Health
First person with MS to play in the NBA shares his inspiring message: 'Make the most of it'
Multiple sclerosis is a life-changing diagnosis for one million people who are affected in the U.S. — but for a professional athlete, its physical limitations can seem particularly challenging.
Chris Wright, 34, the first person with MS to play in the National Basketball Association (NBA), has been living with the disorder since his 2012 diagnosis.
For World MS Day on May 30, Wright and his neurologist, Dr. Heidi Crayton, joined Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview from Washington, D.C., to discuss how he’s come to terms with his MS and to share words of wisdom for others facing the diagnosis. (See the video at the top of this article.)
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Wright first experienced symptoms in 2012, he said, when he noticed tingling in his right foot while warming up for an overseas basketball game in Turkey.
“As I was shooting, I felt a tingling sensation in my right hand that eventually spread throughout my entire body within a matter of a minute,” he told Fox News Digital.
Chris Wright, 34, the first person with MS to play in the NBA, has been living with the disorder since his 2012 diagnosis. (Getty Images/Chris Wright)
His coaches sent him to a doctor, who told him to take the day off.
“The next morning I woke up, and I couldn’t walk. I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t really use my limbs,” he recalled.
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Wright returned to the doctor, this time in a wheelchair.
“They sent me to a specialist, where I was quickly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.”
MS is a chronic disease of the central nervous system that can affect movement, vision, speech and other functions.
After going through several other doctors, Wright found Dr. Crayton, a board-certified neurologist who practices at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Greater Washington.
Chris Wright of Bertram Derthona Basket Tortona in action during the LBA Lega Basket Series A Playoffs Semi-Final Game 3 match between Bertram Derthona Basket Tortona and Virtus Segafredo Bologna PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris on May 31, 2022, in Casale Monferrato, Italy. (Getty Images)
“What led me to her was her confidence and her ability to simplify what it meant to have MS and to make it manageable for me. [She] helped me understand that I could still go on with my career and my life in a way that I wanted to,” he said.
Crayton noted that the patient-doctor relationship is a “marathon, not a sprint.”
She told Fox News Digital, “It’s really important to find a doctor they can trust, who they can communicate with, who they can partner with to make decisions.”
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“You need a team of people who support you, love you and accept you.”
Less than a year after his diagnosis, Wright became the first person with MS to play in the NBA when he signed with the Dallas Mavericks.
“MS impacted my career tremendously, because there was nobody before me,” Wright told Fox News Digital.
“You need a team of people who support you, love you and accept you.”
“I had NBA offers that were retracted because of the possibility of me having medical conditions and just being in uncharted territory — but I kept working and overcame it.”
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Wright, a husband and father of three, is no longer playing basketball these days, but he is feeling healthy and enjoying life, he said.
“Living with MS, it looks good, it feels good — I feel great,” he said.
“I try to stay active. I try to stay healthy. I try to stay moving. And I’ve been able to keep myself healthy and continue to be a father and live my life the way I want to live.”
‘Badge of honor’
For all those facing a new diagnosis, Wright encouraged seeking out resources from people who have “walked these halls” before.
“There are people who understand what you’re going through, and it’s important to hear other stories and get a foundational knowledge of what your life will look like moving forward.”
After going through several other doctors, Wright found Dr. Crayton, pictured here, a board-certified neurologist who practices at the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Greater Washington. (Dr. Heidi Crayton)
Wright is involved with Express4MS, a campaign that encourages people with MS to express themselves, share their stories and discuss treatment options with their doctors.
“It’s just something you can put in your toolbox to find information, inspiration and motivation to live every day in a positive way,” Wright said.
“Walk with pride, and know that you’re going to be OK.”
“I would say to people: Stay with it, go through those tough times, figure out what works for you,” he said.
“Figure out how you can be successful at whatever it is you do.”
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Wright urges MS patients to look at the disease not as a hindrance, but as a “badge of honor.”
He said, “Walk with pride, and know that you’re going to be OK.”
Clayton advises her MS patients to “treat your body like a temple.”
Chris Wright of Bertram Derthona Basket Tortona in action during the LBA Lega Basket Serie A Playoffs Semi-Final Game 3 match between Bertram Derthona Basket Tortona and Virtus Segafredo Bologna PalaEnergica Paolo Ferraris on May 31, 2022, in Casale Monferrato, Italy. (Getty Images)
“It will pay you back in spades if you can invest in your health — eat well, exercise, sleep,” she said.
While people with MS will always have bad days, Wright is focused on maintaining a positive outlook.
“As long as you’re above ground, you have an opportunity to make the most of it,” he said.
“Every action has an equal and opposite reaction — so whatever you put out there is the energy that’s going to come back.”
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Novo Nordisk to slash Wegovy, Ozempic list prices
Board certified rheumatologist Dr. Mahsa Tehrani discusses Novo Nordisk’s decision to dramatically cut the U.S. list prices for its popular diabetes and weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy on ‘America Reports.’
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Millions of Medicare beneficiaries struggling with obesity could soon see the cost of weight-loss drugs plummet, as a new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month, The Associated Press reported.
The covered medications include drugmaker Eli Lilly’s Foundayo tablets and Zepbound KwikPens and Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy injections and tablets, all of which have been FDA-approved for weight loss, according to the report.
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The temporary program is set to run until the end of 2027.
This is the first time GLP-1s (glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists) will be covered by insurance when used solely for weight loss.
A new federal pilot program launching July 1 expands access to GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound for eligible seniors. (iStock)
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). However, both manufacturers offered some cash-pay options that significantly reduced those prices for eligible patients.
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There are some parameters surrounding the coverage — older adults must have had a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher when they started GLP-1 therapy, or a BMI of 27 or higher alongside another health condition, such as a past heart attack or stroke or prediabetes.
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Those who already have insurance coverage for other diseases, such as diabetes and sleep apnea, are not eligible for the program.
Through a new trial called Medicare GLP-1 Bridge, the federal government is now offering a selection of the brand-name medications to certain Medicare and Medicare Advantage beneficiaries for $50 a month. (iStock)
There are more than 70 million Americans currently enrolled in Medicare, 10 million of whom are overweight or obese, according to Juliette Cubanski, vice president and director of the program on Medicare policy at the healthcare research nonprofit KFF.
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“For many older Americans living with obesity, this is a moment they and their families have been waiting for,” Jamey Millar, Novo Nordisk’s executive vice president of U.S. operations, said in a press release.
“The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program offers a new, affordable path to an FDA-approved treatment that was previously not covered.”
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Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said he hopes the program can help his agency collect data to potentially work toward longer-term coverage, while providing immediate relief to cash-strapped older Americans, AP reported.
“The sheer cost of these medications is a huge barrier to access,” he said in a call with reporters. “That ends today.”
Prior to this new Medicare pilot, seniors who wanted to access GLP-1s for obesity alone paid about $1,350-$1,650 per month for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy (semaglutide) and about $1,086 monthly for Lilly’s Zepbound (tirzepatide). (iStock)
Oz told reporters that CMS plans to “carefully track participation and outcomes” to see whether an extension of the Bridge program or another solution is the best way to move forward. He told AP a federal law permanently allowing the coverage is “not essential right now” but something “for Congress to debate amongst themselves.”
“We can’t decide what’s going to happen long term with Bridge until we see some of the data,” he said, adding that there are ongoing talks with drug companies to lower costs.
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One potential concern is that older patients tend to have more adverse effects to medication in general , according to Dr. Micah Eimer, a clinical assistant professor of cardiology at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
“Specifically, in our research, older patients on blood pressure medications were more likely to experience hypotensive side effects, such as fainting and dizziness, after starting a GLP-1,” he said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Federal health officials are attempting to track down the source of a microscopic parasite that triggers prolonged gastrointestinal illness, as domestic cases begin to climb for the summer season.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had confirmed 145 cases of cyclosporiasis across 17 states as of mid-June 2026, all linked to infections acquired in the U.S.
The culprit is Cyclospora, a microscopic parasite known to cause cyclosporiasis.
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The hallmark symptom of the infection is watery, often “explosive” diarrhea that can last for weeks or even months if left untreated, the CDC says.
There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy, File)
Other symptoms include severe abdominal cramping, bloating, nausea, fatigue and significant weight loss.
The official outbreak season for the parasite runs from May 1 through Aug. 31, a window where warmer temperatures historically coincide with a spike in infections, according to the CDC.
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Cases have cropped up in states ranging from Texas to Alaska. New York has been hit the hardest so far, reporting between 31 and 80 cases, followed by Texas and Illinois, which have each reported between 11 and 30 cases.
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While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. Out of the 145 confirmed cases, 20 patients have required hospitalization, per the CDC.
While the infection can sometimes clear up on its own, it frequently requires antibiotics. (iStock)
No deaths have yet been reported. Patients range from 5 to 86 years old, though the median age is 42, and women make up 61% of the reported cases, data shows.
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The CDC, alongside the Food and Drug Administration and state health officials, is actively investigating several multi-state clusters, but they have yet to find a cause behind the spread.
Officials urge patients with symptoms to seek help from a medical professional. (iStock)
“There is currently no evidence of a single, multistate Cyclospora outbreak linking all cases,” the CDC noted in its surveillance report.
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The CDC advises anyone experiencing symptoms of cyclosporiasis to contact a healthcare provider for testing and treatment.
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