The McDonald's All-American Game gathers the best high school basketball players in the country together to partake in the ultimate display of amateur hoop talent. The all-star basketball game has been in existence since 1978, and a lot of pretty great basketball players have played in the game.
There have been some huge performances by players who would go on to become basketball legends, as well as by players whose peak might have come in the game itself. So, what are the 15 greatest performances in McDonald's All-American Game history?
Note: McDonald's All-American statistics found here.
15. Lonzo Ball, Chino Hills (Chino Hills, Calif.)
Lonzo Ball's team during his senior year of high school was one of the most famous teams in history. Chino Hills blew up for their flashy and unorthodox playstyle, as well as the famous trio that was Ball and his two brothers, LiAngelo and LaMelo. All the hype that the eldest brother and his teammates received was deserved.
While leading the number one team in the nation, Ball averaged a triple-double en route to becoming an All-American. The Naismith Prep Player of the Year was perhaps most known for his elite playmaking. Standing 6-foot-5, Ball was one of the pioneers for the jumbo facilitator role, and he displayed his advanced passing feel in the 2016 McDonald's All-American Game when he had 13 assists. That is still tied with Jacque Vaughn for the all-time record.
In a game that can be ruled by isolation and look-at-me ball, the eventual number two overall pick made sure to play unselfishly and get his teammates involved. Ball had numerous high-level alley-oop assists in the 114-107 victory, but he opted against looking for his shot, ending the game with a goose egg in the scoring department. That resulted in Josh Jackson and Frank Jackson taking home MVP honors over Ball, and it prevents Ball from ranking any higher than 15th on this list. It didn't matter, though, as Ball clearly made his teammates better, and he also impressed on the defensive end.
14. Michael Beasley, Notre Dame Prep (Towson, Md.)
As a prep player, Michael Beasley was known for a versatile skill set. He could operate beyond the arc or bruise down low, as he was effective as a 3-point shooter while maintaining great rebounding skills. In isolation, Beasley was unstoppable, and he even had some playmaking knack.
His highly efficient game was on display in the 2007 McDonald's All-American Game. There, Beasley had 23 points and 12 rebounds, and he only missed three of his 13 shot attempts. That was enough to win MVP honors.
13. Othella Harrington, Murrah (Jackson, Miss.)
Jason Kidd and Othella Harrington were the top two recruits in the nation in 1992. Harrington averaged 28.9 points and 24.9 rebounds per game as a senior, and his 2,303 total rebounds are the second most in high school basketball history. His 971 senior year rebounds are also the second most ever in a single season.
Clearly, Harrington knew how to hit the glass and dominate inside. That didn't stop when the eventual Georgetown product took on the best of the best in the McDonald's All-American Game. Harrington had 21 rebounds against fellow top recruits, good for the second most in history. With 19 points to boot, Harrington took home the MVP award.
Harrington followed the footsteps of Patrick Ewing, Dikembe Mutombo, and Alonzo Mourning as a dominant big man at Georgetown, and he'd leave the school fifth on their all-time scoring list. Harrington would then go on to play 12 NBA seasons, but he ended up becoming more of a role player, only having a scoring average in the double-digits in one season during his career.
12. Sam Perkins, Shaker (Latham, New York)
The only hooper with more rebounds than Harrington in the McDonald's All-American Game was Sam Perkins. The big man who would go on to win an NCAA championship at North Carolina collected 24 boards in the 1980 iteration of the game. Perkins was able to add 12 points, too, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough to prevent a 135-111 loss.
Russell Cross was awarded the MVP largely because he was on the winning team, but he only made four field goals and was more dependent on scoring at the free throw line. Still, Perkins was one of the original greats in the McDonald's All-American Game. This was just the third version of the event, and Perkins showed how much of a physical force he was.
Perkins would go on to become the fourth pick in the 1984 NBA Draft class, sandwiched in between UNC teammate and NBA G.O.A.T Michael Jordan, as well as Charles Barkley. The 1984 draft class went down as the greatest class of all time. Weirdly, Perkins was one of the bigger disappointments from that stacked class because he never made an All-Star Game. He still had a long and productive NBA career as a really good, just not quite great player, though.
11. Eddy Curry, Thornwood (South Holland, Illinois)
Eddy Curry didn't partake in basketball until the seventh grade, but he quickly became a phenom on the hardwood. By his senior year of high school in 2001, Curry was the best high schooler in the nation. The Illinois Mr. Basketball winner was a standout in the McDonald's All-American Game.
There, he had 28 points, which is good for the third-best mark in the game's history. Curry would win the MVP and go straight to the league, where the Chicago Bulls made him the fourth overall pick. Curry was a solid player in the NBA, but weight management issues prevented him from ever truly reaching his potential.
Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, and LeBron James were other high schoolers drafted around this time who'd go on to etch their names in the history books. Curry wasn't close to that level of player, but it is also perhaps fair to say his career received too much criticism. He was still a career 12.0 point-per-game scorer whose scoring blossomed to as much as 19.5 points per game in 2006-07.
10. Khalid Reeves, Christ the King Regional (Queens, New York)
Alongside Christ the King Regional teammate Derrick Phelps, Khalid Reeves went off in the 1990 McDonald's All-American Game. En route to splitting the MVP title with Shawn Bradley, Reeves recorded a record 10 steals. That is three more steals than the second-best steals performance in the history of the game.
Double-digit steals performances are incredibly rare at all levels of basketball, but the fact that Reeves picked the pocket of the best high school players in the nation 10 times is truly quite impressive. This led to a lot of fastbreak opportunities, and Reeves ultimately led the game in scoring (22 points), too.
After the McDonald's All-American Game, Reeves played his college basketball at Arizona. He is fifth in program history in scoring (1,925) and holds the single-season scoring record (848) during a season in which he led the Wildcats to the Final Four.
9. Ralph Sampson, Harrisonburg (Harrisonburg, Virginia)
While Reeves secured 10 steals in his McDonald's All-American Game, Ralph Sampson had just as many blocks. The 10 times he swatted away a shot are also a record. Amazingly, it wasn't even all that surprising, as Sampson was one of the most highly touted recruits and prospects in basketball history.
The big man who would bloom up to 7-foot-4 averaged 30 points, 19 rebounds, and seven blocks per game as a senior at Harrisonburg High School. It isn't clear how many points Sampson finished with in the McDonald's All-American Game, but his defensive presence alone was enough to get him on this list.
Sampson would go on to become one of the greatest college basketball players ever, evidenced by his being one of two three-time National College Player of the Year award winners. He was the 1983 first overall pick, too, and he had an incredible NBA career before injuries ended his playing days prematurely.
8. Shaquille O'Neal, Robert G. Cole (San Antonio, Texas)
Shaquille O'Neal was a man amongst boys in the NBA when he was playing fellow seven-footers, so one can imagine how physically dominant he was in high school when taking on players who were worried about finishing their algebra homework. O'Neal had a 68-1 record over two seasons at Robert G. Cole High School. He even had a state record 791 rebounds as a senior.
His physical superiority was on display in the 1989 McDonald's All-American Game. There, he had 18 points, 16 rebounds, and six blocks, the latter two of which are inside the top three in the history of the game. He was a Co-MVP with Bobby Hurley in the game, but in reality, he probably should have had sole possession of that award.
Like Sampson, O'Neal's basketball dominance didn't end after high school. He'd become the number one pick and make 15 All-Star Games, even winning four NBA championships along the way.
7. Kevin Durant, Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)
Kevin Durant was putting on masterclasses on the hardwood from a young age. Everybody knows he was the first freshman to win the Naismith College Player of the Year award. His brilliance started well before that with one of the best McDonald's All-American Game performances ever, though.
The Montrose Christian player scored 25 points, secured five rebounds, and added four assists in 2006. Durant's huge game was one of many times throughout his career he'd outshine the only player ranked above him in his class. Greg Oden was the number one recruit in 2006, and he'd go first overall in the 2007 NBA Draft despite Durant's unprecedented season at Texas.
Oden became one of the biggest NBA Draft busts ever, though, while Durant is a 16-time All-Star and four-time scoring champion who ranks sixth on the all-time scoring list.
6. Jonathan Bender, Picayune (Picayune, Miss.)
Nobody has scored more points in the McDonald's All-American Game than Jonathan Bender. In 1999, the Picayune product dropped 31 points. He did it with a unique skill set that was well ahead of its time. Bender was a 7-footer, yet he played shooting guard in high school.
Bender had the ability to put the ball on the ground, and he could even shoot a little bit. His McDonald's All-American performance proved that the sky was the limit for his career, and it led to him being drafted fifth overall straight out of high school. Unfortunately, knee injuries prevented him from ever reaching his potential.
5. Ronald Curry, Hampton (Hampton, Va.)
The second Curry to appear on this list, neither of whom are Stephen or Dell, Ronald Curry was one of the great high school athletes the world had ever seen. On top of being a McDonald's All-American in basketball in 1998, he was also an All-American football player. Curry dominated amateur competitors with freakish athleticism far beyond what a high schooler should possess. He won three state titles in football and another in basketball, and he was a higher-ranked football recruit than in-division competitor Michael Vick.
In the McDonald's All-American Game, Curry's athletic prowess was on full display, as he did a little bit of everything. He won the Slam Dunk Contest, and then he came closer to anyone before or after him to getting a triple-double. With 19 points, 12 rebounds, and nine assists, Curry was just one statistic shy of completing a feat rarely seen in high school play, let alone in a high school All-Star competition featuring the best players in the nation.
The 1998 McDonald's All-American Game MVP would go on to play both football and basketball at North Carolina, coincidentally at the same time that Julius Peppers was playing both sports there as well. Peppers is the only Final Four participant and Super Bowl champion ever. Ultimately, Curry would more so thrive with the pigskin than the rock. He set career passing yards records for the Tar Heels before transitioning to the receiver position in the NFL.
4. John Williams, Crenshaw (Los Angeles, Calif.)
John Williams, nicknamed ‘Hot Plate' so as not to get confused with John ‘Hot Rod' Williams, was a massive point forward who could dominate with pure strength or high-level skill. His versatility was on display in the McDonald's All-American Game, as he had 27 points and 16 rebounds.
Both of those marks rank inside the top seven in the history of the game. The two-time California Mr. Basketball struggled with weight management once he made it to the NBA. He was even suspended for an entire season because of the issue. The talent was evident in high school, though, which is why he took home MVP honors in the big game in 1984.
3. Michael Jordan, Emsley A. Laney (Wilmington, N.C.)
Michael Jordan is well-regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. In the NBA, he won six championships and earned five MVPs. He also led the league in scoring 10 times and is the all-time leader in All-Defensive First Team appearances with nine. He came from humble basketball beginnings, though.
Jordan was famously cut from the varsity team as a sophomore in high school. By his senior year, though, the G.O.A.T. was averaging 26.8 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 10.1 assists per game. His true introduction to the basketball world came in the McDonald's All-American Game, where he had 30 points and six steals.
However, being a guard during an era where bigs ruled supreme, Jordan was often underestimated until NBA Finals success came his way. Two players were named Co-MVPs in 1981, but neither of them was Jordan. Despite the huge numbers Jordan put up, including what was then the scoring record, it was Adrian Branch and Aubrey Sherrod who were named MVP.
2. Chris Webber, Detroit County Day (Beverly Hills, Mich.)
Chris Webber is an all-time NBA great, but he had some iconic moments during his amateur career, too. Webber was a part of Michigan's Fab Five, one of the most famous college basketball teams of all-time. Unfortunately, during his time with the Wolverines, he is perhaps most known for calling a timeout that his team didn't have.
Before then, though, Webber was the 1991 McDonald's All-American Game Co-MVP. Webber had 28 points and 12 rebounds in a 108-106 victory that concluded as one of the greatest All-American Games ever. It was Webber who scored the game-winning points, as his team took the lead after he dunked the basketball with six seconds left. To this day, Webber's game-winner is one of the most iconic McDonald's All-American Game moments ever.
1. LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)
LeBron James was the most highly touted prospect in NBA history. He showed why during his entire career at St. Vincent-St. Mary, but especially during the 2003 McDonald's All-American Game. What makes James so great is that he can do a lot of everything. His versatility was on display when he went for 27 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and six steals.
James was locked in as the first overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft, well before the McDonald's All-American Game, but this performance set in stone who the Cleveland Cavaliers would take with their pick. James somehow only exceeded expectations going forward, and he is still going strong 23 years later.
James has not only played more seasons than any NBA player before him, but he even has the honor of teaming up with his own son, Bronny James.
