Lonnie Wright
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Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
South Orange, New Jersey, U.S.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 23, 1945 Newark, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | March 23, 2012 (aged 67) South Orange, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Listed weight | 205 lb (93 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | South Side (Newark, New Jersey) |
| College | Colorado State (1963–1966) |
| NBA draft | 1966: 6th round, 54th overall pick |
| Drafted by | St. Louis Hawks |
| Position | Shooting guard / point guard |
| Number | 42, 20 |
| Career history | |
| 1967–1971 | Denver Rockets |
| 1971–1972 | The Floridians |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
Lonnie Wright (January 23, 1945 – March 23, 2012) was an American professional basketball and football player who played in the same season for the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association and the Denver Broncos of the American Football League before switching to basketball on a full-time basis.
Wright was born in Newark, New Jersey and attended South Side High School (since renamed Malcolm X Shabazz High School), where he earned All-City, All-County, All-State, and All-American honors in both football and basketball. He was inducted into the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Hall of Fame in 1997.[1]
Wright attended Colorado State University, where he played basketball and set the school's shot put record of 52 feet, 9 inches.[1][2] He scored 1,246 points in his college basketball career, and was part of the Rams team that made it to the 22-team 1966 NCAA Tournament, losing in the first round to the University of Houston team led by Elvin Hayes and Don Chaney.[2]