The Legend Of Black Superman: Billy Ray Bates, Flying High In The Philippines

[ABM]

http://deadspin.com/5564268/the-leg...illy-ray-bates-flying-high-in-the-philippines

In the 1980s, Billy Ray Bates, dubbed "the Legend" by Brent Musberger, washed out of the NBA and onto the shores of the Philippines, where for a few wild years his legend grew, both on the court and in the bars.

The following is adapted from Rafe Bartholomew's Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball.

When I left New York for Manila in 2005 to spend a year learning about Philippine basketball, I found a country where homemade hoops, constructed out of rusted car hoods and twisted rebar, kept vigil over city streets and rural landscapes alike. I found a place where politicians won votes by promising their constituents new backboards and breakaway rims; where CEOs and senators were known to jump on the scorer's table at college basketball games and flip the bird at the tycoons and congressmen cheering for rival schools; where fans loved the game so much that they remained devoted to teams in the Philippine Basketball Association despite the franchises' penchant for naming themselves after goofy corporate interests, like the Santa Lucia Realtors, San Miguel Beermen and Purefoods Tender Juicy Hot Dogs. There was no way to overstate Filipinos' passion for hoops. Over the years I heard hundreds of stories about the Philippine game. One of them was about a player I'd already read about, Billy Ray Bates. An ex-NBA player whose talent on the basketball court made him seem like his sport's answer to Roy Hobbs and whose habits off the court made him seem like the 20th century's answer to Caligula, Bates's pro career in the States sputtered, and he landed in Manila as an American import on local rosters. The people who saw him play have never forgotten a man they nicknamed the Black Superman. Nor have those who ever saw him drink.................

 

[ABM]

Yet the fissures in Bates's dream-come-true were already widening. When he joined the Blazers, he reportedly had never heard of a checking account. He had trouble relating to his teammates. Although Bates was described as good-natured and likable, some scenes from The Breaks of the Game reveal how difficult it was for Bates to relate to his teammates. Many of the other Blazers also came from poor, predominately black neighborhoods, but Bates endured a deeper level of poverty and stuck out as the locker room rube. The book contains an account of a dinner Bates shared with fellow rookie Calvin Natt and Portland scout Stu Inman. Bates was excited to learn that Natt also hailed from the South and asked Natt if he too had grown up eating squirrel and possum. Natt burst out laughing while Inman was crestfallen. How do you save a man like that? Soon, Bates attracted hangers-on, men and women who leeched his fame and newfound cash flow. With them, he drank and partied until it began to affect his game. The Trail Blazers gave up on him after three seasons. He received second and third chances from the Washington Bullets and then the Lakers, but squandered them. After a few seasons on top of the world, Bates checked into a Phoenix rehab facility...........

...

 

[barfo]

Thanks for the link, interesting history.

barfo

 

[jlprk]

He played like Superman for the Blazers too. He was the favorite player of Taint on the ESPN board.

 

[Harry's Raincoat]

He was ELECTRIC at a time the Blazers were MANUAL.

 

[Boob-No-More]

What's really amazing was how well BRB played in the post season. In that video from the Sonics series, where Brent Musberger and Bill Russel are gushing over Billy Ray, he'd had a total of 16 games and 235 minutes of prior NBA experience. Yet, Dennis Johnson, who was 1st team all-defense and considered the best perimeter defender in the game, was no match for him.

And, Billy Ray was even better in the post season the following year against the Kings. He has a career post season PER of 23.2 and a career post season scoring average of 26.7 PPG. He was an amazing natural talent. Too bad he couldn't lay off the booze.

BNM

 

[MARIS61]

Through their image "cleansing" over the last several years, the Blazers have erased any mention of Billy Ray in the team's history on their website.

 

[1 Eye Jack]

Absolutely one of my favorite players to ever watch. JR Rider reminded me a lot of Bates, although I still think Bates was the better athlete. What a waste of talent....

 

[jlprk]

Through their image "cleansing" over the last several years, the Blazers have erased any mention of Billy Ray in the team's history on their website.

A year ago he wanted to attend a game in which many former Blazer players were special guests, but Pritchard's cultural revolution wouldn't invite him. He asked for an invitation in an article, but no dice.