Exercise helps pro basketball player Chris Wright manage his multiple sclerosis

Chris Wright remembers the moment he knew something was wrong. It was February 2012, and he was playing his first season in Turkey's professional basketball league. He had arrived early for practice and was taking shots at the basket. When the ball bounced back to him and he caught it, he felt a strange sensation. “It was kind of like a vibration that radiated through my hand, up my arms, and into my body,” says Wright, who was 22 at the time. He tried to dribble the ball and felt it again. “When the ball hit the palm of my hand, boom! It felt like when your foot falls asleep, except it was painful.”

Within a few seconds that pins-and-needles sensation had spread through his whole body. He thought about what could be causing it: “I replayed everything I'd done the past day or so,” Wright says, but nothing came to mind that would explain it. Just to be safe, he cut his workout short that day.

The next morning, when Wright got out of bed, he immediately collapsed to the floor. “I had no feeling in either leg,” he says. “I thought I was still in a dream—I'm trying to wake up, but I couldn't get out of it. Finally, I was like, ‘Dang, this dream is real.’” He managed to crawl to his phone to summon a teammate, who called an ambulance. At the hospital, he was referred to a neurologist, who ordered various tests, including an MRI, and ended up diagnosing Wright with multiple sclerosis (MS). Wright was stunned. “Nobody I knew had multiple sclerosis,” he says. “This wasn't part of my world.”

When Wright later typed “multiple sclerosis” into a search engine, he saw words like “disabling” and “progressive”—and that for some forms of the disease, “complete paralysis and needing a wheelchair” were common. “Googling it was the worst thing I could have done,” he says with a laugh.

Now 34 years old, Wright has been on disease-modifying medication for the past 10 years and exhibits no outward symptoms of MS, although he experiences occasional tingling, fatigue, and different sensations in his limbs. Immediately after his diagnosis, however, the situation was confusing and scary. “I'm thinking, ‘What in the world is happening here?’ It seemed like I'd just been running down the court and dunking on people and doing all these things at a high athletic level, and now barely 24 hours later it's completely over.”

At the time of Wright's diagnosis, he was still adapting to life in Turkey—and getting used to the subtle differences between European and American-style hoops. “I had just begun to figure out the flow of the game, learning about the refs, the other players, the rules,” he says. And he was adjusting to living in a foreign country. “The food was different, the language was different,” says Wright, a native of Bowie, MD. “I was out of my element, so it was all a little stressful.”

Contending with his new health concern, Wright tried not to let his fears overwhelm him. “I didn't get sad or emotional,” he says. “I said, ‘Let's see what this is about.’” First, he carefully reviewed how he'd felt the past few months—and recalled some aches and pains that he'd thought were just part of life for an athlete. “I realized that maybe some of the back pain I'd been feeling over the past year was not from lifting too much in the gym,” he says. “It was probably a symptom of MS.” The headaches he'd experienced were most likely another symptom. “I thought it was just a headache,” Wright says.

“MS is unique to each person, but common initial symptoms can include blurry vision, dizziness, and weakness or numbness,” explains Michelle Fabian, MD, FAAN, associate professor of neurology at Mount Sinai's Icahn School of Medicine in New York City.

As Wright was deciding his next move, a story about his diagnosis appeared on a popular Turkish basketball website. “The article was saying that my career was over and how devastated I was,” he says. “I thought, ‘Who are they talking about?’”

Wright had arrived in Turkey just as the sport was growing in popularity, thanks to the country's second-place finish at the 2010 world basketball championships. (The tournament was held in Turkey that year.) As a standout guard at Georgetown University, he was among the American college graduates who'd been motivated to play in Europe because of a contract-related work stoppage that shut down the NBA for the first two months of its 2011–12 season.

He was determined not to give up after his diagnosis, but Wright knew he'd have to stop playing basketball temporarily. “I was extremely limited at this point,” he says. While he was able to stand and walk again, “my feet were dragging, my hands were shaking.”

Staying in the game

Wright returned to the United States and promptly went to see a neurologist. And then another. And then another. Six different neurologists gave him the same advice: “They all told me I should forget about playing basketball professionally,” Wright says. “I understand that they're going to be conservative. There's a lot of risk, a lot of liability involved. But it got a little frustrating.

“I wasn't going to let this deter me. I understand that everyone's situation is different, but I felt that for me the best way to fight MS was to stare it down. Attack it. We'll see who's going to win.”

Wright eventually found a specialist who had a different perspective on his illness—one that included encouraging him to continue playing basketball. “I call her Wonder Woman,” says Wright. Under the care of Heidi Crayton, MD, medical director of the MS Center of Greater Washington, Wright has thrived—playing professionally until earlier this year for teams in Europe and the United States, including a short stint in 2013 with the NBA's Dallas Mavericks.

When Dr. Crayton told Wright it was possible to return to playing the game he loved, “that was music to my ears,” he says. “Finally someone was saying, ‘All right, you want to be the first to do this? Good, let's figure it out. And I've got your back.’

“Her tone, her energy were really impressive,” he says. “I said to myself, ‘This is the person I needed to meet.’”

Dr. Crayton prescribed a disease-modifying therapy for Wright. But she leveled with him about his potential risk for a serious case of MS and eventual disability, which was higher because he had lesions on his spinal cord and brain and because of his race and gender—MS can be more aggressive in Black men than in other patients. A 2015 study in the journal Neurology: Clinical Practice found that the incidence rate of multiple sclerosis in the United States was higher among African Americans (10.2 per 100,000 people) than in the White (6.9), Hispanic (2.9), and Asian American (1.4) populations.

The doctor believed, though, that Wright's physical fitness and consistent training were going to benefit him in his fight against the disease. “I told him to keep doing what he's been doing,” Dr. Crayton says. And so far his condition has been stable, with no signs of progression. “Chris continues to look forward,” she says. “I am just so honored that he put his faith and trust in me,” she adds.

Wright goes to the gym every day, keeping his skills sharp. He typically does an hour of either weight training or yoga and Pilates, followed by an hour of basketball drills. It's an intense regimen, especially for someone with MS. “Chris never quits, and he's always upbeat,” says Wright's longtime strength and conditioning coach, Paragi Shah Falcon. “He has good days and bad days. But he never gets down over a bad workout or game. He tries to learn from it.”

Although not currently on a team, Wright played professionally for years after his diagnosis on several teams, including NBA farm teams as well as Pallacanestro Trieste and Basket Zaragoza in, respectively, the Italian and Spanish leagues. Basketball is extremely popular in Europe and is played there at a high level—higher than many American fans are aware of. “It used to be that people would look at Europe as a kind of NBA minor league. Not anymore. European leagues are on a par with the NBA,” says Richard O’Connor, a sports journalist and former scout for the Mavericks. “For Chris to have played well in Europe, that's a huge achievement for anybody, but particularly a guy who has MS. He's playing against not only the other team but an invisible opponent as well.”

Wright—who lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and three children—is currently coaching at his alma mater, St. John's College High School, where as a senior he was named a McDonald's All-American, an honor that goes to the best high school senior basketball players in the country. He has had several recent offers from European teams and is debating whether to accept one. He's also looking at some broadcasting opportunities and youth volunteering.

His journey has spurred advocacy: Wright is involved with Express4MS, an online community for people living with the disease that encourages sharing stories and self-advocacy. He also plans to reach out to the African American community. “I am interested to learn more and see how I can use my platform for Black folks with MS,” he says.

For now, Wright is proud of what he's achieved, including that he's the only person with MS to have played in the NBA. “My mindset has been that I'm going to prove that I'm an elite player, I'm healthy, and I'm not going to compromise because of MS. And that mindset has led to me being a 12-year pro in uncharted territory.”

Get moving to manage MS

Regular physical activity can reduce the risk of stroke and heart disease, help keep weight off, strengthen bones and muscles, and improve thinking and concentration. Experts recommend at least 150 minutes a week of physical activity or exercise. Physical activity is defined as moving muscles enough to increase energy expenditure over resting. Exercise is considered a structured and repetitive activity that maintains or improves function, wellness, or fitness. For people with multiple sclerosis (MS), exercise can lessen stiffness in muscles and joints, reduce fatigue, and improve everyday function, says Neeta Garg, MD, a neurologist at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, CA. Additionally, consistent movement stimulates production of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein that may help reduce or modulate neuroinflammation.

Researchers are observing that disability in some older people with MS and other neurologic diseases may be partly related to inadequate exercise. “Aging is inevitable, whether you have MS or not,” says Dr. Garg. “But if you're physically fit or active, the negative effects of aging will not be as pronounced.”

How much exercise people with MS can do will depend on their disability and endurance, but everyone can follow these tips to get moving more.

Start slowly. “This is the most important advice we can give our patients,” says Michelle T. Fabian, MD, FAAN, associate professor of neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. “Listen to your body. If you overdo it one day, it could set you back for a few days after that.” Pay attention to how you feel the day after exercise, advises Elizabeth Crabtree, MD, associate professor of neurology at Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans. Her patients occasionally have told her they feel great while exercising but not so great the next day. That usually means they overdid it. Exercise requires some effort, but your mantra should not be “no pain, no gain,” says Dr. Crabtree.

Consult with a pro. A physical therapist or personal trainer can provide guidance on how to correctly perform exercises as well as on structure and accountability for your workouts. “I think you're much more likely to stay consistent with exercise if you're working with a physical therapist or a trainer,” says Dr. Crabtree. Make sure the trainer knows you have MS so he or she can prescribe an appropriate program, says Dr. Fabian. And if you use a wheelchair, don't let that stop you from exercising, says Dr. Crabtree. “There are options for home physical therapy and for in-home trainers,” she says.

Be realistic. “Some people can do everything they did before they were diagnosed,” says Dr. Crabtree. “Other people may be very surprised by what they can achieve.” Don't get frustrated if improvement comes slowly. “Be kind to yourself as you learn your limits,” she says. Set goals that are small and specific. “Maybe it's just seeing if you can increase your step count by 500,” says Dr. Fabian.

Stay cool. Heat sensitivity is a common problem for people with MS. The disease damages the myelin sheath that protects nerves, which affects their ability to send signals. A rise in body temperature can further hamper that ability, says Dr. Garg. “Excessive heat can result in temporary worsening of symptoms, especially fatigue, which can affect endurance during exercise,” she says. Exercise in a cool environment (if you swim, the water temperature should be under 85 degrees); wear lightweight, loose, breathable clothing and cooling apparel such as vests, neck wraps, and bandanas; and drink cold water or sports drinks during exercise breaks. If you feel hot after exercising, run a bath of tepid water and add cooler water over a period of 20 to 30 minutes, or take a cool shower.

Keep going. Try to stick with a regular physical activity regimen, regardless of how much—or how hard—you exercise. “The optimal treatment of MS should encompass not only the drugs your doctors prescribe but also a wellness regimen,” says Dr. Fabian. “And that absolutely includes exercise.”