NCPD Hosts First Jo-Jo Write Basketball Invitational

UNIONDALE, NY — On Saturday, the Nassau County Police Department hosted the first Jo-Jo Write Basketball Invitational, and presented funds for a scholarship in Jo-Jo's name to Uniondale High School.

Jomani "Jo-Jo" Wright was a 15-year-old basketball phenom and student at Uniondale High School when he was killed in a car crash on Jan. 27. He was traveling in a car with three teammates to basketball practice when they collided with a car driven by an 87-year-old man at the intersection of Maple Avenue and Front Street. Jo-Jo was killed, and this three teammates were hospitalized.

Jo-Jo, a point guard, racked up numerous accolades as a freshman for the Uniondale Knights. He was one of only two freshmen in New York to be named all-state in 2020.

The basketball invitational was a tournament held in Jo-Jo's honor. During the games, Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder presented a check for $10,000 to the Uniondale High School scholarship program in Jo-Jo's memory.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said she plans to rename a section of Uniondale Avenue after Jo-Jo, but his family said it plans to decline that offer until the roads in the area are safe. The Wright family has filed a lawsuit against the county and the Town of Hempstead claiming that municipalities failed to keep the intersection where Jo-Jo died safe because it was located in a minority area.