This past season, Chris Wright became the first ever player diagnosed with multiple sclerosis to ever play in the NBA. After starting the season in the D-League he got a 10-day contract with the Dallas Mavericks.
The disease, commonly known as MS, impacts the brain and spinal cord when the protective sheaths around the nerves become damaged, which in turn can cause the nerve to slow down or stop. Symptoms vary but can include loss of balance, problems walking or moving your arms, muscle spasms, and fatigue. There are an estimated 2.1 million people in the United States with the disease.
Wright is getting some NBA stars such as Kevin Durant and J.R. Smith in D.C. to June 29 for the MS Basketball Jamboree, to help raise money to find a cure, he told CSNWashington.com.Said Wright, “[There’s] a lot of people that don’t know about MS, don’t know what it is, don’t know the side affects of it, don’t know the symptoms of it. A lot of the people that have MS just aren’t aware that they have it.”
The Jamboree will feature a show by local rapper Shy Glizzy, a conditioning workout for high school athletes, a St. John’s basketball game, and a pro game including Kevin Durant, Mike Beasley, J.R. Smith, Nolan Smith, and Nick Young, among others; players Wright hopes to call colleagues one day.It’s a great cause and a great show. If you are in the Washington D.C. area Saturday you should swing by St. John’s College high school between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. to check it all out.