Basketball history is littered with "what if" stories, but none of them quite hit like the saga of Billy Ray Bates. If you were around Portland in the early '80s or Manila in the mid-'80s, you didn't just watch him play. You witnessed a phenomenon. He was a 6-foot-4, 210-pound freight train with a vertical that seemed to defy the very laws of physics.
Most people look at his NBA stats and see a brief four-year career. They see a guy who bounced around three teams and disappeared. Honestly? That's barely scratching the surface. Billy Ray Bates wasn't just a player; he was a human highlight reel who holds a playoff scoring record that even the greatest legends haven't touched.
The Blazers Legend Nobody Can Top
Let’s get the mind-blowing part out of the way first. Billy Ray Bates holds the NBA record for the highest playoff scoring average for a non-starter. Think about that. We’re talking about a guy who came off the bench and basically decided he was the best player on the floor.
In the 1980 playoffs, he averaged 25.0 points per game. He followed that up in 1981 by averaging 28.3 points. To this day, that's still a Portland Trail Blazers franchise record. He wasn't just "good for a bench player." He was terrifying.
He had this raw, unpolished energy. One night he’d drop 40 points in 32 minutes against San Diego; the next, he’d put up 35 in 25 minutes against Dallas. Jack Ramsay, the legendary Blazers coach, famously detailed Bates’ struggles in his book The Breaks of the Game. Bates was a kid from McAdams, Mississippi, who grew up picking cotton and eating squirrel to survive. When he landed in the NBA, he was completely unprepared for the culture. He didn't know what a checking account was. He didn't understand the "business" of being a pro.
✨ Don't miss: Why Cumberland Valley Boys Basketball Dominates the Mid-Penn (and What’s Next)
Why He Became the Black Superman
When the NBA doors finally closed—partly due to his legendary partying and partly because teams grew tired of his "freelance" style—Bates headed to the Philippines. This is where the story gets really wild.
In the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), he wasn't just an "import." He was a god. They called him the "Black Superman." * The Debut: In his first game for the Crispa Redmanizers, he scored 64 points.
- The Efficiency: He shot 20-of-25 from two-point range in that debut. That’s 80%.
- The Legacy: He finished his PBA career with a scoring average of 46.2 points per game.
You’ve got to understand the atmosphere in Manila back then. Fans would swarm the arena just to see him dunk. He’d chug beers in the locker room, walk out onto the court, and drop 50 like it was a Sunday run at the YMCA. He led teams like Ginebra San Miguel to their first-ever titles. He had a sneaker deal before that was a standard thing for every mid-level star. A local company literally made "Black Superman" shoes.
What Really Happened After the Cheers Faded
The tragedy of Billy Ray Bates is that the same fire that made him unstoppable on the court eventually burned his life down outside of it. He was a man's man who loved the nightlife way too much.
🔗 Read more: What Channel is Champions League on: Where to Watch Every Game in 2026
By the late '90s, the money was gone. The "Black Superman" shoes were collectors' items, but the man wearing them was destitute. In 1998, he was arrested for robbing a New Jersey gas station at knifepoint. He spent five years in prison. It’s a gut-wrenching fall for someone who was once the most famous person in a country of millions.
Even a 2011 "redemption" trip to the Philippines, where he was inducted into the PBA Hall of Fame, ended in a bit of a mess. He got a job as a skills coach but was fired for "misconduct" shortly after.
The Recent "Death" Rumors
Funny enough, in late 2025, a rumor started circulating—even mentioned on Inside the NBA—that Billy Ray had passed away. Shaquille O'Neal actually said it on air after Charles Barkley asked if he was still around.
Bates, ever the survivor, had to go to the media to clarify: "I’m doing good for a dead man."
💡 You might also like: Eastern Conference Finals 2024: What Most People Get Wrong
As of early 2026, he’s still living in New Jersey. He's had his battles with the bottle and the law, but he remains one of the most charismatic figures in basketball history. He’s a reminder that talent can take you to the moon, but you need a parachute for the way back down.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Historians
If you want to truly appreciate what Billy Ray Bates was, don't just look at a box score.
- Watch the Tape: Go to YouTube and search for his 1980 playoff highlights against the Sonics. You’ll see a level of hang-time and raw power that looks like a prototype for what Michael Jordan would become a few years later.
- Read the Context: Pick up a copy of The Breaks of the Game by David Halberstam. It provides the best look at the cultural gap Bates faced coming from extreme poverty into the cocaine-fueled NBA of the late '70s and early '80s.
- Recognize the Record: Remember that his 26.7 career playoff scoring average is a historical anomaly. It’s higher than Kobe, higher than Bird, and higher than Magic.
Billy Ray Bates might not have the rings or the 20-year career, but for a few years in the '80s, he was the most exciting human being on a basketball court. Period.