Joining the Forgotten Maverick podcast, former Maverick Howard Wright discussed his life in basketball. While growing up in the San Diego area, Wright was one of the team’s ball boy’s during the San Diego Clippers’ 1979 and 1980 NBA seasons.  After a stellar a high school career, Wright played 4 years at Stanford before moving onto the NBA in 1990. While his NBA career consisted of playing time in just 19 games, Wright certainly had his fair share of worthwhile memories during his basketball career.

On his time as a NBA ball boy for the San Diego Clippers : “When I was 10 – 12 years old, I got to meet and be around some of my truly iconic heroes.  That’s Julius Erving, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, and Bill Walton….It really was a front row seat to some of the most entertaining and free-wheeling basketball.”

On recognizing no matter how hard he worked, his athleticism just wasn’t quite up to par to make a meaningful impact in the NBA : “I always prided myself on being in the best shape….I just wasn’t like some of these gladiators. There’s levels to this.  I love that I got a couple of fantastic years in the NBA.  But at the same time, [these guys] were next level humans that were doing the things that I aspired to do.  It didn’t matter at that point.  There was no more weight to lift, no more suicides to run.”

On his brief experience in Dallas : “The city itself….so welcoming. It was the Cowboys’ heyday, but I really appreciated the energy and the enthusiasm of the fans.”

On his Maverick’s teammates in the 1990 – 1991 NBA season : “What struck me was the professionalism. Derek Harper, Rolando Blackman, Rodney McCray, James Donaldson, Brad Davis…I understood then, what the word ‘professional’, meant.”

Today, Howard runs Global Business Development at Intel, and has been instrumental in bringing Intel’s technology into NBA arenas, including the American Airlines Center. In addition to the NBA, Howard works with sports leagues and teams around the world, including the Olympics, NFL, La Liga, PGA, and MLB.

Thanks for listening, I hope you enjoy the episode.