McKinley Wright IV
McKinley Wright IV (born October 25, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Budućnost VOLI of the Erste Liga, ABA League and EuroCup.[1] He played college basketball for the Colorado Buffaloes.
Wright in November 2017 | |
| No. 25 – Budućnost VOLI | |
|---|---|
| Position | Point guard |
| League | ABA League Montenegrin League EuroCup |
| Personal information | |
| Born | October 25, 1998 Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Listed weight | 192 lb (87 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Champlin Park (Champlin, Minnesota) |
| College | Colorado (2017–2021) |
| NBA draft | 2021: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
| Career history | |
| 2021–2022 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2021–2022 | →Iowa Wolves |
| 2022–2023 | Dallas Mavericks |
| 2022–2023 | →Texas Legends |
| 2023–present | Budućnost VOLI |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Early life and high school career edit
Wright is the son of McKinley Wright III and grew up in Champlin, Minnesota. Wright attended Champlin Park High School and averaged 23 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per game in his senior season.[2] He led the team to a 31–1 record and the 4A title game, losing to Apple Valley High School. Wright had 30 points in a state quarterfinal victory over Chaska High School. He was named 2017 Minnesota Mr. Basketball. He initially committed to Dayton but reopened his recruiting after coach Archie Miller was hired by Indiana.[3] In April 2017, Wright committed to Colorado.[4]
College career edit
On December 15, 2017, Wright set career highs in points (30) and assists (11) as the Buffaloes defeated South Dakota State 112–103 in double overtime.[5] As a freshman, Wright averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 assists, and 4.7 rebounds per game on a team that finished 17–15. Wright was named to the Pac-12 Conference All-Freshman Team while earning honorable mention to both the All-Pac-12 Team and All-Defensive Team.[6] His 175 assists broke Chauncey Billups' record of 143 assists for a freshman. After the season, he worked out with Billups to improve his jump shot.[7] As a sophomore, Wright was named first-team All-Pac-12.[8] Wright averaged 13 points and 4.8 assists per game despite nursing a left shoulder so tender that he slept on his back to keep it from being painful. He had corrective surgery after the season to fix a torn labrum.[9] Wright had a season-high 29 points in a 78–76 overtime win over Dayton, receiving jeers from fans of the school he originally signed with out of high school.[10] At the conclusion of the regular season, Wright was named to the All-Pac-12 first team and the Pac-12 All-Defensive Team.[11] As a junior, Wright averaged 14.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game.[12] After the season, Wright declared for the 2020 NBA draft.[13] On August 1, he announced he was withdrawing from the draft to return for his senior season.[14] As a senior, he averaged 15.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game, earning Pac-12 All-First Team honors. Following the season, Wright declared for the 2021 NBA draft forgoing his extra year of eligibility.
Professional career edit
Minnesota Timberwolves / Iowa Wolves (2021–2022) edit
After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Wright signed a two-way contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves on August 6, 2021, splitting time with their G League affiliate, the Iowa Wolves.[15]
Dallas Mavericks / Texas Legends (2022–2023) edit
Wright joined the Phoenix Suns for the 2022 NBA Summer League.[16] In September 2022, he was signed by the Dallas Mavericks.[17] After training camp, his contract was converted to a two-way contract on October 15, 2022.[18]
Budućnost VOLI (2023–present) edit
On July 22, 2023, Wright signed with Budućnost VOLI of the Montenegrin League.[19]
Career statistics edit
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
NBA edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–22 | Minnesota | 5 | 0 | 3.8 | .667 | .500 | — | .0 | .6 | .0 | .0 | 1.0 |
| 2022–23 | Dallas | 27 | 1 | 12.4 | .469 | .321 | .684 | 1.7 | 2.1 | .3 | .2 | 4.2 |
| Career | 32 | 1 | 11.1 | .475 | .333 | .684 | 1.5 | 1.9 | .3 | .2 | 3.7 | |
College edit
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Colorado | 32 | 31 | 32.6 | .451 | .304 | .770 | 4.7 | 5.5 | 1.0 | .4 | 14.2 |
| 2018–19 | Colorado | 35 | 35 | 32.4 | .494 | .365 | .807 | 4.9 | 4.8 | 1.1 | .2 | 13.0 |
| 2019–20 | Colorado | 32 | 32 | 34.9 | .448 | .336 | .792 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 1.1 | .3 | 14.4 |
| 2020–21 | Colorado | 32 | 32 | 32.6 | .480 | .301 | .844 | 4.3 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .3 | 15.2 |
| Career | 131 | 130 | 33.1 | .467 | .328 | .803 | 4.9 | 5.2 | 1.1 | .3 | 14.2 | |
References edit
- ^ Rader, Doyle. "Dallas Mavericks Guard McKinley Wright IV Signs With European Club KK Buducnost VOLI". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
- ^ Fuller, Marcus (April 10, 2017). "McKinley Wright, Minnesota's Mr. Basketball, reopens recruitment". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Stavenhagen, Cody (March 26, 2017). "Champlin Park's McKinley Wright named Mr. Minnesota Basketball". Star Tribune. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Boyle, John (April 28, 2017). "Former Dayton Flyers recruit commits to Colorado". Dayton Daily News. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Colorado gets past South Dakota State in 2 OT". Reuters. December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Shapiro, Jake (November 8, 2018). "'This isn't just the McKinley Wright show:' CU Hoops primer". 247 Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Graham, Pat (October 26, 2018). "Wright works out with Buffs standout Billups to improve game". Associated Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Bennett, Brian (October 29, 2019). "Think a bum shoulder was going to bother Colorado's McKinley Wright IV? He has experienced far worse pain". The Athletic. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ Graham, Pat (October 25, 2019). "Led By McKinley Wright IV, Colorado Buffaloes Enter Season With Lofty Prospects". CBS. Associated Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
- ^ "Schwartz nails 3 at buzzer, Colorado beats Dayton in OT". ESPN. Associated Press. December 21, 2019. Retrieved December 22, 2019.
- ^ "Pac-12 announces 2019-20 Men's Basketball annual major awards". pac-12.com. March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ Crawford, Kirkland (March 16, 2020). "The 2020 NCAA tournament that could have been: South region". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
- ^ Howell, Chase (March 24, 2020). "Wright and Bey to Test NBA Draft Process". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 25, 2020.
- ^ Pascoe, Bruce (August 1, 2020). "Colorado's McKinley Wright pulls out of NBA Draft to return to Buffs". Kokomo Perspective. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
- ^ "Timberwolves Sign Nathan Knight and McKinley Wright IV to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- ^ "Phoenix Suns 2022 NBA2K23 Summer League Roster". NBA.com. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
- ^ "Mavericks fill out training camp roster with five signees". mavs.com. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
- ^ "McKinley Wright IV's Mavs Gamble Pays Off, Earns 2-Way Contract". si.com. Retrieved October 15, 2022.
- ^ "Iz NBA lige u Podgoricu: Budućnost Voli dovela plejmejkera Dalas Maveriksa!". KKBuducnost.me (in Montenegrin). July 22, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
External links edit
- Colorado Buffaloes bio