No New Clues Regarding Wright's Death
Unfortunately, no new leads have developed in the tragic death of former NBA forward Lorenzen Wright. The case continues to remain a mystery three months after his bullet-riddled corpse was found in a field just outside of Memphis, Tennessee.
“It is a mystery, but it's not cold,” said police director Larry Godwin. “We have not placed it in the cold case file.”
Wright, who was a standout at the University of Memphis and a local fixture for the Memphis Grizzlies, enjoyed an extended career in the NBA that included stops in six cities and spanned 13 years.
Wright, who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2008-09 season, disappeared on July 19. A 911 call that was placed from Wright’s cell phone early that morning ended abruptly after at least 10 gunshots were heard.
Nearly a week after he was reported missing by his mother Deborah Marion, Wright’s body was found in a Memphis field located off a remote road, clearly the victim of a firearm-induced homicide.
Wright has apparently been linked to an associate of Craig Petties, an alleged drug kingpin who is awaiting federal trial on more than 50 charges, some of which include racketeering, kidnapping, and even murder.
Even his closest friends were unaware of his purportedly illegal involvements. Says Phil Dotson, one of Wright’s closest college colleagues and fellow Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity brother, “The stuff that I'm hearing now, I'm blown away. I didn't know that guy.
I think he did that on purpose because I think he respected our friendship.”
Although he accumulated more than $55 million over the course of his 13-year tenure in the NBA, he was unemployed and under financial pressure at the time of his death. According to court documents, Wright had multiple foreclosures on a number of homes and
unpaid debts ranging in the tens of thousands.
Sadly, the case remains unsolved as Wright, a father of six, would have turned 35 next week.
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