Julian Emil-Jamaal Wright (born May 20, 1987) is an American former professionalbasketball player. He playedcollege basketball for theKansas Jayhawks. In 2014–15, he was thetop rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League.
Julian Wright played competitive basketball atHomewood-Flossmoor High School inFlossmoor, Illinois. There he led the Vikings to second place in theIHSA state AA tournament his junior year, losing to Peoria Central in the championship game, who were led by future NBA playerShaun Livingston. 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)[1] due to his talent and versatility. At 6'8" and 225 lb (102 kg), Wright combines good size with excellent athleticism and skills, which allowed him to play numerous positions in high school, includingshooting guard,small forward, andpower forward.
Wright entered the2005–06 season for theKansas Jayhawks as the pre-season freshman of the year in theBig 12 Conference. 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 theTexas Longhorns 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 Team and the All-Big 12 Freshman Team along with fellow Kansas freshmenBrandon Rush andMario Chalmers. During the2007 tournament, he was again placed on the All-Tournament Team. Wright garnered national attention for a 33-point performance against theMissouri Tigers.
For his play during the2006–07 season, Wright was named a third-teamAll-American by theNational Association of Basketball Coaches.[2]
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.
Wright was selected as the 13th overall selection in the2007 NBA draft by theNew Orleans Hornets. In his rookie season in the NBA, Wright averaged 3.9 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game.[3] On October 26, 2009, the Hornets picked up the option on Wright's contract for the 2010–11 season.[4]
On August 11, 2010, Wright was traded to theToronto Raptors forMarco Belinelli.[5]
Wright signed with theAustin Toros of theNBA D-League in February 2012.[6]
In October 2012, Wright signed withMaccabi Rishon LeZion of Israel.[7]
In September 2013, he signed withKrasnye Krylia of theVTB United League.[8]
On October 16, 2014, he signed with Panathinaikos of theGreek League.[9] On December 31, 2014, Panathinaikos decided to terminate his contract.[10]
On January 9, 2015, he signed withBnei Herzliya of theIsraeli Premier League for the rest of the season.[11] In 2014–15, he was thetop rebounder in the Israel Basketball Premier League.
On June 8, he signed withCangrejeros de Santurce of Puerto Rico for the rest of the 2015BSN season.[12]
On August 4, 2015, Wright joined ItalianSerie A sideDolomiti Energia Trento for the 2015–16 season.[13]
On July 17, 2016, Wright signed with Turkish clubTrabzonspor.[14] On May 1, 2017, he parted ways with Trabzonspor after averaging 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game.[15] Three days later, he signed with Italian clubPallacanestro Reggiana for the rest of the2016–17 Lega Basket Serie A season.[16]
On September 21, 2017, Pallacanestro Reggiana announced the return of Wright.[17]
On August 30, 2018, Wright signed withLevallois Metropolitans in France.[18] However, in February 2019, Wright left Levallois after a dispute with the team.[19] He later posted a video on Linkedin explaining the situation.[20]
On September 29, 2020, Wright signed with theHsinchu Lioneers of theP.League.[21]
On December 21, 2021, Wright signed with theTaichung Wagor Suns of theT1 League.[22]
One May 25, 2022, Wright was drafted by3's Company as the fifth overall pick in the 2022BIG3 draft.[23]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007–08 | New Orleans | 57 | 1 | 11.2 | .533 | .417 | .635 | 2.1 | .7 | .5 | .2 | 3.9 |
| 2008–09 | New Orleans | 54 | 19 | 14.3 | .466 | .095 | .567 | 2.8 | .8 | .6 | .4 | 4.4 |
| 2009–10 | New Orleans | 68 | 14 | 12.8 | .500 | .333 | .610 | 2.1 | .6 | .4 | .3 | 3.8 |
| 2010–11 | Toronto | 52 | 6 | 14.7 | .512 | .200 | .512 | 2.3 | 1.1 | .8 | .4 | 3.6 |
| Career | 231 | 40 | 13.2 | .499 | .262 | .584 | 2.3 | .8 | .6 | .3 | 3.9 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | New Orleans | 11 | 0 | 11.9 | .455 | .222 | .833 | 1.6 | .5 | .9 | .1 | 4.3 |
| 2009 | New Orleans | 4 | 0 | 8.0 | .429 | .000 | .500 | 1.5 | .5 | .0 | .3 | 2.0 |
| Career | 15 | 0 | 10.9 | .451 | .222 | .700 | 1.6 | .5 | .7 | .1 | 3.7 | |
His hometown isChicago Heights, Illinois and he attendedHomewood-Flossmoor High School class of 2005.[24]
Wright is abowling hobbyist, and was described by theKansas City Star as having bowled at theUniversity of Kansas'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.[25]
High School
NBA
