THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
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VOLUME 118ISSUE 133
TRACK AND FIELD
Kansas Relays to feature star athletes
The 81st annual Kansas Relays began Wednesday. This year's meet will feature competition from more than 150 colleges. Raffles for big prizes will also be given away at the event, which is free with a KUID.
FULL STORY PAGE 8A
》 FINE ARTS
University Archives, Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas 1930 photograph of Elizabeth Sherbon with a fellow student performing in KU dance faculty Elizabeth Dunkel's "Trees" on the KU campus.
Celebration honors dance instructor's life accomplishments
Elizabeth Sherbon leadership made the dance program at the University what it is today. This weekend the department will honor her contributions by holding the Elizabeth Sherbon Centennial celebration.
FULL STORY PAGE 8A
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Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
Julian Wright stands in front of his home in English Turn, an upscale residential community in New Orleans. Wright played for Kansas but left last season to play as a reserve for the New Orleans Hornets. Check out a video tour of his home online at Kansan.com.
THE 'WRIGHT'CHOICE
JULIAN LIVES LARGE IN THE BIG EASY
@KANSAN.COM
Mindy Ricketts/KANSAN
ON THE WEB
Wright reaches for one of his custom bowling balls at AMF All-Stars, a 64-lane bowling alley in Kenner, La. He has four 15-pound balls designed to handle different lane conditions and pin arrangements.
- Video of Julian Wright at the bowling alley
• A multimedia slideshow of Julian in his car
• A "Cribs" -style tour of his house.
Go to Kansan.com for
A photo gallery
LINKS
www.nba.com/hornets
www.nba.com/playerfile/julian_wright/
www.nba.com
BY JEFF DETERS jdeters@kansan.com
New Orleans — Julian Wright brakes his sleek black 2008 Nissan Armada to a stop at the security gate of an upscale New Orleans suburb. The woman in the booth knows him by name. He smiles, says hello and the crossbar rises. He steers past two-story red-brick and stone houses with lush green lawns dotted with palm trees, turns through a black iron gate and stops in the driveway. A "Welcome" sign greets him at the front door as he steps inside his home.
One year ago, Wright was a KU sophomore forward for the men's basketball team, and his compensation included tuition, a shared room at the Jayhawker Towers and meals. He dined with students at Mrs. E's cafeteria and the Underground, drove a seven-year-old silver Chrysler Concord and was on pace to graduate in three years.
Today, he is an NBA rookie who has traded in his school books for basketball fulltime as a reserve for the New Orleans Hornets. At age 20, he is a multimillionaire who lives a luxurious lifestyle that millions dream about but only a few can live. Wright enjoys owning his own home, competing for an NBA Championship, driving in the fast lane and bowling with teammates. He acknowledges his good fortune and knows he must manage his money wisely. He wants to give back both to his family who supported him and to those who are less fortunate. And, at the same time former teammates Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur and Mario Chalmers ponder whether to join him in the NBA, Wright looks forward to returning to Kansas to complete some unfinished business.
HOME LIFE
Wright lives in his own stylish house in English Turn, an elite residential community in south New Orleans, where homes start at $400,000 and can cost well more than $1 million. Wright said he wanted to live far from downtown to avoid distractions so he
could focus on basketball.
Most of his family has relocated from Chicago to be with him, although, his father, Paul Vinson, still lives in Chicago and works as a postal worker. Julian's older brother, Andre, 26, lives with him. He cooks, cleans and takes care of Julian's errands when he's on the road. Their mother, Gina Wright, quit her job at an ad agency in Chicago and now lives nearby in the same subdivision in a house Julian bought her as a gift for raising him.
"It's a good feeling to make decisions on your own," Wright said. "That's part of becoming a man."
"A lot of hard work has paid off," he said. "It was a no-brainer to tend to my mother's wishes. I'm glad I've been able to do that. I can't take credit for all my successes. It started with her."
Gina keeps an eye on her sons and enjoys cooking them their favorite spaghetti and chili dinners at Julian's house. She said they appreciated spending time together because Julian's travel schedule of 41 road games sometimes made that difficult.
Julian's life typifies that of an NBA rookie. He owns a nice house, but its rumped disorder is what you would expect from a 20-year-old college student. He likes to read, write poetry, take long naps, play on his computer and shop online for shoes, especially Nike Fusions, like the white and blue ones on his feet. At 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds, Wright needs ample room and food, and he has both. His fridge is completely full. Three gallon-jugs of milk, two dozen eggs, Hershey's chocolate syrup, meats and bread fill the shelves. His diet is a mix of health and junk food. He regularly eats vegetables, potatoes, pasta, seafood, gumbo and jumbalaya, his favorite food. He also drinks plenty of water and Gatorade to keep his body hydrated for grueling NBA practices.
His living room is where he lives like a king and like a kid. A large flat screen Panasonic TV is stationed at the front, where X-Box video games and DVDs spill out from containers. He's always playing video games, even in his bedroom where
SEE WRIGHT ON PAGE 4A
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