Former New York Knicks draft pick Michael Wright found murdered in SUV in Brooklyn

FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Police are investigating the murder of a former New York Knicks draft pick.

35-year old Michael Wright was found dead inside his SUV on East 16th Street Tuesday in Flatbush, Brooklyn.

An autopsy will determine his cause of death.

"It's just a really good guy gone," said Dave Paladino, Wright's personal trainer.

Investigators say he had a suspicious wound on his head and the medical examiner confirms this case is now being investigated as a homicide.

This is a photo of the scene in Brooklyn:

Detectives are also looking into Michael's recent involvement on an online dating site.

Wright was reported missing from Closter, N.J. Sunday night by a family friend.

Police entered him in a nationwide missing person database Sunday.

It's unclear why he was in Brooklyn. He was found under garbage bags in the back seat of the car.

Wright, who played college basketball at the University of Arizona, was drafted by the Knicks in 2001, but never made the roster.

"Basketball was his life, but his greatest accomplishment he told me was his daughter," Paladino said. "Always smiling, everybody in here is devastated over the loss."

"Just a nice guy, I can't say enough how nice this guy was, it's just horrible," said Michael Rosensweet, the victim's friend. "I'll always remember him as like, being a nice guy, a caring guy, a genuine guy, and somebody who is just a special human being you know, that's how he should be remembered."

Wright also played in a France basketball league in the mid-2000s:

(AP Photo/Bob Edme)

His sudden and mysterious death which is now being investigated as a homicide now has countless people heartbroken.

"It's sad, it's shocking, and your heart goes out to his family," Rosensweet said.

The coach at the University of Arizona says news of Michael's death is hitting the entire campus hard. "It's devastating and it certainly affects our basketball program, a lot of his teammates and former players and coaches when something like that happens at such a young age and you don't have all the answers," said coach Sean Miller. "You just feel horrible."

Stay with abc7NY for the latest on this developing story.