Tim robertson sherra wright husband and wife

Produced by Josh Gelman, Alvin Patrick and Jaime Hellmann

[This story first aired on May 12, 2018. It was updated on July 27, 2019.]

Lorenzen Wright made headlines as the seventh overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft – but he also won the hearts of so many because of his impact on thousands of kids who were inspired by him.

That ended in July 2010 during a call to 911. The chilling recording captured the 34-year-old's dying word: "Goddamn." A dispatcher then heard repeated gunshots – 11 in all – unaware where it was happening or who was on the other end of the line.

"You can just listen to that tape and know he was in trouble," says Toney Armstrong, former director of police at the Memphis Police Department, who oversaw the investigation. "We literally threw everything we had at this investigation. We really wanted to solve it. We really, really wanted to solve this case."

As Memphis mourned, months turned into years and the city became obsessed with solving the murder of its favorite son. Then, seven long years after the murder, police got the break they needed.

Who wanted Wright dead, and how does a beloved basketball player's life end that way? Just this week, a surprise development in one of Memphis, Tennessee's, biggest murder cases.    

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