Conrad McRae

Conrad McRae
Personal information
Born (1971-01-11)January 11, 1971
New York City, New York
Died July 10, 2000(2000-07-10) (aged 29)
Irvine, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight 222 lb (101 kg)
Career information
High school Brooklyn Technical
(Brooklyn, New York)
College Syracuse (1989–1993)
NBA draft 1993 / Round: 2 / Pick: 38th overall
Selected by the Washington Bullets
Playing career 1993–2000
Position Power forward / Center
Career history
1993–1994 Fenerbahçe
1994 Fort Wayne Fury
1994–1995 Élan Béarnais Pau-Orthez
1995–1996 Efes Pilsen
1996–1997 Teamsystem Bologna
1997–1998 PAOK
1998–1999 Fenerbahçe
1999–2000 Telit Trieste
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
FIBA Americas U18 Championship
1990 Montevideo Team competition

Conrad Bastien McRae (January 11, 1971 – July 10, 2000) was an American professional basketball player, who had a successful career in Europe, for teams in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. He was also selected by the Washington Bullets, in the 2nd round (38th overall) of the 1993 NBA draft.

High school

McRae attended Brooklyn Technical High School, where he excelled at basketball. He earned the nickname "McNasty", while playing in the Entertainers Basketball Classic in Harlem's Rucker Park. In high school, McRae was named PSAL High School All-City from 1986–89, selected to the 1989 McDonald's All-American Team, and participated in the Junior Olympics.

College career

McRae accepted a scholarship to Syracuse University, where he would play college basketball under head coach Jim Boeheim, with the Syracuse Orange. Though he did not immediately garner many minutes of playing time, his tenacity, athleticism, and defensive skills turned him into a second round NBA draft pick in 1993, by the Washington Bullets. While he was at Syracuse, McRae became a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity (Theta Xi Chapter).

Professional career

McRae moved on to play in Europe, eventually starring on several European clubs in Turkey, France, Italy and Greece. He helped Efes of Istanbul to win the FIBA Korać Cup of 1995–96, and also reached the Italian League's championship finals in the 1996–97 season, with Fortitudo Bologna. While in Europe, he accidentally scored in the wrong basket, after getting a poor night's sleep in his Parisian hotel room, due to what were described as, "water problems". Though McRae never played in the NBA, he did play on home soil for the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA, in 1994. In eight games played with the Fury, McRae averaged 8.6 points and 7.5 points per game.[1]

In 1999, McRae signed a 10-day contract with the Denver Nuggets, but it was terminated, after he fainted before a game. McRae collapsed and died, while running wind sprints during an Orlando Magic summer league practice. An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death, but McRae had a history of arrythmia.[2]

Death

In the summer of 2000, McRae collapsed and died, during a practice with the Orlando Magic's summer league team, at the University of California, Irvine.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1994–95 Official CBA Guide and Register, page 319
  2. ↑ No Reason Found for McRae's Death LA Times, July 12, 2000
  3. ↑ Former Syracuse Star Dies
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.