No. 30 – Trabzonspor | |
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Position | Power forward / Center |
League | Turkish Basketball Super League |
Personal information | |
Born |
Chicago Heights, Illinois |
May 20, 1987
Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) |
Listed weight | 236 lb (107 kg) |
Career information | |
High school |
Homewood-Flossmor (Flossmoor, Illinois) |
College | Kansas (2005–2007) |
NBA draft | 2007 / Round: 1 / Pick: 13th overall |
Selected by the New Orleans Hornets | |
Playing career | 2007–present |
Career history | |
2007–2010 | New Orleans Hornets |
2010–2011 | Toronto Raptors |
2012 | Austin Toros |
2012–2013 | Maccabi Rishon LeZion |
2013–2014 | Krasnye Krylia |
2014 | Panathinaikos |
2015 | Bnei Herzliya |
2015 | Cangrejeros de Santurce |
2015–2016 | Dolomiti Energia Trento |
2016–present | Trabzonspor |
Career highlights and awards | |
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Julian Emil-Jamaal Wright (born May 20, 1987) is an American professional basketball player for Trabzonspor of the Turkish Basketball Super League (BSL). He played college basketball for the University of Kansas.
Julian Wright played competitive basketball at Homewood-Flossmoor High School in Flossmoor, Illinois. There he led the Vikings to second place in the IHSA state AA tournament his junior year, losing to Peoria Central in the championship game, who were led by future NBA player Shaun 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) 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, including shooting guard, small forward, and power forward.
Wright entered the 2005–2006 NCAA season for the Kansas Jayhawks as the pre-season freshman of the year in the Big 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 having beaten the defense down the court. A highlight of his freshman campaign may have been against the University of Texas 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 freshmen Brandon Rush and Mario Chalmers. During the 2007 Tournament, he was again placed on the All-Tournament Team. Wright garnered national attention for a 33-point performance against the Missouri Tigers.