Conrad McRae

Conrad McRae

Personal information
Born	(1971-01-11)January 11, 1971 New York City, New York
Died	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
1994–1995	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
Turkish League champion (1996) Turkish Cup champion (1996) Korać Cup champion (1996) 2× FIBA EuroStars (1996,1998)
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 was selected by the Washington Bullets in the 2nd round (38th overall) of the 1993 NBA Draft. McRae's professional career flourished overseas in Europe for teams in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. 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.

NCAA

McRae attended Brooklyn Technical High School where he excelled at basketball. He earned the nickname "McNasty" while playing in Entertainers Basketball Classic in Harlem's famous 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.

He accepted a scholarship to Syracuse University, playing under basketball coach Jim Boeheim. While at Syracuse, McRae became a member of Phi Beta Sigma fraternity (Theta Xi Chapter). Though he did not immediately garner many minutes, his tenacity, athleticism and defensive skills turned him into a second round draft pick in 1993 by the Washington Bullets. McRae never played in the NBA, but played on home soil for the Fort Wayne Fury of the CBA in 1994.

Europe

He moved on to play in Europe, eventually starring on several European clubs in Turkey, France, Italy and Greece. He helped Efes Pilsen S.K. of Istanbul to win European Championship Korać Cup of 1996, and also reached the Italian 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".

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 windsprints during an Orlando Magic summer league practice. An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death, but McRae had a history of arrythmia.