How Utah Jazz center went from No. 18 pick in 1993 to homeless in a year

In the spring of 1993, the Utah Jazz selected Luther Wright with the 18th pick in the NBA Draft.

For the 7’2″ big man, hearing his name called should have marked the beginning of a lifelong dream realized — the pinnacle of years of hard work and sacrifice. However, sometimes there’s a thin line between a dream and a nightmare. Wright’s story, unfortunately, ended up being the latter.

Dominating high school and Seton Hall

Rewind back to before Draft Night in 1993, and Wright was already an established name on the New Jersey basketball scene. He towered over opponents at Elizabeth High, led his team to championships, then moved on to Seton Hall.

For many young men coming from tough backgrounds, basketball is a way out. For Wright, it was no different. Still, there was pain in him from way back — deep pain. He’d been raped and molested at six years old. It’s the kind of thing you never forget. On the court, though, forgetting came a little easier, he said.

However, the further he got from that “sanctuary,” the louder those memories came back. Actually, they never really went away.

Shaken but determined, Wright kept playing. Kept dominating too. Right up to the point when the Jazz called his name. They even built his rookie deal with a long-term annuity. That meant payments would keep coming, no matter what.

Decades of hardship

Wright was considered a long-term project. The Jazz wanted to develop him slowly. It made sense. They already had more than enough size, with Karl Malone, Tom Chambers and Felton Spencer taking most of the minutes at the frontcourt positions.

Even if they had needed him, he wasn’t ready. Wright arrived at camp out of shape. Far out of shape — he reportedly weighed 325 pounds.

Then it all got worse.

January 1994. Cops found him at a rest stop west of Salt Lake City. Smashing car windows. Pounding garbage cans. Not a great look. Worse than showing up heavy, really.

The season dragged on. Wright suited up for 15 games total, averaging only 1.3 points and 0.7 rebounds a night.

Along the way, Wright was diagnosed with bipolar disorder — a turning point that changed everything. Not long after, he stepped away from the team and admitted himself to a mental health facility for treatment.

What followed was even darker.

After the Jazz cut him, Wright returned to New Jersey. No structure left. Add in his mental illness background, and the recipe was horrible. Wright soon drifted into homelessness. He moved between the streets, abandoned buildings and cars. He also begged outside fast-food restaurants. Meanwhile, crack cocaine and alcohol ruled his life. That went on for nearly a decade.

The toll from living on the streets was devastating. Just take one winter night. After sleeping outside in freezing temperatures, Wright suffered severe frostbite that cost him two toes. He later remembered the sound of his toes hitting the metal tray in the operating room. It was a moment he said he would never forget.

Looking back, the former NBA player remarked he was just trying to “escape all of this” but didn’t know how.

Little has been reported about him since. Here and there, however, glimpses of him have surfaced. A few glimpses of hope, actually.

A 2010 “Deseret News” article, for instance, explored how he began rebuilding his life after going through that all. He did too, by writing about his journey in a book called “A Perfect Fit.“

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Feb 21, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

How Utah Jazz center went from No. 18 pick in 1993 to homeless in a year

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