Does anybody remember Billy Ray Bates? The super PBA import from the 80's who played for Ginebra and Crispa?
The ol' boys in town to be inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame.
Bates' road to glory has not been without its share of bumps and bruises.
In '98, a New Jersey gas station was robbed by the former Kentucky State University standout. Because of that, Bates spent a good seven years in jail. In 2000, he was nabbed on an aggravated assault charge, and during his PBA days, he was known to be quite the drinker and ladies man. He was also notorious during his time with the NBA's Portland Trailblazers for spending exorbitant amounts of cash.
6 NBA Playoff Games netting over 25 points per game, 11.7 points a contest for his NBA regular season career, and a whopping 46.2 points per game for his PBA career, there has never been any doubt that Bates could ball. Like many pro athletes, though, he suffered from a case of being misled by the bright lights, and thrown to the wayside by the immensity of his own skill.
There have been many praxes relevant to this persona. Look at the Memphis Grizzlies Zach Randolph. An incredibly talented Southpaw big man, Z-Bo has been an NBA all-star several times, and wrecked havoc in last April and May's playoffs. Early on in his career, though, he held illegal firearms, fought with teammates, and was a nightmare for coaches.
Enter another former Blazer in Qyntel Woods, who is currently playing for Asseco Prokom Gdynia in a Polish league. In 2003, Woods was charged first degree animal abuse for staging dogfights in his home. Woods had been highly touted after his high school days, often compared to the likes of Tracy McGrady, or, a lesser version of Vince Carter in his prime. His off-court issues, however, always hampered him from reaching his full potential in the NBA. The Miami Heat released him in 2005.
So many other names come to mind- JR Rider, Dennis Rodman, Javaris Crittenden, Gilbert Arenas, Luther Wright, Rasheed Wallace, Jamaal Tinsley, Roy Tarpley, Allen Iverson, etc. etc. etc. Then, we return to Billy Ray Bates, Blazers number 12. Bates may never make it to the NBA Hall of Fame, but his PBA Hall of Fame says one thing- if you're an athlete, you have to let your game do the talking. In the end, the drugs, the women, the alcohol, the nightclub trips, the fancy cars, the locker room fights- these things count for squat.
Tonight, The Black Superman lets his game do the talking again. 64 points in his first game with Crispa, being touted as the PBA's answer to Julius Erving, Best Import awards, etc. etc. etc. He's come a long way from the Mississippi cotton fields.
Among the foreigners who have ever donned a PBA jersey, he probably ranks as the best ever. Few would doubt it. His life today as a floor technician, while unglamorous compared to what he used be a part of ("There, I was like Michael Jordan. I could have anything I wanted. All I had to do was snap my fingers. I had my own condo, my own car and my own bodyguard with an Uzi. I had to fight off the women." he once told the Oregonian), seems to finally be quiet, stable, peaceful.
Above the silence, his game's voice can finally be heard, and duly appreciated.
Welcome home, Black Superman, welcome home.
MC
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