‘I embrace it’: What this former Runnin’ Ute says about latest stop on his NBA journey

DALLAS — Since his two seasons at Utah, where he became the first Runnin’ Ute to earn first-team All-Pac-12 honors in back-to-back seasons, Delon Wright has embarked on his version of a basketball odyssey. Wright, 32, a first-round pick (20th overall) in the 2015 NBA draft by Toronto, is now with Milwaukee, his ninth team since making his NBA debut with the Raptors in November 2015.
“(Before) I was looking at it like another team, people are going to talk bad about me (for moving around so much), but I embrace it now,” Wright said prior to the Bucks’ Oct. 17 preseason finale in Dallas. “A new opportunity, new chance to prove myself to a different fanbase. Yeah, I just try to go in and introduce myself to new fans.”
No matter whether he’s been with Toronto, Memphis, Dallas, Detroit, Sacramento, Atlanta, Washington, Miami, or his current club, Milwaukee, the ex-Ute has always enjoyed his trips back to Utah to face the Jazz for several reasons.
“I’ve been on a lot of teams, but Utah is still one of my favorite places to go back to. Just seeing the Utah fans, they still support me,” Wright said. “They don’t boo me too much (even though I’m on the other team), which is cool. I always like going back to Utah.”
Runnin’ Utes fans remember his two seasons in Salt Lake City well and for good reason. As a junior, he averaged 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, earning first-team All-Pac 12 honors and a spot on the league’s all-defensive team.
Wright followed that stellar campaign up with a senior year where he averaged 14.5 points, 5.1 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and one block per game, while starting and playing in all 35 games for the Utes. Again, he earned first-team all-conference honors and was also on the Pac 12 all-defensive team. The younger brother of former NBA player Dorell Wright, who was part of an NBA championship team with Miami in 2006, was also honored with the 2015 Bob Cousy Award, given annually to the nation’s top collegiate point guard, and earned second-team All-America honors.
“Yeah, it (Utah) was just one of those places I felt like I was going to be able to fit in and showcase myself to get to the next level. A lot of people were surprised I was going there because when I committed, they were 5-28, but I saw the vision,” Wright said. “I made a leap of faith, but I was happy with it. I think one of my first memories (as a Ute) is going on my visit there. We played BYU in football. We won and they stormed the field. I was excited just to be at college and to have that first college atmosphere, first college experience, it was really fun. My first experiences are always my best.”
And as someone who played in the Pac-12, he admits it’s still jarring to see what happened to the conference he once starred in.
“Very weird. I feel like it’s similar from when they went from the Pac-10 to the Pac-12 and Utah got added,” Wright said. “A lot of people thought it was weird at first but (it was) something you got used to. Definitely not used to the new landscape and everybody that has changed conferences.”
That weirdness now extends to seeing the Utes in the Big 12 Conference alongside in-state rival BYU, who joined the league prior to last season. “Yeah, for sure (it’s strange, the Utes in the Big 12),” Wright said. “They were in the WAC before too, a lot of the teams have moved over, but it’s very weird. Even in football, USC is (now) in the Big Ten. It’s going to take a few years to get used to the new conferences.”
No matter which jersey he’s adorned in the Association, the ex-Ute star considers himself fortunate to have played for some great coaches and includes his current coach, Glenn “Doc” Rivers, who led Boston to the 2008 NBA title, on that list. “It’s been fun so far. I’d always see him on TV coaching, but to now be coached by him, very interesting,” Wright said. “I’m excited to see the way this season unfolds.”
And Rivers, who has respected Wright’s game as an opposing coach for years, is happy to now have him on his roster. “(He’s) just solid, it’s exactly what we needed — solid, veteran, pro, does what he needs to do, a very underrated defender,” Rivers said. “I don’t know if he’s underrated, but he’s a terrific defender and he’s a guy that gets along. He can go into any locker room and he’s going to be a guy that everybody likes. That’s gold.”
Wright is equally ecstatic about playing alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, a two-time NBA MVP who led the Bucks to their first title in franchise history in 2021. He’s also shared the floor with two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard in Toronto and with Luka Doncic, a first-team All-NBA performer the past five seasons and one of the league’s most exciting players, in Dallas.
“Right now, he (Antetokounmpo) would have to be one because I don’t think I’ve played with a league MVP but Kawhi (Leonard) was a Finals MVP,” he said. “I would say him (Giannis), Kawhi, and Luka (Doncic) so far (are the greatest players I’ve played with). Those are my top three players. He (Doncic) was a second-year player (when I was in Dallas).”
No matter where his basketball travels have taken him, Wright still takes time to keep up with how the Utes are faring on the field and court. “Basketball wise, I think they’re doing pretty solid. I would love for them to get back to where we were when I left.”
Stephen Hunt is a freelance writer based in Frisco, Texas.