He was a Memphis star, beloved by family, friends, peers and fans. Lorenzen Wright was found dead yesterday, in southeast Memphis, TN, behind an apartment building–he was 34 years old.
I grew up just a kick from Memphis in Missouri, and I remember hearing chatter about Wright while he was still playing high school ball in Memphis. Attending basketball camp at the University of Kentucky, several kids from Memphis were within the mix of the 400+ campers. There was talk of a dominant high school big man who was going on to be a stud at Memphis State–the name was easy to remember, and the claims were all legit.
In terms of play on the court, Wright may have never reached his potential, but he always competed at an incredibly high level and was loved by his teammates.
I felt as if his leaving college early for the draft was a great business move, but I think it ultimately affected his play potential. Regardless, he was always a personal favorite at the college level, and his 13 years in the NBA as a big man attested to his capability and resiliency. When I saw the news line declaring his death last night, I could only shake my head in sadness.
The events surrounding his death are still shrouded in mystery. Wright had come to Memphis from Atlanta to visit his children and family members. On July 18, he stated that he was going to head back out of town–that began a 3 day stretch of no contact. On July 22, his family filed a missing persons report and the search was on.
The 6’11″ Wright was found yesterday, peppered with gunshot wounds. Adding a twist the investigation–a 911 call that was placed from Wright’s phone at 1 a.m. on July 19. Apparently the call included a caller who “sounded scared” then shouted a couple curse words before gun shots were heard.
(Image via: World Correspondents)
