Brad Wright #

Introduction #

Brad Wright is a former UCLA and NBA basketball player who served as chairman of the board of directors of El Camino Real Charter High School in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, from 2020 until his resignation in September 2026. On September 6, 2026, Wright announced in a letter sent to teachers that he was stepping down from the voluntary board role, effective the following Tuesday, after weeks of growing public calls for his resignation. His exit came amid mounting turmoil at the school, where three high-profile coaches had been placed on administrative leave in August 2026 pending an investigation into allegations of possible fraud tied to their CPR and first-aid certification cards. Wright himself has not been accused of any wrongdoing in that probe, faces no criminal charge, and presented his departure as the close of a period of community service.

Background Information #

Bradford William Wright was born on March 27, 1962, in Hollywood, California, and attended Daniel Murphy High School in Los Angeles before playing college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. As a senior in 1984–85 he helped UCLA win the National Invitation Tournament, scoring 23 points with 12 rebounds and four blocked shots in a semifinal win over Louisville, then helping hold Indiana’s 7-foot-2 center Uwe Blab to 12 points in the final. The Golden State Warriors drafted him with the 49th pick of the 1985 NBA draft, and he played 14 games for the New York Knicks and two for the Denver Nuggets before injury; he later earned All-CBA Second Team honors in 1987 and 1988 and was a 1988 CBA All-Star in the Continental Basketball Association. The Los Angeles Times described him as a former UCLA basketball player who made it to the NBA. He had chaired the El Camino Real board since 2020.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation #

Allegations. The claims described in this section are unproven allegations from an ongoing school investigation, which had reached no public conclusions and involved no court adjudication when Wright resigned. The fraud allegations concern the school’s coaches, not Wright; no allegation of wrongdoing by Wright has been reported, he has not been charged, and his exit was a resignation made under weeks of public pressure.

The pressure on Wright followed the placement of three high-profile El Camino Real coaches on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation into allegations of possible fraud tied to the coaches’ CPR and first-aid cards not being listed in a Red Cross database, according to a person with knowledge of the probe not authorized to discuss it publicly. Baseball coach Josh Lienhard, girls soccer coach Eric Choi and tennis coach Jason Grider all ended up retaking the class. Lienhard, who also works as a P.E. teacher, was escorted off campus on August 13, 2026. Chad Boyd, an assistant baseball coach, said he and Lienhard had taken the online class the previous year, received the cards and were cleared by athletic director Richard Russell to coach; the certificate lasts two years.

The coaching dispute sat inside a wider breakdown at the school. Since the summer, when ten-year executive director David Hussey was ousted, teachers, parents and others have used words such as “chaos” and “soap opera” to describe the ongoing controversy, and representatives of UTLA, the teachers’ union, have been investigating finances and other problems involving the school. Two recent board meetings were packed with parents, students and community members demanding the coaches’ reinstatement, heaping pressure on a board that is also responsible for getting the school’s charter renewed.

Public Reaction and Consequences #

Wright faced growing calls for his resignation as the probe stretched on; the month before he stepped down, he said he had been unaware of which coaches were placed on leave until The Times contacted him. On September 6, 2026, he announced his resignation from the board effective Tuesday, September 8, and a second board member announced a resignation the same Sunday. In his letter, Wright said of the voluntary position: “I will always be proud of the years I spent serving this community. I will always cherish the relationships I have built.” He did not respond to a text message from the newspaper seeking comment. Boyd called the resignation “a step forward for the school to get back on the right path,” while adding, “The job is not done. We need the coaches back.” An emergency board meeting could happen as early as that Tuesday, and the school is advertising for a new executive director.

Current Status #

Wright’s resignation took effect September 8, 2026, ending his roughly six-year run as board chairman. As of the announcement, the investigation was believed to be nearing a conclusion because all three coaches had been interviewed, according to a person with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly; it remained to be seen whether the departures of Wright and the second board member would affect the decision on the coaches, which is up to the board to recommend to El Camino Real’s interim executive director, Emilie Larew. Wright has not been accused of any specific misconduct, charged with any offense, or sanctioned by any authority in connection with the affair. Hussey, for his part, has said he cannot comment on his current status with the school.

Impact on Their Career/Life #

The episode ends Wright’s six-year chairmanship of one of Los Angeles’ best-known charter high schools, a volunteer role he took on decades after his playing days and held through a period when the school’s leadership collapsed around him — a ten-year executive director ousted in the summer, an interim director in place, and a national search for a replacement underway when he resigned. He leaves with the institution still facing unresolved questions: the charter renewal the board must secure, the coaches’ fate awaiting the investigation’s outcome, and a community divided between demanding the coaches’ return and demanding accountability. His resignation letter’s closing emphasis — pride in “serving this community” and cherishing “the relationships I have built” — stands as his public valedictory, framed as a voluntary exit even as it arrived under weeks of public pressure that made continuing untenable.