Early life

Wagner had a phenomenal career at Camden High School and is perhaps better remembered for scoring 100 points in a high school game than his exploits at the collegiate and professional levels. He averaged 42.5 points as a senior, scored 3,462 points in high school (the most in New Jersey high school history, breaking former high school star Lorne Singleton's scoring record of 3,451 points) and scored 25 points in the McDonald's All-American Game. Wagner is considered by many to be the greatest high school basketball player in New Jersey history.

College career

He played one year of college basketball at the University of Memphis. His coach, John Calipari, revoked Wagner's scholarship after his freshman year to force him to enter the NBA, because Calipari believed that Wagner should not avoid the money he would receive as a first-round draft pick.

Professional career

Wagner was chosen the sixth overall pick of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Often compared to Allen Iverson for his scoring ability, he had mixed success in his rookie season; although he averaged 13.4 points per game, he shot only 36.9% from the field. In the latter part of his rookie year, Wagner often attended the trial of his stepfather Leonard "Pooh" Paulk, who was indicted as an alleged drug supplier.

Wagner was hampered by injuries and health problems thereafter. He averaged a career low 4.0 points in only 11 games played during the 2004-05 season, and was hospitalized for ulcerative colitis. The Cavaliers did not exercise their option on his contract for the 2005-06 season and subsequently Wagner was out of the league.

His colitis condition was not amenable to medication and, after consulting with New York Knicks head coach Larry Brown, who referred him to a New York medical expert, Wagner underwent surgery to remove his entire colon on October 25, 2005 at Mount Sinai Hospital.

In April 2006, Wagner began training with former high school rival, Omar Wellington at Nexxt Level Sports in Cherry Hill Township, New Jersey. During his recovery, he was featured in the Philadelphia Daily News and on Comcast SportsNet both reported that he would be attempting a comeback for the 2006 season

On September 22, 2006 he signed a two-year $1.6 million contract with the Golden State Warriors. On November 20, two months after the former high school star recovered from a serious illness to make an NBA comeback, the Warriors bought out his contract after having played only one game and scoring only four points with the team.

On August 31, 2007 Wagner signed a one-year contract with Prokom Trefl Sopot in Poland. Averaging 8.3 points in six games, he returned to South Jersey after hurting his hip and reinjuring his knee in Poland.

On October 12, 2015, he decided to return to basketball and signed with the AmeriLeague. However, the league folded after it was discovered the founder was a con-artist.

Wagner has been a resident of West Deptford Township, New Jersey. He returned home to West Deptford, N.J., where he saw a specialist who recommended surgery to remove his inflamed colon.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]