The McDonald's All-American Game has pitted the best high school basketball players in the country against each other since 1978. There have been numerous iconic performances and legendary matchups in the game, and oftentimes, star performers end up thriving in their basketball careers for years to come. All-time NBA greats, such as Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas, thrived in the game. Some of the best active NBA players, including Kevin Durant and LeBron James, announced their presence to the basketball world in the game and are still going strong years later. Not every player who played well in the McDonald's All-American Game would continue to find basketball success, though. Here are the 10 McDonald's All-Americans whose basketball careers flopped after they rose to stardom in the big game.
Note: Statistics found here
James Wiseman
James Wiseman had a skill set that was supposed to blend old-school basketball with the modern game. The big man who played his high school ball at the Ensworth School could score down low with his back to the basket, but he also showed flashes of shooting touch and advanced mobility during his youth. In the 2019 McDonald's All-American Game, Wiseman put this all on display, as he scored 13 points in a variety of ways. Wiseman averaged 25.8 points and 5.5 blocks per game as a senior in high school and even played better in the Jordan Brand Classic, when he took home MVP honors.
However, it has been all downhill since then for Wiseman. Wiseman committed to Memphis to play under his former high school coach and NBA legend Penny Hardaway. Hardaway knew how to get the best out of Wiseman, but controversies and injuries prevented him from doing much in the collegiate ranks. He missed time because of shoulder and ankle injuries, as well as a seven-game suspension due to taking money for moving expenses from Hardaway.
The highly touted prospect finished his college career with just three games played before he decided to focus on the upcoming NBA Draft. In 2020, Wiseman was selected second overall by the Golden State Warriors, a team in the midst of a dynasty but one that hadn't had much center help. Wiseman's interior presence was expected to take the Warriors to even greater heights. Instead, Wiseman became one of the biggest NBA Draft busts in recent memory. Despite having access to a clear role and all of the talent around him to help him learn how to win, Wiseman lasted just 60 games with the Warriors.
A torn meniscus cost Wiseman all of his second season, and the most notable thing the former number two overall pick has done as of late was tearing his Achilles tendon in the opening game of the 2024-25 season with the Indiana Pacers. Wiseman does have a championship ring in his collection from his time with the Warriors, but he didn't play a single game in that 2021-22 season.
DeShawn Stevenson
DeShawn Stevenson entered the 2000 NBA Draft with a Michael Jordan comparison pinned to his skill set. At Washington Union High School, Stevenson displayed advanced athleticism and impressive interior scoring. He also had a pure jump shot and some defensive playmaking ability. Stevenson averaged 30.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game his senior year, which led to Roy Williams calling him the most gifted recruit ever. He even scored a game-leading 25 points in the 2000 McDonald's All-American Game.
Stevenson ditched an opportunity with Williams' Kansas Jayhawks and went straight to the NBA. He was the number 23 pick in 2000, but it is safe to say that Stevenson didn't get close to the realm that the greatest NBA player ever did. In fact, Stevenson averaged just 7.2 points per game over a 13-year career. Stevenson stuck around in the NBA for a good while, but he was a mere role player and not the megastar he was expected to become.
Winfred Walton
Winfred Walton was one of the top players in the recruiting class of 1996. That year, players such as Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal would go straight from high school to the pros to join what became one of the best NBA Draft classes ever. Walton outperformed everyone in the 1996 McDonald's All-American Game, and he decided to then go the college basketball route.
After scoring 21 points and securing seven rebounds in the All-Star Showcase, Walton went on to play for Syracuse. However, standardized test issues resulted in him never suiting up for Jim Boeheim's team. He had to transfer to Fresno State, where he had a mediocre career.
Walton was never drafted into the NBA. He played a little bit overseas, but his career flopped in a big way after the McDonald's All-American Game. Unfortunately, Walton recently passed away in a car crash.
Kwame Brown
Many view Kwame Brown as the biggest draft failure of all time. He ranks as the ninth biggest NBA Draft bust ever in ClutchPoints' rankings. Brown was the first-ever high schooler to go first overall. NBA legends such as LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, and Kobe Bryant went straight from high school to the NBA and found tons of success, but there is certainly an element of risk associated with investing so much in such a young man with so little life and basketball experience.
Brown had just 4,035 career points in the NBA, a drastic underachievement for a number one pick and a mark that makes him one of the worst first overall selections ever. He was immature and not physically ready for the grueling NBA game, but he was drafted number one for a reason.
In high school as a senior, Brown averaged 20.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, and 5.8 blocks per game. A 17-point performance in the 2001 McDonald's All-American Game is what cemented his case as the number one pick in the eyes of many. While Eddy Curry actually had one of the best All-American Game performances ever when he scored 28 points in that same game, Brown displayed tons of potential, but he just never lived up to it.
Omm'A Givens
While New York, Georgia, California, and North Carolina are often pinned as the best states when it comes to producing basketball talent, Washington deserves credit as an underrated state with plenty of hoopers. Omm'A Givens was one of the first big-name players to come out of Washington. During a Gatorade Player of the Year season in 1994, Givens averaged 23.4 points per game en route to becoming an All-American.
He even broke the playoff tournament scoring record that year. Givens shined in the McDonald's All-American Game, but his college career was a mess. Givens was on UCLA's 1995 national championship team, but he spent the season as a small-role backup, which led to his transferring to Pepperdine.
There, he was suspended after he punched his teammate, and he left the program soon thereafter. Any hopes at NBA life were thrown out the window with Givens' actions, and his professional career was limited to various developmental leagues and overseas programs.
John Williams
There were two players named John Williams who joined the NBA in 1986. John ‘Hot Rod' Williams became one of the best players in Cleveland Cavaliers' history, but John ‘Hot Plate' Williams had an underwhelming professional career. Williams was given the nickname ‘Hot Plate' because he struggled with dieting and weight management issues.
Williams was even suspended for an entire season because of these issues. Before those issues plagued Williams' career, he had a skill set that was far ahead of its time. Williams was a point forward who had advanced ball-handling and passing skills for a player his size. His versatility was on display when he racked up 27 points and 16 rebounds in the 1984 McDonald's All-American Game. That was good enough to earn the MVP nod for that game.
The two-time California Mr. Basketball played his college basketball at LSU and was drafted 12th overall in 1986, but he just didn't become the player he could have been. Instead of revolutionizing the sport as he could have, he only had five solid seasons with the Washington Bullets before he was suspended, leading to his career then falling off a cliff.
Jonathan Bender
Jonathan Bender is the all-time leader in McDonald's All-American Game points. In 1999, Bender scored 31 points in the big game. That is more than Michael Jordan, LeBron James, or Paul Pierce. He was a 7-footer who could score down low, but he also showed off some guard-like skills with the ability to ball handle and hit jumpers.
The scoring outburst and MVP showing led to the Toronto Raptors taking Bender fifth overall in the 1999 NBA Draft. Bender was immediately traded to the Indiana Pacers, and he never lived up to expectations in the NBA. In fact, he isn't talked about enough as one of the biggest NBA Draft busts in history.
Injuries led to Bender's demise, and his numbers were underwhelming even when he was on the court. He averaged just 5.5 points per game in the NBA, which included a three-year hiatus at one point during his career.
Nassir Little/Jordan Brown
The 2018 McDonald's All-American Game had two iconic performances, so Nassir Little and Jordan Brown are lumped here together because both of them flopped after going off in the massive high school all-star game. Little won MVP honors with 28 points, but Brown was right on his tail with 26 points in his own right.
Little joined UNC and didn't become the star he was expected to be. Instead, he served as a defensive-minded role player off the bench. His NBA career was short and underwhelming. While Brown had a solid collegiate career with Louisiana, it took him playing for four different universities to find success at that level, and he never made it to the NBA.
Tiny Gallon
The 2009 McDonald's All-American Game was one of the best in recent memory. It was a high-scoring, back-and-forth clash, and Tiny Gallon was the centerpiece. Gallon's nickname is deceiving, as he stood 6-foot-9-inches tall, and he led all scorers with 20 points in the contest.
Gallon took his talents to Oklahoma, but he received illegal payments, which led to the Sooners being forced to forfeit their entire 2009-10 season. Gallon was drafted in the second round in 2010, but he never stepped foot on the NBA hardwood. Instead, he jumped around the G-League and various leagues around the world.
In Gallon's defense, he did find success overseas, even leading the NBL in scoring twice. Success in an inferior league was still far from what fans expected from Gallon when he took over the McDonald's All-American Game, though.
Adrian Branch/Aubrey Sherrod
One can never predict who will become the greatest player of all time, but there were sure signs with Michael Jordan. In the 1981 McDonald's All-American Game, the eventual G.O.A.T. dropped 30 points, a then-record and a mark that still ranks second all-time. For inexplicable reasons, he wasn't named MVP of that game.
Instead, Adrian Branch and Aubrey Sherrod split the title of MVP. Branch had 24 points, and Sherrod had 19. While Jordan would go on to become the greatest to ever lace them up, Branch and Sherrod peaked in their basketball careers in the big game
Both Branch and Sherrod actually had solid collegiate careers. Branch was Second-Team All-ACC twice with Maryland, and Sherrod was Second-Team All-MVC thrice with Wichita State. However, in the NBA, Branch played for four teams in as many years as a backup, and Sherrod was cut before his NBA career even started, forcing him to play in the CBA before an early retirement.
