)[4] When he became eligible as a sophomore in 1957–58, Wright burst onto the national basketball scene with per game averages of 13.2 points and 17.1 rebounds.

[5] He was named the West Coast Conference Co-Player of the Year in his final two collegiate seasons as well, first sharing the honors with San Francisco's Mike Farmer followed by LaRoy Doss of Saint Mary's.

After his collegiate career ended, Wright was selected in the second round (16th overall) of the 1960 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics.

[6] During his rookie season, Pittsburgh won the ABA Finals, four games to three, over the New Orleans Buccaneers.

When the franchise relocated to Minnesota for the following season, Wright remained on the team but only played in 10 games and averaged a diminished 0.8 points and 3.0 rebounds.