Sorting out the old cards, there will always be a windfall, in a pile of "garbage cards", found a familiar figure - Korleone Young.
UD 1998-99 SP Top Prospects
When Croniyan gave up entering the university to participate in the NBA draft, he also gave people unlimited reverie, and even was given high hopes for Kobe Bryant. However, only hardcore fans are now impressed by the name, and I can know that he is not knowledgeable, just because he played for the Heilongjiang men's basketball team.
Today, I will write the story of this "Famous Traveler of Longjiang".
Born on the last day of 1978, Cronijan showed unusual basketball talent from an early age, in the amateur athletic union (amateur sports federation) to the fullest of talent, the later NBA championship members Rashad Lewis and Sean Batil, another championship member McMiller was his teammate at the time, but unfortunately even the starting qualification was not enough.
"Fame should be made early", Zhang Ailing's famous saying is also applicable in the United States. In the 90s, the NBA emerged with talented high school students such as Garnett, Kobe Bryant, and Maddy who had not experienced college experience, but were seamless with the NBA.
Find the next one! It is not only the work of scouts on various teams, but also an important task for major sports brands. Vampires are also eyeing the tiger, and basketball brokers roam the arenas.
When capital comes in, everything becomes uncontrollable. For black people like Croniyan, entering the NBA implies a class jump, while brand endorsement means a drunken fan. The invincibility of the high school arena and the flattery of the crowd on the field, plus the top equipment printed with the right number, made Kronyan have no doubt that he is the next chosen son.
With the help of the "people involved", Croniyan left the enlightenment coach, transferred to a high school basketball school, and became the best team in the high school with excellent performance. Before graduating, I was faced with the trouble of happiness such as Kentucky or UCLA. In the end, he chose to skip college and go straight to the NBA draft.
1998 NBA Draft, 11th in the second round, 40th overall. The Detroit Pistons selected Crony Young from Hargrave Military High School. The Pistons offered a two-year contract with a one-year guarantee period, and Nike's sponsorship contract was also in place.
Many times, fate is so impermanent, desperately trying to achieve a certain goal, I thought I was going to usher in a new chapter in my life, but I have begun to count down to bad luck.
In 1998, the NBA labor negotiations reached an impasse and the league was shut down. This situation continued until January 1999, when the number of regular season games shrank from 82 to 50 in order to complete the season. For rookies, this means fewer opportunities, especially for Crony Young, who is not a high-level rookie, and it is undoubtedly a devastating blow.
At the same time, the shortcomings of not receiving good technical and tactical training in college began to be exposed, and AAU's tried-and-true body crushed in the adult world of the NBA.
In the Pistons, Croniyan has two major roles, one is to act as a sparring shield for top star Grant Hill in training, and the other is to participate in community activities with extremely low exposure but affect training.
Although he did not have a super giant life, he had a super giant disease. Nightclubs, alcohol, and flesh and blood skins led Cronyan to slide further into the abyss.
In the 98-99 season, Kronijan, wearing the number 45 shirt, played only three games as a substitute, accumulating 15 minutes, scoring 13 points, 4 rebounds and 1 assist. The Pistons have not won in three games, and he also successfully lost the playoff roster.
The NBA has always been a purely commercial league, with no idea of training young players, and no obligation to develop reserve forces for American basketball.
No, roll! At the end of the season, both the team and the sponsors abandoned Kronijan.
In the days that followed, Croniyan tried out the 76ers and the Lakers, suffered street robberies, and was involved in the AAU bribery scandal, and committing to a small league not only did not help him return to the NBA, but gradually drifted away from his dream.
He then embarked on a global journey, leaving his footprints in Australia, Russia, Israel, Italy, and China. During this period, I did not stop, indulging in partying and out of shape, and drunk driving was almost dead in a foreign country.
The 98-99 season was re-issued with the Croniyan Star Card
In China, he did not even have the ability to step into the CBA, and could only participate in the low-level CBL league (now renamed NBL), playing for Sichuan in 2004 and joining Hebei in 2008.
In the 03 and 05 seasons, Croniyan played for Heilongjiang. In the latter season, he was crowned the leading scorer with 33 points per game, which was also the last drop in his tank. After signing, they were always laid off before the full moon.
With no ball to play, Kronyan returned to his hometown to survive on his mother and government bailouts, and at the age of 31 he once again became the focus of media attention. The headline reads, "Former NBA Player Kronijan Arrested by Local Police for Long Periods of Non-Payment of Maintenance."
This signed card cost me 10 yuan
In 2005, the NBA officially announced that high school student players were banned from directly participating in the draft, and high school graduates had at least one year of college or other professional league experience. But in the face of the huge temptation of wealth, a large number of One and Down players were born in college, and among these people, there is still no next Kobe or James, but the next Croniyan.
Resources
1. Baidu Encyclopedia: Croniyan
2、《The Forgotten Phenom》 JONATHAN ABRAMS
3. STAR-NBA database