Michael Wright, Former Arizona Star and Knicks Draft Pick, Found Dead in Lexus SUV
By Jason McIntyre
Michael Wright, the former Illinois high school basketball star who went on to play Arizona and then had a lengthy international career, was found dead in his Lexus SUV in Brooklyn this week.
According to the New York Daily News:
"His body was sprawled in the backseat covered with garbage bags, according to police sources."
"An autopsy was scheduled to determine how he died, although a police source said Wright was bipolar and may have taken his own life."
Wright was an undersized power forward at Arizona on a loaded team with Gilbert Arenas, Richard Jefferson, Luke Walton and Loren Woods. Those Wildcats lost to Duke in the 2001 National Championship.
Previously, he starred at Farragut Academy in Chicago with Kevin Garnett and Ronnie Fields on what the Chicago Sun-Times called “one of the best in Illinois history.”
Wright was 35.