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Back in March, point guard Chris Wright made history when he put on a Dallas Mavericks uniform and became the first NBA player to play with multiple sclerosis (MS). That alone, is an incredible feat in itself, because MS is a disease that hinders the connection between the brain and the spinal cord. Simple basketball actions like dribbling down a court or shooting a jumper would become increasingly difficult for somebody like Wright, who deals with the disease. Despite only being a member of the Mavericks for a single 10-day contract, his story will be an inspiration to the millions of people worldwide who deal with MS each day.
While he's known for his short time with the Mavericks, Wright made his biggest impact with the Iowa Energy, where he was one of the lone bright spots on an otherwise struggling 14-36 franchise. By averaging 16.1 points and 6.8 assists, he made a name for himself as one of the best all-around offensive guards in the D-League, which led to his All-Star selection back in February.
The floor general will hope to take the momentum he built in Dallas and Iowa as he heads into the offseason. We're about a month away from the start of NBA Summer League in Vegas and Orlando, but the plans appear to be set for Wright. A source close to Wright tells RidiculousUpside.com that he will be pulling double duty, both in Orlando with the Brooklyn Nets and in Las Vegas with the NBA championship contending San Antonio Spurs.
Both Brooklyn (Springfield Armor) and San Antonio (Austin Toros) are two of the biggest utilizers of the D-League, so it would make sense that they both would be interested in Wright. While neither of these two teams are in any major need of a point guard, Wright will have a major opportunity in Orlando and Vegas to impress those important decision-makers.
A prime example of an NBA player who paved his career from his work in Summer League would be current Warriors' guard Scott Machado. An undrafted point guard out of Iona, Machado was given an opportunity with the Rockets' Summer League squad and was later given a partially guaranteed contract. He was later waived by Houston, but was soon picked up by Golden State due to his exposure in the D-League and in Vegas.
Wright has more of a resume than Machado did, but he's still going to have to compete with the hopes of impressing a team.