Queen of Sports

Memphis Mourns Loss of NBA’s Lorenzen Wright

July 30th, 2010 | Posted by Leah Hollar in Basketball,Crime

Lorenzen Wright has passed away at the age of 34, after going missing and eventually found dead of gunshot wounds in a wooded area in Memphis. Lorenzen last played with the Cleveland Cavaliers but his NBA career goes all the way back to 1996, when he was drafted 7th overall and picked up by the Clippers. He also played for the Atlanta Hawks for several years, the Memphis Grizzlies for five years, and the Sacramento Kings in 2008. Wright lost his infant daughter in 2003 to natural causes, and started the Sierra Simone Wright Scholarship Fund in her name and honor. He left behind six children, and is remembered by his former coaches as being a positive, friendly, caring person. Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley said, “Lorenzen never backed down from any challenge given him, whether it was guarding Shaq or anyone else. He was a team player, a great locker room guy. There was never an instance that I talked to him when he wasn’t positive. I am heartbroken. I’m sure there are a lot of people in Memphis who are very, very sad. He was a good man who had his share of tough times, and I’ve got to believe he’s in a better place.”

Photo: NBA.com