15-year-old New York high school basketball star Jo-Jo Wright was killed in an automobile accident Wednesday afternoon.
According to Newsday, Wright was on his way to a local gymnasium for a workout when the 2012 Honda CRV carrying Wright, who was sitting in the backseat at the time of the accident, and a teammate collided with an 87-year-old male driving a 2006 Toyota, per police. The collision caused the CRV to hit a pole. Wright was rushed to Nassau University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
“I am devastated,” Uniondale coach Tom Diana said. “He was the best. A different kind of kid. He was funny and playful and full of life … And he might have been one of the most talented players to ever walk the halls at our school. He had a great future.”
Wright starred at Uniondale High School in Long Island and made an instant impact as a freshman last season, earning All-Long Island boys basketball team honors after averaging 19 points, nine assists, six rebounds and three steals per game. With Wright running the show, Uniondale went 20-2 in 2019-20, including a 19-game winning streak and a trip to the Nassau County championship game. Wright was also part of the New York Lightning AAU program.
“I know this gets lost because of what a great basketball player he was, but he was an even better person,” Diana said. “He had goals but he was always a good person.
“[Wright] wanted to be a big-time player and he had a work ethic to match that,” he added. “I don’t know who worked harder. It’s great when your best player is also your hardest worker. I have no doubt he could have become whatever he wanted in basketball.”