Living with MS, Chris Wright forges inspirational basketball journey

"You have to be obsessed to play this game. Every time I stepped in between those lines when I was in Europe, I told myself that I was the best in the arena, no matter what," said former professional basketball player Chris Wright to this writer.

- By TYRESE ALLEYNE-DAVIS Special to the AmNews

At 35, the Washington, D.C., native has played against some of the toughest competition basketball has to offer. Yet, his most difficult opponent arrived off the court in 2012, when he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis at just 23 years old.

Wright first noticed tingling and numbness while playing professionally in Turkey. The symptoms worsened, and doctors later confirmed he had MS, an autoimmune disease that damages the protective covering of nerves in the body. The diagnosis was life-altering, but not life-defining. After returning home, he began the fight to reclaim his career. Due to his strong relationship with his former college coach at Georgetown University, John Thompson III., Wright and his family were given access to the university's medical staff, where he started the long process of understanding the condition and regaining his strength.