Conrad Bastien McRae (January 11, 1971 – July 10, 2000) was an American professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player who had a successful career in Europe, for teams in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. He was also selected by the
Washington Bullets
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
, in the second round (38th pick overall) of the
1993 NBA draft.
High school
McRae attended
Brooklyn Technical High School
Brooklyn Technical High School, commonly called Brooklyn Tech and administratively designated High School 430, is an elite public high school in New York City that specializes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. It is one of th ...
, where he excelled at basketball. He earned the nickname "McNasty", while playing in the Entertainers Basketball Classic in
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Harl ...
's
Rucker Park
Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the former Polo Grounds site. It is geographically at the base of a large clif ...
. 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
Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...
, where he would play
college basketball
In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...
under
head coach
A head coach, senior coach or manager is a professional at training and developing athletes. They typically hold a more public profile and are paid more than other Coach (sport), coaches. In some sports, the head coach is instead called the "manage ...
Jim Boeheim, with the
Syracuse Orange
The Syracuse Orange are the athletic teams that represent Syracuse University. The school is a member of NCAA Division I and the Atlantic Coast Conference. Until 2013, Syracuse was a member of the Big East Conference.
The school's mascot is O ...
. 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
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...
. While he was at Syracuse, McRae became a member of
Phi Beta Sigma
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African American fraternity. It was founded at Howard University in Washington, D.C. on January 9, 1914, by three young African-American male students with nine other Howard students as char ...
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
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
to win the
FIBA Korać Cup
The FIBA Korać Cup was an annual basketball club competition held by FIBA between the 1971–72 and 2001–02 seasons. It was the third-tier level club competition in European basketball, after the FIBA European Champions' Cup (later renamed th ...
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.
In 1999, McRae signed a 10-day contract with the
Denver Nuggets
The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...
, but it was terminated after he fainted before a game.
Death
In the summer of 2000, McRae collapsed and died while running wind sprints during an
Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was estab ...
summer league practice at the
University of California, Irvine
The University of California, Irvine (UCI or UC Irvine) is a public land-grant research university in Irvine, California. One of the ten campuses of the University of California system, UCI offers 87 undergraduate degrees and 129 graduate and p ...
. An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death, but McRae had a history of
arrythmia.
No Reason Found for McRae's Death
LA Times, July 12, 2000
See also
* List of basketball players who died during their careers
References
External links
FIBA Europe Profile
TBLStat.net Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcrae, Conrad
1971 births
2000 deaths
African-American basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in France
American expatriate basketball people in Greece
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Turkey
American men's basketball players
Anadolu Efes S.K. players
Basketball players from New York City
Brooklyn Technical High School alumni
Centers (basketball)
Élan Béarnais players
Fenerbahçe men's basketball players
Fortitudo Pallacanestro Bologna players
Fort Wayne Fury players
Greek Basket League players
Lega Basket Serie A players
McDonald's High School All-Americans
Pallacanestro Trieste players
P.A.O.K. BC players
Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)
Power forwards (basketball)
Sports deaths in California
Syracuse Orange men's basketball players
Washington Bullets draft picks
20th-century African-American sportspeople