Billy Ray Bates

Billy Ray Bates (born May 31, 1956) is a retired American professional basketball player. Bates played shooting guard at McAdams High in Mississippi and attended Kentucky State University. Bates played four seasons in the National Basketball Association for the Portland Trail Blazers, Washington Bullets and Los Angeles Lakers. He also played overseas, in Switzerland, Mexico, Uruguay, and most notably in the Philippines for the Crispa Redmanizers and Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association. In the PBA, Bates had a legendary career with Crispa and is considered the greatest foreign player in that league's history.