Faced with tough times since he was a boy, Buducnost's point guard takes his first season in Europe as a challenge to be mastered.
Buducnost's Wright is conquering his latest challenge
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The fact that McKinley Wright IV has excelled in his European debut with Buducnost VOLI Podgorica shouldn't be a surprise. He reminds himself that he can conquer any challenge whenever he looks at his social media profile.
The banner photo atop Wright's Twitter/X page shows a sign with the phrase: "Ur gonna figure it out. Like u always have."
"There's been a lot of trials and tribulations in my life. I've been through more than the average kid, and I always managed to figure it out," Wright explained. "It's just a self-reminder that whenever I'm going through a hard time I will find a way to figure it out – like I have since a child."
The Buducnost guard is shining in his first season in Europe, averaging 11.9 points and 4.7 assists for the Montenegrin team in the EuroCup.
"It's been a great learning experience," Wright said. "I'm still adjusting but catching on to the playing style quickly. It's different from the NBA, but the experience has been good."
One of the biggest challenges Wright has faced was not having his father around as he was growing up. McKinley Wright III was sentenced to a lengthy prison term when Wright IV was just seven years old.
"He helped me a lot from prison, always stayed on me and made sure I was doing good in school, staying out of trouble, and in the gym working," Wright recalled.
Despite his father's trials and tribulations, the Buducnost said he always proudly bore the IV with his last name.
"Yeah, my roman numeral means a lot to me. It's a generational name that I'm super proud to be apart of. I never got to meet the II or
I, so I do everything I can to make them proud and listen to the stories that my dad has about them," Wright said.
Wright graduated from the University of Colorado in 2021 and split the last two seasons between the NBA and the G-League. Last season he was with the Texas Legends and also appeared in 25 games with the Dallas Mavericks.
Wright really valued his time playing alongside and competing in practice against Dallas superstar Luka Doncic.
"Luka is a great teammate, a funny guy. Just watching him control the game with his pace and never being sped up is something anyone can learn," he said. "It was also great to be on the floor with him at times. He's really an encouraging teammate and wants to help all his teammates get better."
After playing a smaller role for the first few months, Wright got much more playing time at the end of last season with the Mavericks, playing at least 20 minutes in five of his seven games in March and April. Three times he scored in double figures and in those seven games he collected 21 assists with just 7 turnovers.
"That final stretch gave me a ton of confidence," he said. "In my mind I am an NBA player and I believe I belong there. Not that Europe isn't great for basketball, but my plan is to get back into the NBA."
Wright's time here in Europe is just another challenge he plans on conquering – just like others in his past.