Ronnie Fields is an American professional basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

 player.

High school

Ronnie Fields played at Farragut Academy in Chicago from 1992–1996 and was a teammate of Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...

 during the 1995 season. Fields had a (reported) 50-inch vertical leap. He was a 3-time Parade All American selection (1994–96) and a consensus First Team All American (Parade, USA Today, McDonald's) his senior year. He was also the first sophomore to ever play in the "Best of the Best" game at the Nike All American camp in 1993, a game that featured NBA MVP'S Allen Iverson

Allen Iverson

Allen Ezail Iverson is an American professional basketball point guard and shooting guard. He was selected by the Philadelphia 76ers with the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft. He was named the NBA Rookie of the Year in the 1996–97 season...

, Kevin Garnett

Kevin Garnett

Kevin Maurice Garnett is an American professional basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association . After a high school basketball career at Farragut Career Academy which included winning a national player of the year award, he...

, and Naismith Prep Player of the Year winners Ron Mercer

Ron Mercer

Ronald Eugene Mercer is a former American basketball player at the University of Kentucky who also had a career in the National Basketball Association; the last time he played was for the New Jersey Nets in 2005.-Basketball career:...

 and Jerod Ward

Jerod Ward

Jerod Davanta Ward is an American professional basketball player, currently playing for Adepal in Spain Leb Oro.Ward was the #1 recruit in the nation coming out of Clinton, Mississippi in 1994. He signed with the University of Michigan and comprised part of its highly-touted Fab Five II that...

.

Fields was injured in a car accident on February 26, 1996, in which he broke his neck. He had to wear a protective halo while his neck healed. He left high school as the third all-time leading scorer in Chicago Public League history with 2,619 points. His high school teammates include Garnett (95), Arizona Wildcat forward Michael Wright

Michael Wright (basketball)

Michael Wright is an American-Turkish professional basketball player, currently with Turkish team Turk Telekom...

 (98) and Willie Farley

Willie Farley

Willie Deshon Farley is an American professional basketball player best known for playing as a member of the Adelaide 36ers in the Australian NBL. A shooting guard, he is 6'4" tall and weighs 92 kg...

 (95).

Like Garnett, Fields signed a letter of intent

Letter of intent

A letter of intent is a document outlining an agreement between two or more parties before the agreement is finalized. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement...

 at DePaul University

DePaul University

DePaul University is a private institution of higher education and research in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul...

 in his hometown but was later ruled academically ineligible. He declared himself eligible for the 1996 CBA

CBA

- Terminology :* Collective bargaining agreement** NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement** NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement* Consensus based assessment* Cost-benefit analysis* Cytometric Bead Array, a bead-based immunoassay- Institutions :...

 Draft and was selected in the 7th round (73rd overall) by the LaCrosse Bobcats. He also declared for the 1997 NBA Draft

1997 NBA Draft

The 1997 NBA Draft took place on June 25, 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although the Celtics had the second worst record in the 1996-97 season and the best odds of winning the lottery with two picks, the Spurs, usually a model of winning and consistency, lost David Robinson to an injury early...

 but later withdrew his name. Fields was eligible for the 1998 NBA Draft

1998 NBA Draft

The 1998 NBA Draft took place on June 24, 1998 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This draft helped turn around three struggling franchises: the Dallas Mavericks, the Sacramento Kings, and the Toronto Raptors....

 but went undrafted.

Fields also suited up as an import in the Philippine Basketball Association

Philippine Basketball Association

The Philippine Basketball Association , is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of 10 company-branded franchised teams. It is the first and oldest professional basketball league in Asia and the second oldest in the world after the NBA...

 for the Tanduay Rhum Masters

Tanduay Rhum Masters

The Tanduay Rhum Masters is a former Manila Industrial and Commercial Athletic Association , Philippine Basketball Association and Philippine Basketball League basketball team.-History:...

. He has also played in Venezuela, Turkey, Lebanon and Greece. In November 2008 Ronnie returned to play basketball in the CBA for the Minot SkyRockets, signing as the starting shooting guard. He had previously spent four seasons with the Rockford Lightning

Rockford Lightning

The Rockford Lightning were a basketball team that played in the Continental Basketball Association. They were based in Rockford, Illinois. The Lightning were the oldest team in the CBA, originally existing as the Lancaster Red Roses from Lancaster, Pennsylvania...

as the team' starting guard.

Player profile

Ronnie Fields is known to be a strong scorer near the basket, but although he had improved other parts of the game over time, such as passing, court vision, and defense, he continued to struggle with outside shooting. He led the CBA in steals several times, and is the only player in the history of the CBA to lead the league in both scoring and steals in two consecutive seasons.

Awards

ABA Finalist -01

USBL Champion -01

CBA American Conference Regular Season Champion -03

All-CBA 1st Team -03, 04

CBA All-Star Game -03, 04, 06

USBL Finalist -03

USBL Eastern Division Champion -03

USBL All Tournament Team -03

CBA Semifinals -04

South American Championships for Clubs Finalist -04

Venezuelan LPB All-Star Game -05, 07

Venezuelan LPB Runner-Up -05

Venezuelan LPB Semifinals -05

All-CBA 2nd Team -06

Lebanese Cup Semifinals -06

Lebanese League Semifinals -06

CBA American Conference Runner-Up -07

CBA American Conference Champion -08

Continental Basketball Association Runner-Up -08