Family mourns former NBA player Wright

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP)

Memphis police say they are investigating the discovery of a body that family members have said is missing NBA player Lorenzen Wright as a homicide.

Police have not confirmed that identity. The body was found Wednesday in a wooded area in southeast Memphis.

Relatives tell The Associated Press that the body is Wright and they are mourning his loss. The 34-year-old Memphis native was last seen July 18. His family filed a missing person report with police July 22.

Lorenzen Wright played 13 seasons in the NBA for five different teams.

D. Lippitt

The Memphis Police Department is leading the investigation but has provided little information about the case or how the victim died. A statement from the department Thursday said it has "some of the finest homicide investigators" working on the case and will release details later.

Wright's uncle, Curtis Wright, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that police called the player's father, Herb Wright, Wednesday afternoon with the news he had died.

The family issued a statement through a cousin of Lorenzen Wright, Camella Logan: ''Lorenzen's family has come together to mourn his loss and honor his legacy. We appreciate your thoughts, prayers and condolences as they are comforting at this very difficult time. Additionally, we ask that you please respect our privacy as we try to cope with his sudden loss.''

Wright's mother, Deborah Marion, arrived at the scene Wednesday night with a handful of family members. She crossed the crime scene tape and tried to talk to police when she was told to move back. She sat in a TV van before returning to the tape. Two officers then let her through.

The distraught Marion then started running down the road toward the crime scene before being stopped by an officer. She spoke with officers, then walked back past reporters without speaking straight to a van.

The 34-year-old Wright was last seen July 18 when he was expected to fly out of town. His family filed a missing person report July 22.

Wright played 13 years in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers, Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Sacramento Kings and most recently the Cleveland Cavaliers with 17 games in the 2008-09 season. Wright left the University of Memphis early for the NBA, and the Clippers made him a lottery pick with the No. 7 selection overall.

He averaged 8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 778 career games.

By nightfall, nearly 200 people had visited the road blocked off by police while TV news helicopters showed investigators scouring the grounds for evidence. Police brought in a mobile command center that further blocked off the scene.

Former NBA star Penny Hardaway, who played at Memphis two years before Wright, said he heard the news from a friend and went to the scene near where the body was found.

''I cried. The emotions hit me immediately. It's just sad because we lost a good person and a brother,'' Hardaway said.

Elliot Perry, another friend and former Memphis player, also was at the scene. Wendy Wilson, who once worked as Wright's personal assistant, also was there and said Wright often used the road police had cordoned off as a shortcut to his mother's house.

''He was a good person. He did not deserve to die this way. God is not pleased with this,'' Wilson said.

Memphis Grizzlies majority owner Michael Heisley issued a statement late Wednesday saying, ''We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Lorenzen Wright. We lost a member of the Grizzlies family. Lorenzen delighted fans on the court with his passion and off the court with his generosity in a Memphis community that watched him grow throughout his playing career ...''