Luther A. Wright Jr. (born September 22, 1971) is an American former 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, in the

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

position.

Basketball career

A native of

Jersey City, New Jersey Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Bob Hurley Robert Emmet Hurley (born July 31, 1947) is an American basketball coach. At the now-closed St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, New Jersey, Hurley amassed 26 state championships in 39 years as a coach. On February 2, 2011, Hurley became the ...

at powerhouse at St. Anthony High School before failing out and enrolling at Elizabeth High School in

Elizabeth, New Jersey Elizabeth is a city and the county seat of Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.New J ...

. He played two seasons of college basketball at

Seton Hall University Seton Hall University (SHU) is a private Catholic research university in South Orange, New Jersey. Founded in 1856 by then-Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley and named after his aunt, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan un ...

, averaging 9.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocked shots per game as a sophomore, before leaving school in 1993 to pursue professional basketball.

Professional

Wright was selected by the Utah Jazz in the 1st round (18th overall) of the

1993 NBA draft The 1993 NBA draft took place on June 30, 1993, at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The draft had some talented players at the top, but injuries and personal problems hurt many of them. Chris Webber, Penny Hardaway, Allan Ho ...

. Listed at 7'2" and 270 pounds in college, Wright arrived in Utah overweight and out-of-shape at 325 pounds. The Jazz were not short on size at that time, with

Mark Eaton Mark Edward Eaton (January 24, 1957 – May 28, 2021) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career (1982–1993) with the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Named an NBA All-Star in 1989, he wa ...

(7'4" and 290 pounds),

Isaac Austin Isaac Edward "Ike" Austin (born August 18, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player who played for several different teams in the National Basketball Association between 1991 and 2002. He is the uncle of former Baylor University b ...

(6'10" and 290 pounds), and

Felton Spencer Felton LaFrance Spencer (January 5, 1968 – March 12, 2023) was an American professional basketball player who was a center for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Utah Jazz, Orlando Magic, Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, and New York Knicks ...

(7'0" and 275 pounds) on the roster at center. Wright was seen as a project who the Jazz planned to develop slowly. However, poor play on the court, in addition to poor conditioning and mental health issues, limited Wright to only one season in the NBA. He averaged 1.3 points and 0.7 rebounds in 15 games.

Personal problems

In January 1994, police found Wright at a highway rest area west of

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...

, banging garbage cans and smashing in car windows. After the season with the Jazz finished, he entered a mental institution. Still during his NBA stint, he was diagnosed with

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

and left the team. In 1996, he was released from

Essex County Hospital Center The Essex County Hospital Center, also known as the Overbrook Hospital, the Overbrook Asylum, or simply the Overbrook, was a psychiatric hospital that was located around 125 Fairview Avenue in the Township of Cedar Grove, New Jersey. It was used as ...

, a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

, after a 30-day admission. Under the terms of his contract with the Jazz, Wright was to be paid

US$ The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

153,000 per year for 25 full years.via

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

"SPORTS PEOPLE: BASKETBALL; Wright Leaves Psychiatric Hospital"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', April 4, 1996. Accessed August 28, 2017.

References

External links

Stats at Basketball-Reference
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wright, Luther 1971 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople American men's basketball players Basketball players from Jersey City, New Jersey Centers (basketball) Elizabeth High School (New Jersey) alumni McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) People with bipolar disorder Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball players Sportspeople from Elizabeth, New Jersey Basketball players from Union County, New Jersey FISU World University Games gold medalists for the United States Universiade medalists in basketball Utah Jazz draft picks Utah Jazz players 20th-century African-American sportspeople