Brisker allegedly travelled to Uganda in 1978 where he disappeared after last making contact with his girlfriend on April 11, 1978. He was declared dead on May 29, 1985, to settle his estate but his final movements are unknown and his death was doubted by the State Department.
Brisker developed a reputation as one of the most volatile players in basketball. According to his Condors teammate Charlie Williams, "He was an excellent player, but say something wrong to the guy and you had this feeling he would reach into his bag, take out a gun and shoot you."[2] He was ejected so often for fighting that he was nicknamed "the heavyweight champion of the ABA." The Condors made much of Brisker's reputation as an enforcer; their media guide portrayed him wearing a pair of six-shooters.
In a 1971 game against the Denver Rockets, Brisker was ejected two minutes into the game for an elbow on the Rockets' Art Becker. Brisker charged back onto the court three times in order to go after Becker. A group of police officers threatened to arrest Brisker and finally persuaded him to return to the locker room.[3]
Disappearance
In March 1978, Brisker travelled to Uganda to launch an "import-export business".[4] The last confirmed communication from Brisker was on April 11, 1978, when he called his girlfriend in Seattle.[4]
It is unknown what happened to Brisker.[4] His former SuperSonics teammates have speculated that he was killed while fighting as a mercenary or shot in an argument with persons in the Ugandan government.[4] He was declared dead in absentia on May 29, 1985, by the medical examiner of King County for the purpose of settling his estate.[4][5] However, the State Department could not confirm that Brisker had travelled to Africa; a spokesperson stated that "essentially, we don’t consider him dead."[4]
