WASHINGTON — The sports world is full of stories of redemption, of overcoming long odds or playing through pain and injury. But St. John’s College High School and Georgetown graduate Chris Wright’s story just seems impossible.
You’re not supposed to be able to play professional basketball with Multiple Sclerosis.
But that’s exactly what he’s doing. Instead of letting the debilitating disease derail his dreams, he is using his prominence as a platform to spread awareness of the illness. He’s become the antithetical face of everything we associate with MS — an agile athlete, sprinting and jumping and knocking down shots.
On Sunday, the Chris Wright Foundation will hold its first official event, Bowling to Fight Multiple Sclerosis, from 2 to 6 p.m. at Laurel AMF Bowling Center. Proceeds will go to benefit MS research and education. Wright would be there, but he’s got a game to play, in Italy, where he is in the middle of his season.
It’s amazing he even has a season to play.
Wright set the all-time D.C. prep scoring record at St. John’s, with more than 2,500 career points. That earned him a scholarship to play for John Thompson III at Georgetown. While he struggled with some injuries during his collegiate career, Wright still finished among the school’s leaders in points (18th) and assists (sixth).
He wasn’t drafted by the NBA, so he went to Turkey to play professionally, where the story of his life began anew.
In 2012, his first year as a pro, Wright was running sprints at the end of practice when his foot gave out. He started experiencing pain and numbness in his extremities, which returned the next morning in practice. After an initial diagnosis found nothing, a specialist gave Wright, then 22, the unthinkable news: He had MS.
Wright returned to the States to find the best course of treatment. He consulted with his family, and with those he considers his family, like his high school coach, Paul DeStefano, now the associate head coach at Catholic University.
“Coach has always been instrumental on and off the court,” says Wright of DeStefano, who serves on the board of Wright’s Foundation. “He’s always been someone I can call. We don’t talk all the time, but we don’t have to talk all the time, because we understand each other.”
Wright chose an aggressive medication administered intravenously each month. More crucially, he chose not to give up his dream of playing professional basketball.
“I was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to go into a minicamp with the Spurs, and played really well there,” he explains.
Wright signed with the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League and averaged 15.5 points and 7 assists per game, earning his way to the NBADL All-Star Team. That opened the door for a shot at the big time.
He was signed to a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks. On March 15, 2013, less than a year after his diagnosis, he played 41 seconds against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He took one shot, and he made it.
When Wright’s 10-day contract expired, it was not renewed.
“There were NBA teams that were saying ‘We don’t want to take on that risk,’” he says about becoming a free agent again.
But Wright is circumspect about the situation. He understands the hesitation teams might have about signing him.
“It was tough, because if the shoe was on the other foot, I don’t know how I would respond,” he admits. “Nobody’s ever done this before. A lot of people didn’t know what to think.”
Wright himself wasn’t sure what to expect. Mostly, he has been fine, his game progressing as he matures. But he still has MS, which means expecting the unexpected.
“There are times when I don’t feel as good, times when I don’t feel good at all,” he says. ”Times where there will be physical limitations that I can’t control at all.”
After playing in France last year, Wright returned to the D-League this season, but signed a contract with Italian club Victoria Libertas Pesaro in January. His story has resonated with local fans, and those struggling with similar illnesses often approach him to let him know what his perseverance means to them.
“I just want to let them know that they can still live their dream and be active,” he says. “Never give up.”
While Wright would love to return to the NBA, he is enjoying the ride for what it is right now — a chance to make a living following his dream, doing what he loves.
“I’m not really worried about NBA — if it comes, it comes,” he says, content to let his play speak for his abilities and to any lingering doubt as to whether he can succeed despite his condition. “I think by me playing and playing at a high level, I’ve put most of that to bed.”
Besides, he can’t worry about waiting. He’s got a game to play.
