標籤: fared

Many different players from different backgrounds have reached NBA stardom over the years, but historically, the best of the best players played in the McDonald’s All-American Game at the end of their high school careers before reaching the top level of basketball. However, the NBA has never before had so much foreign talent dominate the league.

Five of the consensus top six players currently in the NBA came from abroad or were not born in the United States. Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Victor Vembanyama are all European, and reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is Canadian. In fact some of the greatest American NBA players were not recruited well enough to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game, including Kawhi Leonard, Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell. Even Cade Cunningham, an All-American selection, didn’t get a chance to play in the game when it was canceled due to COVID-19.

That means there isn’t the usual All-American turned All-NBA talent at the top of the league, but some of the NBA’s best players have their basketball roots tied to the McDonald’s All-American Game. So, how did the best NBA players who played in the McDonald’s All-American Game actually fare against the best high school basketball players in the country?

Note: All US statistics for McDonald’s found here.

The best American hooper in the world currently is Anthony Edwards. His basketball talent had been evident since his high school days, but he was not his usual dominant self in the McDonald’s All-American Game. That doesn’t mean he was bad. He was actually highly efficient (62.% from the field) on his way to scoring 12 points.

Fans have become used to the Minnesota Timberwolves star lighting up the scoreboard nightly. The 12 points he scored were tied for the eighth most in the 2019 game, and this was despite playing the most minutes (21) of all the participants. A poor performance by his standards did not prevent Edwards from becoming the number one overall pick. He put up big numbers at Georgia and is still getting better year after year.

LeBron James was the most hyped prospect in NBA history. He went straight into the league as the number one player after his high school career at St. Vincent-St. Mary. So, it should be no surprise that the kid from Akron made it to the McDonald’s All-American Game. In fact, his performance at the 2003 event was rated the best performance in the history of the sport.

Already labeled the pick, James filled up the stat sheet with 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and six steals. That point total is tied for the seventh-best mark in the history of the game, and the six steals are tied for third-most all-time. James has long been an extremely versatile player who can do everything on the basketball court, which is why he is one of two McDonald’s All-American Game MVPs on this list.

Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics

With his running mate Jayson Tatum sidelined for almost all of this season, Jaylen Brown has a chance to remind fans what he can do as the top option. He was one of the top players in high school and was arguably the top scoring threat in the country during his high school days. Brown was the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Georgia.

However, Brown did not necessarily perform well in the 2015 McDonald’s All-American Game. He had only nine points in that contest. However, he added six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and two steals, proving that he is a versatile player. The Browns’ defense really got Cal fans excited in this game. Brown thrives at the point of attack and can help on defense, and his steal/block totals showed that.

Another 2025 McDonald’s All-American named Jalen Brunson performed even better than Brown in the All-Star Showcase, at least in the scoring department. The Villanova-bound guard had only six points. He proved he can impact the game in other areas, even in sports where basketball isn’t a downer.

Brunson, just 6 feet 2 inches tall, had seven rebounds. He also added four assists. Brunson is a courageous player who dominates the field and plays bigger than himself. This became clear in 2015 itself.

Kevin Durant is also responsible for one of McDonald’s greatest All-American performances ever. Playing in the game in 2006, Durant had 25 points, five rebounds and four assists, resulting in co-MVP honors with Chase Budinger. Budinger only had 11 points, so it was controversial whether the MVP was split.

Still, this was just an example of Durant beating out the only recruit ranked higher than him, Greg Oden. Oden also went on to become the number one ranked player, although Durant was the first freshman to win Naismith Player of the Year honors. Oden became one of the greatest NBA draft picks of all time, while Durant still stands as one of the best players in NBA history.

Devin Booker was excelling on the basketball court at a young age. This was perhaps most evident when he became the youngest player to score more than 60 points in an NBA game. He scored 70 runs for Phoenix Suns at the age of just 20. Even before this, Booker had played in the McDonald’s All-American Game.

However, his scoring in that game was a far cry from what fans saw in his iconic 70-point performance. In the 2014 All-American Game, Booker had only eight points. He couldn’t find his stroke, as he only made 37.5% of his shots. Unfortunately, Booker didn’t do anything else. The only other statistic he recorded was a single assist.

James Harden has become one of the greatest scorers and greatest facilitators in NBA history. The guard who was recently traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers is ninth on the all-time scoring list with 29,160 points. The 36.1 points per game he scored in 2018–19 are the most in a season for any player not named Wilt Chamberlain or Michael Jordan. In recent years, Harden has also developed his game to become a multi-time assist leader.

He did not necessarily showcase his offensive talents in the 2007 McDonald’s All-American Game. With only eight points, 19 players scored as many or more points than him. He made only one assist in total.

Bam Adebayo just scored 83 points, the second most ever in a single game. The Miami Heat center was far from the first player fans would have anticipated such a scoring explosion, but his ability to put the ball in the basket has long been underestimated. Adebayo can put the ball on the floor and create rebounds. He also has an ever-improving jump shot.

Adebayo’s scoring was underestimated since the 2016 McDonald’s All-American Game. He scored 16 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Josh and Frank Jackson took co-MVP honors, but Adebayo’s performance was commendable.

Tyrese Maxey had a solid game in the 2019 McDonald’s All-American Game. He made half of his field goal attempts for a total of 13 points in just 19 minutes. This was better than his draft classmate Anthony Edwards, who ultimately went first overall in the NBA Draft.

The success of the Maxi comes as little surprise. After all, he was a Kentucky recruit, and John Calipari did nothing but get the best at the guard position at the time. Now, Maxi has become one of the best scorers in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Karl-Anthony-Towns, New York Knicks

The 2014 NCAA recruiting class was loaded with centers. Jahlil Okafor and Myles Turner were the top two big men in the class. Ultimately, Karl-Anthony Towns would prove to be the best pivot man from his class, as he became the number one pick and established himself as the best 3-point shooting center in NBA history.

Although he was highly recruited, he was not the top big man upon high school graduation, and his McDonald’s All-American performance did not do him much good. Towns had just six points in 19 minutes in that game.