Julian Emil-Jamaal Wright (born May 20, 1987) is an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. He played
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
for the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
. In 2014–15, he was the
top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League.
High school career
Julian Wright played competitive basketball at
Homewood-Flossmoor High School
Homewood-Flossmoor High School (H-F) is a comprehensive public high school in Flossmoor, Illinois. The district encompasses nearly 11.5 square miles drawing students from Homewood, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, and Olympia ...
in
Flossmoor, Illinois. There he led the Vikings to second place in the
IHSA state AA tournament his junior year, losing to Peoria Central in the championship game, who were led by future NBA player
Shaun Livingston
Shaun Patrick Livingston (born September 11, 1985) is an American professional basketball executive and former player. Livingston entered the league directly out of high school and was selected fourth by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2004 NBA dr ...
. In 2005, he was selected to the McDonald's All-American team, and he was rated among the top ten basketball players in his class by several recruiting services) due to his talent and versatility. At 6'8" and , Wright combines good size with excellent athleticism and skills, which allowed him to play numerous positions in high school, including
shooting guard
The shooting guard (SG), also known as the two, two guard or off guard,Shooting guards are 6'3"–6'7"BBC Sports academy URL last accessed 2006-09-09. is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. A shooting guard's m ...
,
small forward
The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...
, and
power forward.
College career
Wright entered the 2005–2006
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
season for the
Kansas Jayhawks
The Kansas Jayhawks, commonly referred to as simply KU or Kansas, are the athletic teams that represent the University of Kansas. KU is one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a mem ...
as the pre-season freshman of the year in the
Big 12 Conference
The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...
. Though he did not start at the beginning of the season, he quickly played his way into the starting power forward slot. His superior athleticism often allowed him to score baskets simply by virtue of his beating the defense down the court. A highlight of his freshman campaign may have been against the
University of Texas
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin, UT, or Texas) is a public research university in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 1883 and is the oldest institution in the University of Texas System. With 40,916 undergraduate students, 11,075 ...
in the Big 12 Tournament Championship game when he put an exclamation mark on KU's win with two magnificent breakaway slam dunks in the closing minutes of the game. During his freshman season, Wright averaged 8.5 points per game, but he was praised more for his ability to help his team without scoring. He was named to the All-
Big 12 tournament
The Big 12 Conference sponsors championships in 23 sports, 10 men's and 13 women's. The first conference championship awarded was the 1996 softball postseason tournament championship, which was won by Oklahoma.
From 2011 through 2016, the foot ...
Team and the All-Big 12 Freshman Team along with fellow Kansas freshmen
Brandon Rush
Brandon Leray Rush (born July 7, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was drafted in the first round of the 2008 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers, before being traded to the Indiana Pacers on draft day, after pl ...
and
Mario Chalmers
Almario Vernard "Mario" Chalmers (born May 19, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He was selected as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Minnesota ...
. During the
2007 tournament, he was again placed on the All-Tournament Team. Wright garnered national attention for a 33-point performance against the
Missouri Tigers.
For his play during the 2006–2007 season, Wright was named a third team
All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches' All-America Team.
Despite statements to the contrary, on Monday, April 9, 2007, Wright announced that he was making himself eligible for the NBA draft. He hired an agent, making him ineligible to return to school prior to the draft.
Professional career
Wright was selected as the 13th overall selection in the
2007 NBA draft by the
New Orleans Hornets. In his rookie season in the NBA, Wright averaged 3.9 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game. On October 26, 2009 the Hornets picked up the option on Wright's contract for the 2010–11 season.
On August 11, 2010, Wright was traded to the
Toronto Raptors for
Marco Belinelli.
Wright signed with the
Austin Toros
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
of the
NBA D-League in February 2012.
In October 2012, Wright signed with
Maccabi Rishon LeZion
Maccabi Rishon LeZion is a sport club in Rishon LeZion, Israel.
The professional teams associated with it include:
*Maccabi Rishon LeZion (basketball)
*Maccabi Rishon LeZion (handball)
* Maccabi Rishon LeZion (badminton)
There was also a footb ...
of Israel.
In September 2013, he signed with
Krasnye Krylia of the
VTB United League.
On October 16, 2014, he signed with Panathinaikos of the
Greek League. On December 31, 2014, Panathinaikos decided to terminate his contract.
On January 9, 2015 he signed with
Bnei Herzliya
Bnei Herzliya Basket (, lit. ''Sons of Herzliya''), is a professional basketball club that is based in Herzliya, in the Sharon district in Israel. The club plays in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, the top division of Israeli basketball. It ...
of the
Israeli Premier League for the rest of the season. In 2014–15, he was the
top rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League.
On June 8, he signed with
Cangrejeros de Santurce of Puerto Rico for the rest of the 2015
BSN season.
On August 4, 2015, Wright joined Italian
Serie A
The Serie A (), also called Serie A TIM for national sponsorship with TIM, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and the winner is awarded the Scudetto and the Coppa ...
side
Dolomiti Energia Trento
Aquila Basket Trento, also known for sponsorship reasons as Dolomiti Energia Trento, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Trent, Trentino.
It was founded in 1995 as an amalgamation of two local clubs, going from the amateur divisio ...
for the 2015–16 season.
On July 17, 2016, Wright signed with Turkish club
Trabzonspor
Trabzonspor Kulübü is a Turkish sports club located in the city of Trabzon. Formed in 1967 through a merger of several local clubs, the men's football team has won seven Süper Lig championships. Trabzonspor also have a women's football team, ...
. On May 1, 2017, he parted ways with Trabzonspor after averaging 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. Three days later, he signed with Italian club
Pallacanestro Reggiana for the rest of the
2016–17 Lega Basket Serie A season.
On September 21, 2017, Pallacanestro Reggiana announced the return of Wright.
On August 30, 2018, Wright signed with
Levallois Metropolitans in France. However, in February 2019, Wright left Levallois after a dispute with the team. He later posted a video on Linkedin explaining the situation.
On September 29, 2020, Wright signed with the
Hsinchu Lioneers of the
P.League.
On December 21, 2021, Wright signed with the
Taichung Wagor Suns
The Taichung Suns ( zh, 臺中太陽) are a Taiwanese professional basketball team based in Taichung City, Taiwan. They compete in the T1 League since the 2021–22 season, and play their home game at the National Taiwan University of Sport Gymna ...
of the
T1 League
The T1 League is a Taiwanese men's professional basketball league founded in 2021. It is the third professional basketball league in Taiwan after the Chinese Basketball Alliance (CBA) and the P. League+ (PLG). In the 2022–23 season, the T ...
.
One May 25, 2022, Wright was drafted by
3's Company
3's Company is an American men's 3-on-3 basketball team that plays in the BIG3
Big3 (stylized BIG3) is a 3-on-3 basketball league founded by hip hop musician and actor Ice Cube and entertainment executive Jeff Kwatinetz. The league consists ...
as the fifth overall pick in the 2022
BIG3 draft.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
, -
, align="left" ,
, align="left" ,
, 57 , , 1 , , 11.2 , , .533 , , .417 , , .635 , , 2.1 , , .7 , , .5 , , .2 , , 3.9
, -
, align="left" ,
, align="left" ,
, 54 , , 19 , , 14.3 , , .466 , , .095 , , .567 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 4.4
, -
, align="left" ,
, align="left" ,
, 68 , , 14 , , 12.8 , , .500 , , .333 , , .610 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .4 , , .3 , , 3.8
, -
, align="left" ,
, align="left" ,
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
, 52 , , 6 , , 14.7 , , .512 , , .200 , , .512 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , 3.6
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 231 , , 40 , , 13.2 , , .499 , , .262 , , .584 , , 2.3 , , .8 , , .6 , , .3 , , 3.9
Playoffs
, -
, align="left" ,
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, align="left" ,
, 11 , , 0 , , 11.9 , , .455 , , .222 , , .833 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .9 , , .1 , , 4.3
, -
, align="left" ,
2009
File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...
, align="left" ,
, 4 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .429 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .0 , , .3 , , 2.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 15 , , 0 , , 10.9 , , .451 , , .222 , , .700 , , 1.6 , , .5 , , .7 , , .1 , , 3.7
Personal life
His hometown is
Chicago Heights, Illinois and he attended
Homewood-Flossmoor High School
Homewood-Flossmoor High School (H-F) is a comprehensive public high school in Flossmoor, Illinois. The district encompasses nearly 11.5 square miles drawing students from Homewood, Flossmoor, Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Hazel Crest, and Olympia ...
class of 2005.
Wright is a
bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...
hobbyist, and was described by the
Kansas City Star
''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...
as having bowled at the
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...
's Jay Bowl "at least one night a week". He owns both a bowling ball and bowling shoes, the latter of which are KU's blue and crimson colors.
Awards and Highlights
High School
*
McDonald's All-American (
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
)
*
Illinois Mr. Basketball
The Illinois Mr. Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school boys basketball player in the U.S. state of Illinois.
Most of the award winners have gone on to play at the highest levels of college basketball, and many have ...
(
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...
)
NBA
* Led
2008 NBA Playoffs in
Steal Pct.
References
External links
eurobasket.com profileKansas Jayhawks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Julian
1987 births
Living people
21st-century African-American sportspeople
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American expatriate basketball people in Israel
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Russia
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball players
Aquila Basket Trento players
Austin Toros players
Basketball players from Chicago
BC Krasnye Krylia players
Big3 players
Cangrejeros de Santurce basketball players
Homewood-Flossmoor High School alumni
Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball players
Maccabi Rishon LeZion basketball players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Metropolitans 92 players
New Orleans Hornets draft picks
New Orleans Hornets players
Pallacanestro Reggiana players
Panathinaikos B.C. players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
People from Chicago Heights, Illinois
Power forwards (basketball)
Small forwards
Sportspeople from Cook County, Illinois
Toronto Raptors players
Trabzonspor B.K. players
20th-century African-American people
American men's 3x3 basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Taiwan
Hsinchu JKO Lioneers players
Taichung Wagor Suns players
T1 League imports
P. League+ imports