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If you are listening to about Sean O'Connell show, your
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source for the best news football copy, here's oc from
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the Murdoch Hyundai Studio of ESPN seven hundred ninety two
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to one half m.
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All right, during this upcoming Utah football season, the twenty
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twenty six Hall of Fame class for Utah Athletics will
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be honored in week three. That'll be the Utah State Contest.
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And one member of that Hall of Fame class is
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kind enough to join us on the Sean O'Connell Show
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right now, the Utah basketball legend, the longtime NBA veteran
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Delon right here on the show. Delan, welcome, How are you, sir?
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Hey, thank you for having me. I'm doing really well.
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You know. I'm just happy that I'm going to be
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able to come back to Utah and I'll celebrate.
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And it'll be fun to see you be celebrated. You know,
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obviously it's not at a basketball game. It'll be at
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a football game. But uh, there are a lot of
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people right now that are kind of like champing and
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pining for, uh, the glory days of Utah basketball when
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we're producing NBA players, NBA draft picks, and there's a
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lot of heavy lifting that needs to be done before
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I think we returned to that. But as an alum
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of this program and of this school, how much have
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you been able to see the changes in what's going
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on with Utah basketball And how long do you think
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it could be before or how quickly do you think
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we could get back to you know, when there's more
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delaan right type players coming through the program.
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Yeah, I like, I like for a programing to it. Now.
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We have a few young guys that's come in that
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I've been able to check out. So hopefully they can
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grow and be the anchor and the core of you know,
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the program for the future, and then you know, just
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keep on adding players. Like you know, we have the
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portal now, so just we have to hit on a
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few gyms. Like myself, you know, I wasn't expected to
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do it idea in Utah, but somebody needs the opportunity
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out there, and hopefully they get opportunity to come to
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Utah and produce and you know, we'll be able to
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get back to those glory days.
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It's probably an unfair question to ask how you made
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it happen, but you know, like you just said, you
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didn't come in with a bunch of fanfare. Maybe you
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weren't expected to end up being a consensus All American
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and an All Pac twelve type performer, but that is,
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of course exactly what you were, and that's why you
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ended up being a draft pick out of this University
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of Utah basketball program. What was it that you were
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able to capture or maybe that you know, it was
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a teammate or a coach, or maybe it's a you know,
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the village, raising the kid, whatever it is that allowed
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you to have the success you had at the University
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of Utah.
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I really think it was my village, my family, my brother.
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Obviously being an NBA player, I had a few, you know,
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I feel like, and my mindset coming in was always
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I know, I had two years to come in and
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hopefully try to change the program around, because I knew
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if I helped change the program around that it would
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make me look better. So I just always had to,
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you know, put the team first, put the university first,
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and reaped the benefits later once I left the school.
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And you know, my plan worked out perfectly, but I
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just didn't know that it was gonna plan pan out
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like this, so that was always my vision on going
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to Utah was to try to help turn turn around
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a program. Instead of going to a let's say, a
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U c l A where you you know, you can
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get lost in the shuffle. I wanted to go somewhereere
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I could stand out and you know, leave a leave
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a legacy well.
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And you certainly did stand out obviously, first round draft
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pick coming out after the college accolades that I just mentioned,
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All American status, Pac twelve, All Pack twelve Team, All
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Pack twelve defense interesting for me. I grew up here
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in the state of Utah, moved here when I was
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nine years old, and I kind of watched the transition
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of Utah being a basketball state and the University of
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Utah being a basketball school into some of that maybe
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focusing more on football. And you were part of an
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era where the football team was growing into being in
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the Pac twelve, the basketball team was growing into being
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in the Pac twelve. And it's actually basketball that had
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individuals decorated faster, right You and some of your teammates
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ended up being more I think, more of a seamless
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transition into the Pac twelve than it took the football
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team a couple more years before they really achieved the
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ultimate success and even from individual players. From your perspective
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as a basketball player, and I'm sure attending some football
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games and seeing all the hype that was going on
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there and attendance has since your era dwindled at the
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Huntsman Center. I mean, what is that like for a
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player to be on the roster, to be on the team,
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and maybe your your team is not the primary focus
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of the fan base anymore like it was when I
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was a child.
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Yeah, like that, That's exactly how it was when I
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got there. When I got there, well the year before
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when I when I committed there, they were like signing
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twenty five, So I didn't get to go to a
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game when they weren't as good, but I seen videos
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and stuff. So when I mean even my first few
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games there, the hunting wasn't really packed as it was
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when I left. So for me, like I took an
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account all those things, like all those things motivating you
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going to the football games, seeing them sold out, seeing
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how the fans, you know, really embraced the football team.
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I always knew that if things went the right way,
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that the hunting would fill up and they would want
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to see US play. You know, I was just like
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they needed a player, They needed a few of the
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guys to come rally behind, and then the other few
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guys that are there really embrace the fans, and we
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make sure we gave them a reason to come out
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in supportive.
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Dylan Wright is our guest here on the Sean O'Connell Show,
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former Utah All Everything player who will be inducted into
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the twenty twenty six Utah Athletics Hall of Fame class
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at the Utah State Game this upcoming football season. The
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university always takes pride in their athletic departments, developing NBA talent,
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developing NFL talent, developing Olympic gymnasts, developing people who go
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on to great success at the next level. And I'll
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sit here on sports talk radio and I'll brag about
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it and say, yeah, this is a great university for that,
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without ever having taken that journey myself. So I'm asking you,
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how did the University of Utah develop you into being
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an NBA player? What did your time at the University
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of Utah I do to prepare you for what you
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would eventually face in the NBA.
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Yeah, So that was also another reason why I wanted to, uh,
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you know, play for the university. You saw Larry Kostiac was,
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you know, a former NBA player, former NBA coach, and
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that was his selling point to me was, you know,
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our style of play was going to be similar to
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to a NBA system. So they did a great job
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of implementing me into that system and letting me, uh
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kind of have the freedom they gave me, which was
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to make decisions for you know, the team, whether I
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was on defense or offense. So I feel like the
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system being playing under Larry Kiak was very beneficial for me.
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And you know, the assistant coach did a great job
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also when he wasn't around, of keeping me accountable and
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keeping the rest of my team's accountable.
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How many of your teammates you still talk to on
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a regular basis. I mean a lot of these guys
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are working in offices now, and obviously some of you
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are still in the NBA. Is there like a is
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there a running youth group chat from the fourteen to
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fifteen season still?
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Oh no, we don't have a group chat, but I
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talked to about six or seven of the guys just
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checking in. I know everybody has their own lives now,
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A lot of a lot of everybody the fathers now,
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So you know, you just try to check in when
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when you can. And I'm pretty sure one day once
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everybody's done playing and all settled in a new life
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where all we'll all meet up and get to rumins.
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The lone Where Where does you know, being inducted into
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your alma maters Hall of Fame? Where does this rank
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for you? How meaningful is this for you as someone
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who's obviously gone on to a really healthy NBA career,
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and right you've made an incredible career for yourself and
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the future for your family based on being a great
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basketball player. So I could see maybe college and the
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importance of your college experience kind of fading because of
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what you've done at the NBA level. But I don't
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want to put words in your mouth. How meaningful is
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this for you to be recognized by the University of Utah?
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Do you know what? I was just thinking about that
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the other day. So when I was getting all the
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accolades for Utah, you know, to the Bob Coosey, the
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first team, first team off back twelve, I was just like, Okay,
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that's just another thing I want like, I'm not really
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you know, I was excited for it, but I always
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have bigger goals, and now that I'm pretty much done playing,
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is very surreal to get in ADUCTEEP into the Utah
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all the same. So I would say it's up there
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with being drafted, because you know that that's me leaving
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the legacy, you know, behind for my kids and my
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grandkids to see. So I would say it's right up
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there with being drafted and playing in the NBA.
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So what's going to be next for Delon Wright? Have
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you have you planned out this next chapter? If the
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NBA career is indeed over? Uh, do you know what
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you're gonna do next?
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Yeah? I just want to get the ten years which
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I did in the NBA. I'm not a fish to retire,
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but you know, I've just been golfing and hanging in
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Los Angeles with my family, enjoying not having to get
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up and work out and you know, the grind of
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a of a basketball season. So I haven't officially maybe planned,
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but you just say I'm golfing and just figuring out
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life right now.
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Well, to be fair though, I mean you you could
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do that, but you're gonna get bored of it, even
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that at some point, will you be we be a
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basketball lifer, Will you be a coach? At some point,
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will you be in a personnel department maybe somewhere. Could
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you see yourself back maybe at the University of Utah?
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They need they need a lot of help right now
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to develop this program. Are you going to be a
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basketball lifer who always works in some capacity in the game.
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Yeah. When I was playing, I always said no. I
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always said I couldn't be a coach because you know,
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they're they're at the office and at the gym, loan
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in the players, and you know, I always fought against that.
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But I'll say now that maybe in a few years
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I'll get back to it. But as of now, I
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don't really I don't really see myself doing anything with basketball.
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I would love to explore to do something else and
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excel at that. But if if it all comes with,
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you know, Pusshuve, I'll come back into basketball in some capacity.
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I would love to do something with Utah. If i'll
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do you know what, that's the academic department. I don't
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only see myself coaching, but something in a you know,
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the academic department or athletic departments. Sorry not athletics.
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Well, I'm always interested when it comes to professional athletes
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in this because right this this time, transitioning out of
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being an athlete can be tough. Being a basketball player
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is a huge part of your identity. And like, if
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you're if you're not going to stay in basketball, and
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we'll just go with that assumption for now. What else
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interests you?
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What?
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What else are you into or have you been into?
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Are you a guy who, like you don't know real estate?
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There's guys in fashion, there's dudes who are entrepreneurial. What
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what intrigues you? As you know, you keep these possibilities open.
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Yes, I am heavy into real estate. If I'm not
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watching golf, I'm watching like house tours n It's a YouTube.
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It's a YouTube channel where they show like, you know,
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fifty million, hundred million dollar houses, and that kind of
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intrigues me to one day try to build something or
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live in one of those times. I don't know whatever,
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whatever happens happens, but yeah, real estate, I can see
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myself to diveing into that heavy. It's a whole in
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the world. So I've just been trying to learn it
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and see if it's for me, but that's probably number
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one on my lists.
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Did you have a favorite NBA stop? I mean, you
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got to be a lot of different places in your career.
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Was there one season or one place that stands out
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for you is the most meaningful or the most fun
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or anything like that.
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Yeah, definitely Toronto. Being trapped there and being there for
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three and a half years was probably my favorite stop,
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just because, you know, I got to see a lot
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of underdog type of players grow into superstar star rows,
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you know, that whole bench mob on my you know
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that I was on a part of all became starters.
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So that was very unique for fourth year seniors to
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come into the NBA and become All Stars and seniors.
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So that was that was That was probably my favorite stop,
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just because I was there the longest.
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Your final stop, if it is your final stop, is
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the eventual New the eventual world champions in the New
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York Knicks.
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Uh.
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What's it like to be part of a franchise going
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through that kind of like renaissance revival and getting back
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to you know, the legendary championship season that they ended
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up with.
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That was unfortunately my second team that did that. The
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Raptors won right when got traded, and then the next one,
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you know, the next year I left, So I don't
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know if it's something. I don't know if it's me
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or if something's going to come back around for me
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to win one day. But yeah, it was crazy to
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be a part of going to the Eastern Conference finals.
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The previous year they won it, and then the im
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pretty much running it back and one into the finals.
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It was a very unique to see the city come
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alive and support their New York Knicks. And I was
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happy for those guys because all those guys are good guys.
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And when I got one of my injuries, they all
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checked on me and made sure I was good, and
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I stayed in contact with Og the most, and you know,
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I was rooting for him. So I'm glad that they won,
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and I'm glad that New York was able to celebrate
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after fifty plus years.
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I was just in New York last weekend, and I've
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had to travel there a bunch in recent years, and
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it's wild how just more visible the Knicks fandom is
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now that they have won that championship than it was
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even like three or four years ago. They've taken kind
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of the number one spot. It seems like in the
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city again over from the Yankees or from the Jets
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or the Giants or anything else. It's like New York
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is once again a Knicks town, if that makes sense.
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Yeah, definitely. Even on the road wherever we went, we
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probably had just as much fans of the opposing home team.
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So I didn't realize that was, you know, such a
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big fan base until I'll play for them and I
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can see, you know, how that can how that city
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can be a mixed you know city. Now, before I let.
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You go, Delon, you know, you're going in as an
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individual Hall of Famer at the University of Utah. When
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people are you know, talking about the great utes of
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all time, your name is going to be put on
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that on that list because of your college accomplishments at
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Bob Coosey Award, because of your uh, you know, your
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your NBA career that followed after your draft position, all
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that stuff. What would you like Utah fans to know?
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What would you like Utah fans to say about you
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when it comes to legacy and being a Utah basketball player.
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Yeah, just I was a good, humble guy. I never
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put myself before the team, and I knew that with
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the team success would come individual success and that was
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always my main goal coming there. And I know that
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I'm getting the recognition, but it was truly a team effort,
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from the coaching staff to the training staff, all my teammates,
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the fan base who motivated me, you know, seeing seeing
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them get behind me once the teams start to or
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not get behind me, but get behind the you know,
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my teammates and I once we start to get better
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and put a better effort into winning. And I just
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embraced Utah so much. All my golf head covers, I
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have Utah everything all around my house Utah. So I
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really am Utah through and through. And this is truly
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honor for me to you know, getting duned into the
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Utah Athletics Hall of Fame. So I just you know,
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I'm very proud that I have going into this and
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I'm not getting a recognition once again, but this is
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you know, a community award.
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Well, congratulations, we look forward to seeing you at the
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game coming up, and congrats on a great career. Hopefully
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we see around Salt Lake City more often.
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Delon, Thank you, thank you, A pleasure, pleasure of being
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here and talking to you guys, and I look forward
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to seeing you guys, you know. Coming up soon.
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That is Delon Wright going into the Utah Athletics Hall
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of Fame with the twenty twenty six class. Zane Beatles,
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Daria b Jack, Katrin Smigen from Skiing, Delon Wright, Jerry Pim,
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former basketball head coach, and the nineteen ninety one softball
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team are going in. Good get James awesome to catch
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up with the lawn, right, big fan of the LANU,
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and he carved out a really nice career for himself,
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a lot of like not probably not the traditional path
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in the NBA, right he was changing teams as often
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as he did, but man, making it more than a
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decade in the top league in the in the world, obviously,
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and that's a that's an accomplishment in and of itself.
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If you are listening to about Sean O'Connell show, your
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source for the best news football copy, here's oc from
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the Murdoch Hyundai Studio of ESPN seven hundred ninety two
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to one half m.
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All right, during this upcoming Utah football season, the twenty
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twenty six Hall of Fame class for Utah Athletics will
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be honored in week three. That'll be the Utah State Contest.
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And one member of that Hall of Fame class is
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kind enough to join us on the Sean O'Connell Show
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right now, the Utah basketball legend, the longtime NBA veteran
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Delon right here on the show. Delan, welcome, How are you, sir?
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Hey, thank you for having me. I'm doing really well.
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You know. I'm just happy that I'm going to be
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able to come back to Utah and I'll celebrate.
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And it'll be fun to see you be celebrated. You know,
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obviously it's not at a basketball game. It'll be at
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a football game. But uh, there are a lot of
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people right now that are kind of like champing and
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pining for, uh, the glory days of Utah basketball when
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we're producing NBA players, NBA draft picks, and there's a
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lot of heavy lifting that needs to be done before
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I think we returned to that. But as an alum
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of this program and of this school, how much have
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you been able to see the changes in what's going
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on with Utah basketball And how long do you think
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it could be before or how quickly do you think
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we could get back to you know, when there's more
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delaan right type players coming through the program.
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Yeah, I like, I like for a programing to it. Now.
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We have a few young guys that's come in that
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I've been able to check out. So hopefully they can
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grow and be the anchor and the core of you know,
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the program for the future, and then you know, just
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keep on adding players. Like you know, we have the
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portal now, so just we have to hit on a
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few gyms. Like myself, you know, I wasn't expected to
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do it idea in Utah, but somebody needs the opportunity
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out there, and hopefully they get opportunity to come to
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Utah and produce and you know, we'll be able to
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get back to those glory days.
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It's probably an unfair question to ask how you made
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it happen, but you know, like you just said, you
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didn't come in with a bunch of fanfare. Maybe you
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weren't expected to end up being a consensus All American
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and an All Pac twelve type performer, but that is,
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of course exactly what you were, and that's why you
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ended up being a draft pick out of this University
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of Utah basketball program. What was it that you were
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able to capture or maybe that you know, it was
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a teammate or a coach, or maybe it's a you know,
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the village, raising the kid, whatever it is that allowed
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you to have the success you had at the University
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of Utah.
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I really think it was my village, my family, my brother.
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Obviously being an NBA player, I had a few, you know,
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I feel like, and my mindset coming in was always
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I know, I had two years to come in and
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hopefully try to change the program around, because I knew
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if I helped change the program around that it would
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make me look better. So I just always had to,
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you know, put the team first, put the university first,
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and reaped the benefits later once I left the school.
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And you know, my plan worked out perfectly, but I
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just didn't know that it was gonna plan pan out
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like this, so that was always my vision on going
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to Utah was to try to help turn turn around
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a program. Instead of going to a let's say, a
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U c l A where you you know, you can
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get lost in the shuffle. I wanted to go somewhereere
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I could stand out and you know, leave a leave
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a legacy well.
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And you certainly did stand out obviously, first round draft
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pick coming out after the college accolades that I just mentioned,
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All American status, Pac twelve, All Pack twelve Team, All
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Pack twelve defense interesting for me. I grew up here
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in the state of Utah, moved here when I was
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nine years old, and I kind of watched the transition
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of Utah being a basketball state and the University of
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Utah being a basketball school into some of that maybe
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focusing more on football. And you were part of an
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era where the football team was growing into being in
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the Pac twelve, the basketball team was growing into being
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in the Pac twelve. And it's actually basketball that had
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individuals decorated faster, right You and some of your teammates
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ended up being more I think, more of a seamless
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transition into the Pac twelve than it took the football
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team a couple more years before they really achieved the
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ultimate success and even from individual players. From your perspective
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as a basketball player, and I'm sure attending some football
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games and seeing all the hype that was going on
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there and attendance has since your era dwindled at the
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Huntsman Center. I mean, what is that like for a
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player to be on the roster, to be on the team,
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and maybe your your team is not the primary focus
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of the fan base anymore like it was when I
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was a child.
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Yeah, like that, That's exactly how it was when I
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got there. When I got there, well the year before
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when I when I committed there, they were like signing
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twenty five, So I didn't get to go to a
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game when they weren't as good, but I seen videos
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and stuff. So when I mean even my first few
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games there, the hunting wasn't really packed as it was
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when I left. So for me, like I took an
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account all those things, like all those things motivating you
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going to the football games, seeing them sold out, seeing
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how the fans, you know, really embraced the football team.
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I always knew that if things went the right way,
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that the hunting would fill up and they would want
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to see US play. You know, I was just like
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they needed a player, They needed a few of the
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guys to come rally behind, and then the other few
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guys that are there really embrace the fans, and we
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make sure we gave them a reason to come out
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in supportive.
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Dylan Wright is our guest here on the Sean O'Connell Show,
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former Utah All Everything player who will be inducted into
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the twenty twenty six Utah Athletics Hall of Fame class
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at the Utah State Game this upcoming football season. The
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university always takes pride in their athletic departments, developing NBA talent,
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developing NFL talent, developing Olympic gymnasts, developing people who go
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on to great success at the next level. And I'll
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sit here on sports talk radio and I'll brag about
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it and say, yeah, this is a great university for that,
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without ever having taken that journey myself. So I'm asking you,
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how did the University of Utah develop you into being
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an NBA player? What did your time at the University
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of Utah I do to prepare you for what you
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would eventually face in the NBA.
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Yeah, So that was also another reason why I wanted to, uh,
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you know, play for the university. You saw Larry Kostiac was,
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you know, a former NBA player, former NBA coach, and
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that was his selling point to me was, you know,
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our style of play was going to be similar to
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to a NBA system. So they did a great job
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of implementing me into that system and letting me, uh
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kind of have the freedom they gave me, which was
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to make decisions for you know, the team, whether I
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was on defense or offense. So I feel like the
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system being playing under Larry Kiak was very beneficial for me.
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And you know, the assistant coach did a great job
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also when he wasn't around, of keeping me accountable and
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keeping the rest of my team's accountable.
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How many of your teammates you still talk to on
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a regular basis. I mean a lot of these guys
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are working in offices now, and obviously some of you
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are still in the NBA. Is there like a is
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there a running youth group chat from the fourteen to
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fifteen season still?
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Oh no, we don't have a group chat, but I
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talked to about six or seven of the guys just
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checking in. I know everybody has their own lives now,
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A lot of a lot of everybody the fathers now,
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So you know, you just try to check in when
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when you can. And I'm pretty sure one day once
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everybody's done playing and all settled in a new life
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where all we'll all meet up and get to rumins.
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The lone Where Where does you know, being inducted into
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your alma maters Hall of Fame? Where does this rank
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for you? How meaningful is this for you as someone
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who's obviously gone on to a really healthy NBA career,
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and right you've made an incredible career for yourself and
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the future for your family based on being a great
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basketball player. So I could see maybe college and the
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importance of your college experience kind of fading because of
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what you've done at the NBA level. But I don't
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want to put words in your mouth. How meaningful is
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this for you to be recognized by the University of Utah?
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Do you know what? I was just thinking about that
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the other day. So when I was getting all the
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accolades for Utah, you know, to the Bob Coosey, the
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first team, first team off back twelve, I was just like, Okay,
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that's just another thing I want like, I'm not really
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you know, I was excited for it, but I always
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have bigger goals, and now that I'm pretty much done playing,
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is very surreal to get in ADUCTEEP into the Utah
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all the same. So I would say it's up there
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with being drafted, because you know that that's me leaving
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the legacy, you know, behind for my kids and my
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grandkids to see. So I would say it's right up
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there with being drafted and playing in the NBA.
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So what's going to be next for Delon Wright? Have
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you have you planned out this next chapter? If the
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NBA career is indeed over? Uh, do you know what
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you're gonna do next?
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Yeah? I just want to get the ten years which
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I did in the NBA. I'm not a fish to retire,
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but you know, I've just been golfing and hanging in
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Los Angeles with my family, enjoying not having to get
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up and work out and you know, the grind of
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a of a basketball season. So I haven't officially maybe planned,
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but you just say I'm golfing and just figuring out
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life right now.
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Well, to be fair though, I mean you you could
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do that, but you're gonna get bored of it, even
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that at some point, will you be we be a
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basketball lifer, Will you be a coach? At some point,
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will you be in a personnel department maybe somewhere. Could
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you see yourself back maybe at the University of Utah?
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They need they need a lot of help right now
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to develop this program. Are you going to be a
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basketball lifer who always works in some capacity in the game.
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Yeah. When I was playing, I always said no. I
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always said I couldn't be a coach because you know,
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they're they're at the office and at the gym, loan
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in the players, and you know, I always fought against that.
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But I'll say now that maybe in a few years
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I'll get back to it. But as of now, I
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don't really I don't really see myself doing anything with basketball.
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I would love to explore to do something else and
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excel at that. But if if it all comes with,
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you know, Pusshuve, I'll come back into basketball in some capacity.
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I would love to do something with Utah. If i'll
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do you know what, that's the academic department. I don't
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only see myself coaching, but something in a you know,
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the academic department or athletic departments. Sorry not athletics.
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Well, I'm always interested when it comes to professional athletes
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in this because right this this time, transitioning out of
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being an athlete can be tough. Being a basketball player
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is a huge part of your identity. And like, if
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you're if you're not going to stay in basketball, and
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we'll just go with that assumption for now. What else
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interests you?
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What?
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What else are you into or have you been into?
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Are you a guy who, like you don't know real estate?
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There's guys in fashion, there's dudes who are entrepreneurial. What
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what intrigues you? As you know, you keep these possibilities open.
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Yes, I am heavy into real estate. If I'm not
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watching golf, I'm watching like house tours n It's a YouTube.
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It's a YouTube channel where they show like, you know,
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fifty million, hundred million dollar houses, and that kind of
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intrigues me to one day try to build something or
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live in one of those times. I don't know whatever,
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whatever happens happens, but yeah, real estate, I can see
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myself to diveing into that heavy. It's a whole in
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the world. So I've just been trying to learn it
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and see if it's for me, but that's probably number
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one on my lists.
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Did you have a favorite NBA stop? I mean, you
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got to be a lot of different places in your career.
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Was there one season or one place that stands out
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for you is the most meaningful or the most fun
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or anything like that.
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Yeah, definitely Toronto. Being trapped there and being there for
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three and a half years was probably my favorite stop,
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just because, you know, I got to see a lot
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of underdog type of players grow into superstar star rows,
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you know, that whole bench mob on my you know
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that I was on a part of all became starters.
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So that was very unique for fourth year seniors to
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come into the NBA and become All Stars and seniors.
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So that was that was That was probably my favorite stop,
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just because I was there the longest.
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Your final stop, if it is your final stop, is
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the eventual New the eventual world champions in the New
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York Knicks.
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Uh.
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What's it like to be part of a franchise going
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through that kind of like renaissance revival and getting back
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to you know, the legendary championship season that they ended
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up with.
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That was unfortunately my second team that did that. The
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Raptors won right when got traded, and then the next one,
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you know, the next year I left, So I don't
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know if it's something. I don't know if it's me
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or if something's going to come back around for me
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to win one day. But yeah, it was crazy to
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be a part of going to the Eastern Conference finals.
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The previous year they won it, and then the im
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pretty much running it back and one into the finals.
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It was a very unique to see the city come
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alive and support their New York Knicks. And I was
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happy for those guys because all those guys are good guys.
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And when I got one of my injuries, they all
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checked on me and made sure I was good, and
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I stayed in contact with Og the most, and you know,
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I was rooting for him. So I'm glad that they won,
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and I'm glad that New York was able to celebrate
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after fifty plus years.
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I was just in New York last weekend, and I've
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had to travel there a bunch in recent years, and
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it's wild how just more visible the Knicks fandom is
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now that they have won that championship than it was
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even like three or four years ago. They've taken kind
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of the number one spot. It seems like in the
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city again over from the Yankees or from the Jets
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or the Giants or anything else. It's like New York
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is once again a Knicks town, if that makes sense.
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Yeah, definitely. Even on the road wherever we went, we
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probably had just as much fans of the opposing home team.
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So I didn't realize that was, you know, such a
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big fan base until I'll play for them and I
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can see, you know, how that can how that city
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can be a mixed you know city. Now, before I let.
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You go, Delon, you know, you're going in as an
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individual Hall of Famer at the University of Utah. When
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people are you know, talking about the great utes of
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all time, your name is going to be put on
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that on that list because of your college accomplishments at
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Bob Coosey Award, because of your uh, you know, your
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your NBA career that followed after your draft position, all
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that stuff. What would you like Utah fans to know?
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What would you like Utah fans to say about you
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when it comes to legacy and being a Utah basketball player.
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Yeah, just I was a good, humble guy. I never
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put myself before the team, and I knew that with
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the team success would come individual success and that was
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always my main goal coming there. And I know that
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I'm getting the recognition, but it was truly a team effort,
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from the coaching staff to the training staff, all my teammates,
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the fan base who motivated me, you know, seeing seeing
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them get behind me once the teams start to or
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not get behind me, but get behind the you know,
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my teammates and I once we start to get better
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and put a better effort into winning. And I just
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embraced Utah so much. All my golf head covers, I
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have Utah everything all around my house Utah. So I
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really am Utah through and through. And this is truly
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honor for me to you know, getting duned into the
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Utah Athletics Hall of Fame. So I just you know,
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I'm very proud that I have going into this and
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I'm not getting a recognition once again, but this is
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you know, a community award.
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Well, congratulations, we look forward to seeing you at the
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game coming up, and congrats on a great career. Hopefully
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we see around Salt Lake City more often.
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Delon, Thank you, thank you, A pleasure, pleasure of being
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here and talking to you guys, and I look forward
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to seeing you guys, you know. Coming up soon.
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That is Delon Wright going into the Utah Athletics Hall
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of Fame with the twenty twenty six class. Zane Beatles,
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Daria b Jack, Katrin Smigen from Skiing, Delon Wright, Jerry Pim,
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former basketball head coach, and the nineteen ninety one softball
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team are going in. Good get James awesome to catch
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up with the lawn, right, big fan of the LANU,
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and he carved out a really nice career for himself,
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a lot of like not probably not the traditional path
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in the NBA, right he was changing teams as often
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as he did, but man, making it more than a
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decade in the top league in the in the world, obviously,
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and that's a that's an accomplishment in and of itself.
