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NBA: 30 best careers from players who skipped college

By Josh Cornelissen

LeBron James, Miami Heat and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images
LeBron James, Miami Heat and Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers. Photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images /
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Dorell Wright
Dorell Wright Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images /

30 best careers from players who skipped college – 22. Dorell Wright

Dorell Wright had the privilege of winning an NBA title with the Miami Heat as a second-year player, just old enough to enjoy some champagne with the team after their victory of the Dallas Mavericks in 2006. Wright didn’t appear in a single playoff game for the team, the youngest player on the roster not yet ready for primetime.

Wright developed from there, a bench shooter for a Heat team that slowly descended into the lottery from the championship high. He was not retained in 2010 as the Heat cleared cap space to sign LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and he signed with the Golden State Warriors.

It was there with the Warriors that Wright became the “guy before the guy.” He began breaking franchise 3-point records, hitting nine 3-pointers in a single game and setting the single-season mark at 194 in the 2010-11 campaign, which also led the NBA and ranked 41st all-time.

We all know what happened next, of course. Stephen Curry matured into his game and shattered all 3-point records for the Warriors and leaguewide. Wright’s career high of 194 is now tied for 110th just a decade later. He was a true 3-point specialist when that meant something even more than it does now.

Wright finished third in the voting for NBA Most Improved Player that season and carried that momentum into a long career. He played for 12 seasons, finishing his career with a 36.5 percent 3-point shooting mark. His younger brother, Delon Wright, played two seasons with the Utah Utes before joining the NBA.