WASHINGTON - When former Georgetown University All-BIG EAST men's basketball player Chris Wright (C'11) was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis during his first season as a professional, he was shocked and taken aback.

But like he did throughout his career on the Hilltop, and since he began playing the sport, Wright took the approach that every obstacle had something good and bad come out of it.

He was determined to not let his diagnosis prevent him from achieving his goal of playing in the National Basketball Association. He did just that during the 2013 season, with the Dallas Mavericks, becoming the first known player with MS to play for an NBA team.

Wright has continued his professional career this year, playing with the Iowa Energy and the Bakersfield Jam in the NBA Developmental League, before going overseas again, to Italy, where he was playing Victoria Libertas Pesaro in Serie A. He spent last year in France and began his professional career in Turkey, where he was originally diagnosed..

Like many Americans who play overseas, Wright is looking forward to returning home. He is especially excited about Bowling to Fight Multiple Sclerosis, a fundraiser to benefit the Chris Wright Foundation, which he started in 2013, soon after his diagnosis.

Bowling to Fight Multiple Sclerosis will be held on Sunday, March 1 in Laurel, Md., from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Laurel AMF Bowling Center. For more information on the event, please visit www.chriswrightfoundation.org.

The Chris Wright Foundation was established to provide education and awareness to the public regarding multiple sclerosis, as well as to provide charitable giving to other non-profit organizations. In 2013, Wright held his first event to benefit the disease, the MS Basketball Jamboroee, held at St. John's College High School, his alma mater. The event featured weight and conditioning training tips for kids, a few words from Wright's doctor, Heidi Crayton, about life with MS, a charity game and appearances from former NBA players and Georgetown standouts, Jeff Green and Greg Monroe, as well as Head Coach John Thompson III.

Wright was an All-BIG EAST Third Team selection in 2010-11, when he finished second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game. The 6-1 guard led the team with 5.28 assists per game, which ranked third in the BIG EAST. He scored in double figures 18 times, including five games with at least 20 points. Wright handed out a career-high 12 assists twice during the season.

Wright became the 42nd player in Georgetown history to score 1,000 points and finished his career ranked 19th all-time in scoring on the Hilltop with 1,369 points. He also ranks sixth all-time in assists with 442 and is one of only seven players in school history to hand out at least 400.