Former NBA star, brother memorialized in Los Angeles

By PAUL WILBORN
Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) Former NBA player Bison Dele and his brother were memorialized Saturday by friends and family members, as investigators struggled to discover what happened on their ill-fated sailing trip last July in the South Pacific.

Authorities in French Polynesia have gathered most of the clues they expect to find about the deaths of Dele, 33, and two sailing companions.

Only one person survived the voyage Dele's 36-year-old brother Miles Dabord, whom French authorities have implicated in the deaths.

Dabord, however, died in a San Diego-area hospital on Sept. 25, a day after he was disconnected from life support. He had been found unconscious days earlier in Tijuana.

His mother, Patricia Phillips, said he slipped into a coma after overdosing on insulin and failing to take his asthma medicine.

The strange circumstances brought the family together for the memorial service.

``They left us in such an untimely, mysterious and unexplainable manner,'' said the Rev. Eugene Marzette of Trinity Baptist Church. ``The fact of the matter is, only God knows the truth.''

Dele changed his name from Brian Williams to honor his Native American heritage. He played for several teams in the NBA, including the Chicago Bulls' 1996-97 championship team, and walked away from a $35 million contract with the Detroit Pistons in 1999.

Authorities in French Polynesia believe that Dele, his girlfriend, Serena Karlan, and the boat's skipper, Bertrand Saldo, were killed July 7 off a tiny, remote island in the South Pacific. But details of the incident remain a mystery.

Pictures of Dele and his brother, previously known as Kevin Williams, flanked the altar at the church. Matching tables draped in black were adorned with white lilies and held photos of the brothers growing up.

The service included no direct references to events in the South Pacific. Friends spoke of two men who loved each other but were very different.

``They were brothers in life and brothers in death. Different as two sides of a coin,'' said family friend Lewis Merrick.

Phillips asked mourners to hold on to the happy memories of her sons.

``We live in such a dark time. My sons are dead because we live in such a dark time,'' she said.

The service was attended by about 250 people, with no notable NBA players in attendance. Other speakers described the two brothers as intelligent and athletic and discounted media references of jealously between them.

``It's a memorial for family and friends to remember both of their lives,'' said Fred Turner, a cousin of the two men. Much of the family now lives in Los Angeles.

A program distributed at the service featured a picture of the two brothers together as youngsters, with the words ``Two brothers. Two.loved. Two missed.''

(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)