Grambling State Larry Wright Hall of Fame career spans two continents

NATCHITOCHES, Louisiana -- Growing up as one of nine kids in a single parent household in Monroe, Grambling's Larry Wright never had it easy. Due to an age-out rule in Louisiana, he was forced to play his senior season of high school basketball in the nation's capital from a connection through his head coach.

"Well it was totally different from Monroe, Louisiana. You know the White House is in Washington, D.C. We have some white houses in Monroe," he said to a room full of laughter.

Wright's childhood heroes like Willis Reed and Herschel West played at Grambling, where Wright's career was highly successful including a SWAC Player of the Year and tournament title in 1976. The Washington Bullets came calling after that and in his second season with the franchise, Hall of Famer Wes Unseld had a message for the young star with the team on the cusp of a championship.

"He said, 'I'll do anything short of murder to win this championship.' He said, 'because I don't have many more left in me' and when he made that statement he looked at me," Wright explained with a smile. "And I said to Wes, I said, 'Hey, big fella, I'm on your team.'"

Following his stint with the Bullets, then the Pistons, Europe came calling.

"They had a guy overseas by the name of Mike D'Antoni, who coaches for the Houston Rockets now. He was the top American guard over there and they needed somebody to compete against Mike D'Antoni."

With four kids to support, the decision was easy.

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