Keith Wright '12 Enters D-League Draft

When Keith Wright ’12 last competed in the United States, he led the Harvard men’s basketball team to its first NCAA Tournament since 1946. Now, one NBA summer league squad, two overseas teams, and almost three years later, Wright is returning to compete in the NBA Development League.

The 6’8”, 240-pound forward will be available in the November D-League Draft.

Wright served as a two-year co-captain for the Crimson. In his junior season, the Norfolk, Va. native led Harvard with 14.2 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and earned Ivy League Player of the Year honors in 2010-11. He was also named to the Lou Henson All-America team, made up by the top Division I mid-major players in the country.

Wright was a key part of the transformation of the Harvard men’s basketball program. Though the Crimson had not achieved a winning season since 2002 when Wright arrived in Cambridge in 2008, Wright helped lead the team to three consecutive 20-plus-win records. His college career cumulated in the 2012 Ivy League Championship and a March Madness appearance.

“A lot of people still have my Harvard career in their mind,” Wright said in an interview with DLeagueDigest.com. “I feel like I was a good player at Harvard, but there is so much more to my game now.”

For the past two seasons, Wright has played for a Swedish and a Polish team. In Sweden, Wright earned the Basketligen Center of the Year Honors, averaging 14.2 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to lead his team to the league semifinals.

Wright’s newly-developed skills include an effective pick-and-roll game. He will also seek to showcase a variety of post moves and his ability on the offensive glass.

Following graduation, Wright entered the 2012 NBA Draft but was not selected. He was, however, given a spot on the Dallas Mavericks’ summer league squad.

Wright will look to capitalize on the D-League’s newfound prominence as the NBA’s official minor league organization. In recent years, the D-League has helped launch a number of successful NBA careers, including that of Wright’s former Harvard teammate, Jeremy Lin.

“I want to make a push at my ultimate goal, really any basketball player’s ultimate goal, to play in the NBA,” Wright said. “I feel it will allow a lot of eyes to be on me this upcoming season.”