CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Miles Dabord, the brother of missing former NBA player Bison Dele, remained in critical condition Friday, a day after his mother planned to ask doctors to take him off life support.

Scripps Memorial Hospital spokeswoman Monica Montano declined to say whether Patricia Phillips' request had happened. Montano said that Dabord, who's been in a coma since Sept. 14, was still critical Friday afternoon.

"He's alive,'' Montano said. "He's still with us.''

Doctors have said there was no hope of Dabord coming out of his coma. His death would leave investigators with few solid clues about the disappearance of Dele, his girlfriend and the captain of his boat. The three haven't been seen since early July.

Police in Tahiti suspect that Dabord killed all three people and disposed of the bodies. Dabord docked the 55-foot catamaran in a port at the French Polynesian island and returned home alone.

Dabord, 35, first came to the attention of U.S. authorities on Sept. 5, when he tried to use his brother's identification to purchase $152,000 in gold in Phoenix.

Dabord, the 33-year-old Dele, Dele's girlfriend, Serena Karlan, and French skipper Bertrand Saldo set sail from New Zealand for Hawaii in May. They stopped in Tahiti in June.

After Dabord's companions disappeared, he spent about two more weeks in French Polynesia. He rented a scooter and took a boat tour to see sharks and manta rays before abandoning his brother's boat and flying home.

Dele, who changed his name from Brian Williams in 1998, played for five teams in eight seasons, and won an NBA title as a reserve with the 1996-97 Chicago Bulls.