| 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 10 in (2.08 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 222 lb (101 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Brooklyn Technical (Brooklyn, New York) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Syracuse (1989–1993) | ||||||||||||||
| NBA draft | 1993: 2nd round, 38th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Selected by theWashington 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 | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Stats atBasketball Reference  | |||||||||||||||
Medals
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Conrad Bastien McRae (January 11, 1971 – July 10, 2000) was an American professionalbasketball player who had a successful career in Europe, for teams in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. He was also selected by theWashington Bullets, in the second round (38th pick overall) of the1993 NBA draft.
McRae attendedBrooklyn Technical High School, where he excelled at basketball. He earned the nickname "McNasty", while playing in the Entertainers Basketball Classic inHarlem'sRucker Park. In high school, McRae was named PSAL High School All-City from 1986 to 1989, selected to the 1989McDonald's All-American Team, and participated in the Junior Olympics.
McRae accepted a scholarship toSyracuse University, where he would playcollege basketball underhead coachJim Boeheim, with theSyracuse Orange. Though he did not immediately garner many minutes of playing time, his tenacity, athleticism, and defensive skills turned him into a second roundNBA draft pick in 1993, by theWashington Bullets. While he was at Syracuse, McRae became a member ofPhi Beta Sigma fraternity (Theta Xi Chapter).
McRae moved on to play in Europe, eventually starring on several European clubs in Turkey, France, Italy and Greece. He helpedEfes ofIstanbul to win theFIBA Korać Cup of1995–96, and also reached theItalian League's championship finals in the 1996–97 season, withFortitudo 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 theNBA, he did play on home soil for theFort Wayne Fury of theCBA, 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 theDenver Nuggets, but it was terminated after he fainted before a game.
In the summer of 2000, McRae collapsed and died while running wind sprints during anOrlando Magicsummer league practice at theUniversity of California, Irvine.[2] An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death, but McRae had a history ofarrhythmia.Syracuse Assistant Coach Bernie Fine, who had remained on good terms with him since his college days, stated in an interview two days after his death, he had spoken to him on the phone a few weeks earlier and Conrad told him he should have married on August 5, just 26 days after his death.[3]
