American basketball player
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 second round (38th pick 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.
Death
In the summer of 2000, McRae collapsed and died while running wind sprints during an Orlando Magic summer league practice at the University of California, Irvine.[2] An autopsy failed to determine the cause of death, but McRae had a history of arrythmia.
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 5th, just 26 days after his death.[3]
