 Wright during the 2010 PLK All-Star game | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1980-01-07)January 7, 1980 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | November 10, 2015(2015-11-10) (aged 35) Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Turkish |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
| Listed weight | 238 lb (108 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Farragut Academy (Chicago, Illinois) |
| College | Arizona (1998–2001) |
| NBA draft | 2001: 2nd round, 39th overall pick |
| Drafted by | New York Knicks |
| Playing career | 2001–2015 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Career history | |
| 2001–2002 | Śląsk Wrocław |
| 2002–2003 | Granada |
| 2003–2004 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 2004–2005 | Alba Berlin |
| 2005–2006 | Beşiktaş Cola Turka |
| 2006 | Jeonju KCC Egis |
| 2006–2007 | Pau Orthez |
| 2007–2009 | Turk Telekom |
| 2009–2010 | Turów Zgorzelec |
| 2010–2011 | Medical Park Trabzonspor |
| 2011–2012 | Turk Telekom |
| 2012–2014 | Mersin BB |
| 2015 | Cholet Basket |
| Career highlights | |
| |
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |
Medals | |
Michael Wright (January 7, 1980 – November 10, 2015) was an American-Turkish professionalbasketball player. He also heldTurkish citizenship, under the nameAli Karadeniz.[1][2] He played professional basketball in Poland, Spain, Israel, South Korea, France, Germany, and Turkey. He was murdered in 2015.
Wright played his high school basketball atFarragut Academy, where, as afreshman, he was part of one of the best teams in the country, which boasted future professionalsWillie Farley andRonnie Fields, as well asMinnesota Timberwolves superstarKevin Garnett. At 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in), Wright playedcenter after Garnett's departure, and moved topower forward incollege.
At theUniversity of Arizona, Wright started for the Wildcats in the 2001NCAA Division I championship against theDuke Blue Devils. However, undersized for that position at the pro level[citation needed], and too slow to be asmall forward,[citation needed]he dropped to the second round of the2001 NBA draft where he was drafted by theNew York Knicks.
Wright was drafted as the 39th pick in the2001 NBA draft by theNew York Knicks. After not joining the Knicks or any other NBA team, Wright moved overseas and switched teams almost every season. He was one of only eight players selected in the 2001 NBA Draft who never played in a single NBA game.
Wright started withPolish league championsŚląsk Wrocław, that also participated in theEuroleague, moving toSpain'sCB Granada the following year.
After the team was relegated to theLEB (Spain's second division), Wright moved toIsrael and signed withHapoel Tel Aviv. A year later he signed withALBA Berlin.
In 2005, he moved toBeşiktaş Cola Turka of theTurkish Basketball League. He started the 2006–07 season inSouth Korea withJeonju KCC Egis; in October signed with French and Euroleague'sEB Pau Orthez.
In May 2007, he moved back to Turkey and signed forTürk Telekom B.K. In September 2009 he has signed a contract withTurów Zgorzelec from Poland for the 2009–10 season.[3]
In July 2011, he returned toTürk Telekom B.K. for one season with an option for a second one.[4] In the summer of 2012, he signed a contract withMersin BB.[5]
On February 3, 2015, he signed withCholet Basket of the FrenchLNB Pro A.[6] After averaging 1.7 points and 2 rebounds in 3 contests, Wright and Cholet parted ways.[7]
On November 10, 2015, Wright was found dead in his car inBrooklyn, New York, covered in trash bags in the vehicle's back seat. The medical examiner determined that his death was a homicide.[8][9][10] Two men were charged in his death.[11]
According to a family member interviewed after his death, Wright intended to return to Europe to play another two seasons before retirement.[8]
Two men were charged on November 1, 2016 – Mark A. Holdbrooks, 59, and alleged accomplice David Victor, 35, were charged with murder and other offenses after a yearlong investigation. Holdbrooks, Wright's longtime roommate, allegedly reported him missing on November 8, 2015. Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal did not specify a motive or mention how Wright was killed but said he had suffered "head trauma."[12] Later, authorities said Victor and Holdbrooks drugged Wright withgamma hydroxybutyrate (GHB), adate rape drug, and killed him with an axe inCloster, New Jersey, and that Victor then drove Wright's Lexus SUV to Brooklyn, leaving it with his body in it parked on East 16th Street nearAvenue J inMidwood.[13][14][15]
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