Billy Ray Bates facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Billy Ray Bates

Personal information
Born	(1956-05-31) May 31, 1956 (age 69) Kosciusko, Mississippi, U.S.
High school	McAdams (McAdams, Mississippi)
Listed height	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight	211 lb (96 kg)
Career information
College	Kentucky State (1974–1978)
NBA Draft	1978 / Round: 3 / Pick: 47th overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Pro career	1978–1990
Coaching career	1979–1980
Career history
As player:
1978–1980	Maine Lumberjacks
1980–1982	Portland Trail Blazers
1982	Washington Bullets
1983	Los Angeles Lakers
1983–1984	Ohio Mixers
1983	Crispa Redmanizers
1984–1986	Fribourg Olympic
1986	Crispa Redmanizers
1986–1987	Charleston Gunners
1986–1988	Ginebra San Miguel
1990	Pensacola Tornados
As coach:
1979–1980	Maine Lumberjacks
Career highlights and awards
3× PBA champion (1983 Reinforced Filipino, 1983 Open, 1986 Open) 2× PBA Best Import of the Conference (1983 Reinforced Filipino, 1983 Open) All-CBA First Team (1980) All-CBA Second Team (1979) CBA Rookie of the Year (1979)
Career NBA statistics
Points	2,197
Rebound	313
Assists/Steals	352/151

Billy Ray Bates (born May 31, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player. He played as a shooting guard. Bates played for teams in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and also had a very successful career overseas. He is especially famous for his time in the Philippines with the Crispa Redmanizers and Ginebra San Miguel.

In the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Bates is seen as one of the greatest foreign players ever.

Billy Ray Bates' Early Life

Billy Ray Bates was born in Mississippi. He was the eighth of nine children in his family. Growing up, he helped his family by picking crops like cotton and corn. His father passed away when Billy Ray was seven years old.

Bates played basketball at McAdams High School in Mississippi. After high school, he continued to play basketball at Kentucky State University.

Bates' NBA Career

Starting in the CBA

The Houston Rockets picked Billy Ray Bates in the 1978 NBA draft. However, he was cut from the team before the season began. He then joined the Maine Lumberjacks in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA). In the CBA, Bates quickly made a name for himself. He won the league's Rookie of the Year award in 1979. He also won the slam dunk competition at the All-Star game. Bates was known for his powerful dunks, even breaking backboards multiple times in the CBA.

He even coached the Lumberjacks for 12 games during the 1979–80 season. His coaching record was 5 wins and 7 losses.

Time with the Portland Trail Blazers

In February 1980, Bates signed a short contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He was 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed about 210 pounds. Fans quickly loved his exciting style of play and amazing slam dunks. He was very energetic on the court.

Bates once scored 40 points in just 32 minutes against the San Diego Clippers. Another time, he scored 35 points in 25 minutes against the Dallas Mavericks. The NBA noticed his talent and named him Player of the Week. He was especially good in the playoffs. In the 1980 playoffs, he averaged 25.0 points per game. In the 1981 playoffs, he averaged 28.3 points per game. This is still a record for the Trail Blazers franchise.

Despite his exciting play, Bates faced challenges. He was known for his great rebounding and dunking. However, the league felt he needed to improve other skills for his position. He was nicknamed "Dunk" because of his powerful dunks.

After three seasons, the Trail Blazers released him in September 1982. Bates later sought help for personal challenges.

Short Stints with Other NBA Teams

Bates played briefly for the Washington Bullets in the 1982–83 NBA season. He appeared in 15 games before leaving the team. He then had a short tryout with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played in four games for the Lakers. However, he was not in top physical shape, and his time with the Lakers did not last. He never played in the NBA again after this.

His average of 26.7 points per game in the playoffs is the highest in NBA history for a player who was not a starter.

Bates' PBA Career

Impact on Philippine Basketball

Billy Ray Bates' arrival in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the mid-1980s changed the league a lot. In his very first game with the Crispa Redmanizers, Bates amazed the crowd. He showed off incredible moves, both close to the basket and from long range. He played against PBA legend Norman Black in that game. Bates scored an amazing 64 points. He made 20 of 25 two-point shots (80%), 5 of 6 three-point shots (83%), and 9 of 10 free throws (90%). He also had 12 rebounds and five assists.

Bates showed he could shoot accurately from anywhere, even from the three-point line. He had a strong upper body, which helped him match up against taller opponents. His favorite move was the slam-dunk.

His scoring 64 points was remarkable because Crispa already had many superstar players. The team did not necessarily need an import player who scored so much. Bates also electrified the crowd with his daring style. Many of his two-pointers were dunks, which brought a new type of exciting play to the PBA. His coach, Tommy Manotoc, was known as a great defensive coach. But Manotoc decided to change his coaching style to fit Bates's strengths.

One writer, Bobby Factura, said that Bates did for the PBA what Julius Erving did for the NBA. He revolutionized the slam-dunk in the Philippines. Bates's natural ability to stay in the air longer than defenders and then powerfully dunk the ball was incredible.

He became known as the "Philippine version of Julius Erving." He changed the fastbreak game with his powerful dunks and long-range shots. He averaged an amazing 64.5 percent from the field. Television shows even started having dunking contests on small hoops.

"Black Superman" and Championships

Bates's scoring ability and exciting showmanship made him very popular with Filipino basketball fans and the media. They called him the Black Superman. A local shoe company even made shoes with "Black Superman" written on them. Bates was very happy about this. He told people back home in Mississippi about his success in the Philippines.

He once told The Oregonian newspaper, "Those people, they loved me. There, I was like Michael Jordan. I could have anything I wanted."

Bates won the 1983 Best Import award. He helped the Crispa Redmanizers win two championships that year. Three years later, in 1986, Bates teamed up with Michael Hackett. Together, they helped Ginebra win its first PBA title. He returned to Ginebra in 1987 and led all import players with an average of 54.9 points per game. His last time with Ginebra was in 1988. He played only four games that season and was later replaced. Many people still consider Billy Ray Bates one of the greatest import players in PBA history.

In his four seasons in the PBA, Bates averaged an all-time league-high of 46.2 points in 98 career games.

Playing Overseas

After his time in the PBA, Bates played basketball in other countries. He played in Switzerland with the FIBA EuroLeague club Fribourg Olympic during the 1985–86 season. He also played in the U.S. with the World Basketball League, and spent a few seasons playing in Mexico and Uruguay.

Personal Life and Challenges

Childhood and Early Life

Billy Ray Bates grew up in a family of sharecroppers in Mississippi. His father was a tall and strong man. Bates believes he inherited his father's physical traits.

Life After Basketball

Bates was a popular player during his time with the Blazers. His jersey number 12 was a favorite among kids in local basketball leagues.

His career shows how difficult it can be for some players to adjust to life in big cities and the NBA. One story tells how a Blazers trainer advised Bates to use a checking account instead of carrying large amounts of cash. Bates reportedly asked, "What are checks?" This shows how new some aspects of city life were to him.

In 1998, Bates faced serious legal trouble. He was sentenced to seven years in prison for a crime. This was a very difficult time for him. He later described how he made a serious mistake. He was released on parole in March 2005. However, he violated his parole conditions and returned to prison. He was released again in March 2008.

After his release, Bates worked hard to rebuild his life. He stayed at a halfway house where he took classes to improve his skills. He prepared for the workplace and learned to manage his emotions. He attended church and worked at an aluminum company. He also studied reading and writing at Camden County College.

In 2008, Bates successfully completed a rehabilitation program. He later lived in Manhattan and North Brunswick, New Jersey. He tried to start a basketball coaching clinic with former player Earl Harrison.

During his time in prison, Bates wrote his autobiography. It was called Born to Play Basketball. He wrote it on 714 pages of yellow legal paper. A publisher was interested in his honest story. Bates even went on a cruise in 2009 to talk about his life.

Later Life and Recognition

In 2009, Bates worked for a large grocery supplies company. He also worked as a floor technician for a recycling company in New Jersey. Billy Ray Bates and his wife, Beverly, have been married for over 20 years. He also has a daughter named Jennifer, who lives in Switzerland.

Today, many still consider Bates the greatest import player to have played in the Philippine Basketball Association. In October 2011, the PBA recognized his important contributions to Philippine basketball. They inducted him into their Hall of Fame. Bates flew to the Philippines to attend the ceremony. He said he hoped to work as a basketball coach in his "second home."

He got his wish when the Philippine Patriots of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) hired him as a skills coach. However, on March 8, 2012, the team let him go due to "repeated misconduct and acts detrimental to the team and to the league."

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season Stats

NBA Playoffs Stats

PBA Career Stats

Images for kids

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  Billy Ray Bates

See also

In Spanish: Billy Ray Bates para niños