"He wanted to see something": Bison Dele's ex-teammate once revealed missing NBA player's cryptic actions at 30,000-feet altitude

Bison Dele’s story is perhaps the most mysterious and intriguing in NBA history. He was only 29 years old and in the prime of his career when he retired. The former Brian Williams spent most of his time in retirement living from one exotic location to another. He eventually disappeared after he was believed to have been murdered by his brother Miles Dabord, known also as Kevin Williams.

Reports about Dele’s mood swings while he was still with the NBA were not surprising. He was diagnosed with clinical depression in his first few years in the league with the Orlando Magic. Most of his teammates have adjusted to his weird behavior at times.

One of those instances was narrated by Jerome Williams. The two played for the Detroit Pistons in Dele’s last two years in the NBA. Williams recalled an experience at 30,000 feet that could have caused a nightmare accident (via NYTimes):

"We were like, ‘What are you doing? No! No!’ People got up and almost went after him before he stopped. He said he wanted to see something. The Pilot came back later and told him it was impossible at that altitude. But that was just B, always doing something crazy."

Bison Dele attempted to open the plane’s emergency exit as he wanted to see something. The pilot reportedly told him that he couldn’t see anything at that altitude and speed. Fortunately, Dele’s action didn’t end in a catastrophe.

Dele, who also learned how to fly a plane, was rumored to be a prankster while he was in the air. He reportedly buzzed the Detroit Pistons’ practice facility and laughed about it.

Patricia Williams, Dele’s mother, had this to say about her late son’s penchant for scaring people with his antics in the air:

"He was always playing with the G-force. He would lift the nose of the plane to the point where the engine would stall. He could have done so many times. Ask anybody who flew with him."

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Bison Dele played an underrated role in the Chicago Bulls’ 1997 NBA championship

Bison Dele played only one season (1996-97) with the Chicago Bulls. The timing could not have come any better as Michael Jordan’s crew was on their way to another dominant run in the NBA. Dele was signed to play as Luc Longley’s primary backup at starting center.

In the 1997 NBA Finals, he averaged 6.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.0 steals in six games. Dele’s job was to provide rebounding, rim protection and energy against the Utah Jazz. It wasn’t an easy task as lined up against the legendary Karl Malone and bruising big man Greg Ostertag.

Bison Dele played a total of 121 minutes, the seventh-most in the Bulls, in the championship series. His impact did not always show on the box score but Dennis Rodman often gave him his props.