The Philadelphia 76ers today announced that the team has hired Todd Wright as Assistant Coach, Head of Strength and Conditioning. Wright brings with him 21 years of experience and is widely recognized within the field for his ability to develop players using innovative basketball-specific strength and conditioning techniques.
“We feel fortunate to now call Todd Wright a Sixer,” said President of Basketball Operations and General Manager Sam Hinkie. “His reputation as a trainer of basketball players is second to none. His values and his ability to form genuine, lasting relationships with athletes to help them achieve their goals are both heavily aligned with our organization and with our player development in Philadelphia. When it became clear that the University of Texas was to make a change in their men’s basketball program, I booked a flight to Austin within 10 minutes.”
Prior to joining the Sixers, Wright was the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Texas Longhorns men’s basketball team for 14 seasons, during which time he supervised the development of 16 players selected in the NBA Draft, six All-Americans and two recipients of the prestigious Wooden Award as the national player of the year. During his 21 years at the collegiate level with the University of Texas and Clemson University, Wright participated in 19 NCAA tournaments, including 17 consecutive appearances between the two schools.
Wright is also a well-respected speaker in the field of strength and conditioning, having presented on the subject of “Vertical Core Training,” which he developed. Many of Wright’s unique training methodologies have been nationally recognized in numerous publications. He is also a member of the National Strength and Conditioning Association, is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and a Fellow of Applied Functional Science.
“Our additions of Dr. David T. Martin and Todd Wright are further evidence of our desire to be considered world class in the fields of sport science and athletic performance. Our players invest enormous amounts of time into their individual games and their bodies, and we hope to provide them every opportunity to become strong and resilient, to maximize their playing potential, and to lengthen their careers,” Hinkie said.
Jesse Wright, the Sixers previous Head Strength & Conditioning Coach, was integral in the worldwide search and recruitment of Martin and the recruitment of Todd Wright to join the Sixers. Jesse Wright has been elevated to a newly created performance science position. In his new role, he will work closely with Martin and Todd Wright, with a focus on implementing the newest training, fitness, and recovery initiatives.
