared in a career-high 80 games and averaged 8.0 points per game. He then played a single season with the Los Angeles Clippers in 1995-96, where he earned increased playing time and boosted his scoring average to 15.8 points per game.
2.2. Chicago Bulls Championship and Detroit Pistons Tenure
Due to a contract dispute and what were reported as high asking prices, Williams remained unsigned at the beginning of the 1996-97 season, missing most of it. However, he was signed by the Chicago Bulls nine games before the end of the season. He quickly became an important backup player, contributing to the Bulls' successful run to their fifth championship in 1997. After his time with the Bulls, Williams concluded his career by playing two seasons with the Detroit Pistons. During the 1997-98 season, he achieved career-high statistics, averaging 16.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
2.3. Name Change
In 1998, Brian Williams made a significant personal decision, changing his name to Bison Dele. This change was made to honor his Native American (Cherokee) and African ancestry. He played his final professional season under his new name.
3. Retirement
Dele's professional basketball career came to an abrupt end when he suddenly retired from the NBA before the start of the 1999-2000 season. He was 30 years old and still considered to be in the prime of his career. At the time, he was the Detroit Pistons' highest-paid player, but he reportedly had strained relationships with the organization. Rather than being traded, he chose to walk away from the remaining five years and 36.45 M USD on his contract. One of the primary reasons he cited for his sudden departure was a loss of passion for the sport. It was also theorized that he had never been particularly passionate about playing basketball and felt he had earned enough money to allow him to step away from the demands of professional sports and the associated lifestyle.
4. Personal Life
Beyond his basketball career, Bison Dele led a rich and varied personal life, marked by diverse interests and a love for adventure. He was reportedly in a relationship with singer Madonna at one point during his career. Dele was musically inclined, able to play several instruments including the saxophone, violin, and trumpet. He had a strong passion for adventure travel and obtained a pilot's license. After his retirement from the NBA, he spent extended periods traveling to various parts of the world, including Lebanon, the Mediterranean region, and the Australian outback. He eventually learned to sail and purchased a catamaran, which became central to the tragic events surrounding his disappearance.
5. Disappearance and Presumed Death
Bison Dele's life ended under mysterious and tragic circumstances, leading to a complex investigation into his disappearance at sea.
5.1. Circumstances of Disappearance
On July 6, 2002, Bison Dele embarked on a voyage from Tahiti aboard his 55-foot catamaran, which was named Hukuna Matata (a misspelling of the Swahili phrase hakuna matata). Accompanying him on the trip were his girlfriend, Serena Karlan; his older brother, Miles Dabord (born Kevin Williams); and the boat's skipper, Bertrand Saldo. The group planned to sail from Tahiti to the Tuamotu Archipelago, then to the Marquesas Islands, and finally to Honolulu, Hawaii.
Prior to the disappearance, Dele and Karlan maintained regular contact with their banks and family members. However, after July 8, 2002, when the last of four satellite phone calls from the voyage was made, Dabord was the only individual associated with the trip who was seen or heard from again. On July 20, Dabord arrived in Tahiti, alone aboard the Hukuna Matata.
5.2. Investigation and Miles Dabord's Involvement
The disappearance prompted a comprehensive investigation involving both the FBI and French authorities. On August 31, it was discovered that a check for 152.00 K USD had been drawn on Dele's account, payable to a coin dealer in Phoenix, Arizona. On September 5, Dabord was detained in Phoenix through a sting operation orchestrated by Dele's family and friends when he attempted to complete a transaction. It was found that Dabord had forged Dele's signature to open mailboxes in his brother's name and had used Dele's passport as identification to purchase gold worth 152.00 K USD. Authorities also suspected Dabord purchased about 200 USD worth of weights, which were believed to have been used to weigh down the bodies.
Mexican police later located Dabord staying at a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico. Around the same time, the Hukuna Matata, which had been registered in Tahiti under a different name, was found off the coast of Tahiti in Taravao. Its name plate had been removed, its color had been repainted, and some possible bullet holes on the hull had been patched. Simultaneously, Dabord called his mother, Patricia Phillips, claiming he had not harmed Dele and stating that he could not survive in prison.
Based on the evidence, the FBI and French authorities concluded that Dele, Karlan, and Saldo were likely murdered and then thrown overboard by Dabord. Given that the bodies were presumed to have been dumped in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, it was considered highly unlikely they would ever be recovered. The purchase of weights, among other evidence, suggested that Dabord had planned the murders.
5.3. Miles Dabord's Death and Case Conclusion
Miles Dabord, who was the sole first-person source of information regarding the case, intentionally overdosed on insulin and slipped into a coma. He was discovered by Mexican police in a Tijuana hotel on September 15, 2002. Dabord died in a California hospital on September 27, 2002, without regaining consciousness.
Before his death, Dabord had provided a conflicting account of the events to his girlfriend. In this version, he claimed that he and his brother had engaged in a fight, during which Serena Karlan was accidentally struck and died after her head hit a part of the boat. Dabord then stated that when Bertrand Saldo wanted to report Karlan's death, a panicked Bison Dele killed the skipper. Finally, Dabord claimed he shot his brother in self-defense, then threw all three bodies overboard before fleeing back to the United States.
However, Special Agent John Steiner, the FBI supervisor on the case, stated that the forensic team examining the boat found no evidence to support Dabord's story, concluding that "There's just no way it could have happened like that." Dabord's narrative failed to explain crucial pieces of evidence, such as why he would buy weights, why he allegedly threw all three bodies overboard, the presence of patched holes on the boat consistent with bullet marks, his use of his brother's identity, or his deliberate insulin overdose instead of cooperating with authorities if his story were true.
After Dabord's death, officials determined that further information regarding the case was unlikely to be uncovered, effectively closing the official investigation. A memorial service was subsequently held for both Bison Dele and Miles Dabord. The relationship between the brothers was known to be frequently contentious. A crew member who had initially joined the Hukuna Matata voyage reportedly left the boat earlier due to finding the brothers' constant fighting unbearable. Dabord's lawyer and lifelong friend, Paul White, provided little information and was somewhat evasive when questioned about Dabord after his death.