Ronnie Fields

Ronnie Fields (born February 28, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player.

High school Born and raised in Chicago, Fields played at Farragut Academy in Chicago from 1992–1996 and was a teammate of Kevin Garnett during the 1994 season. Fields had a (reported) 50-inch vertical leap. ESPN HS regarded him as the best freshman in the country for the 1992–93 season. He was a 3-time Parade All American selection (1994–96). 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 future NBA MVPs Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett, and High School Player of the Year award winners Ron Mercer and Jerod Ward.

After Garnett was drafted in 1995, Fields, in his senior year, led his squad to an 11–1 record in the Chicago Public League with per-game averages of 32.4 points, 12.2 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 4.5 blocks, 4 steals, and 4.5 dunks a game. He became a consensus First Team All American (Parade, USA Today, McDonald's), putting him in the company of future NBA players Mike Bibby, Jermaine O'Neal, Tim Thomas, and Kobe Bryant.

Fields broke his neck in a car accident on February 26, 1996, one week before the city playoffs. After undergoing surgery to repair a fractured bone in his neck, he had to wear a protective halo while healing. He left high school as the third all-time leading scorer in Chicago Public League history with 2,619 points. His high school teammates included Willie Farley (94), Kevin Garnett (95) and Michael Wright (98).

After being recruited by Joey Meyer, Fields signed a letter of intent at DePaul University in his hometown but was later ruled academically ineligible and denied admission. A few months later, Fields pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of sexual abuse,

Professional career Fields declared himself eligible for the 1996 CBA Draft and was selected in the 7th round (73rd overall) by the LaCrosse Bobcats. He played for the Rockford Lightning of the CBA during the 1996–97 season and was selected to the CBA All-Rookie Second Team.

Personal life While in eighth grade, he worked at the Taste of Chicago passing out pizzas for the well-known pizzeria Lou Malnati's. Fields mentored and trained youth at Farragut Academy after his professional playing career ended. He also gave talks as a motivational speaker.

As of 2023, he is the founder and coach of Ronnie Fields Elite, which organizes basketball programs for middle and high school students. Additionally, he is the head boys' varsity basketball coach at Chicago Hope Academy, a Christian high school in Chicago. Fields is also the head basketball trainer at the Life Time gym in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Fields is the subject of the documentary, Bounce Back: the Ronnie Fields Story. He is also one of two guests on Episode 22 of KG Certified, entitled The Farragut Reunion W/ Ronnie Fields & Coach Wolf Nelson (2022), hosted by Kevin Garnett.

He lives in Westmont, Illinois and has a daughter named Lisa.