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A recent listing by ESPN Rise highlighted the top 50 high school basketball players ever
You have been there before: You’re watching a game, and you think, “This kid could be the best player I’ve ever seen.” Well, hold that thought. ESPN Rise magazine published its “Best Ballers Ever” list. And even they couldn’t decide. Take a look at their list and see what you think.
1. Lew Alcindor, aka Kareem Abdul Jabbar
(Power Memorial, Manhattan, N.Y.)
 Playing at the famed all-male Catholic school in the mid-1960s, Alcindor was the most sought-after player in high school history. With the 7-2 Alcindor in the post, Power Memorial won three city titles and went 96-6 in three seasons, where he amassed 2,067 points. Later, he converted to Islam, becoming Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His impressive resumé includes three NCAA national championships and two National Player of the Year awards at UCLA, six NBA championships, six NBA MVP awards, election to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and six NBA records, including most points (38,387 in 20 years).
2. Wilt Chamberlain
(Overbrook, Philadelphia)
 At 7-1, 275 pounds, “The Big Dipper” brought athleticism to the post that few have matched. Excelling at track and field (the shot put, 440-yard run and high jump), Chamberlain ultimately chose basketball, where his Panthers went 56-3 and won three Public League and two city championships. From 1953-1955, he netted 2,252 points (a 37.4-point average). His University of Kansas Jayhawks reached the Final Four in 1957. In track, he also won three Big Eight Conference high jump titles. After leaving the Jayhawks in 1958 for the Harlem Globetrotters, he played for 15 years in the NBA, winning two titles and amassing a then-record 31,419 points and 23,924 rebounds. He is a member of the NBA’s 50th Anniversary Team and the Basketball Hall of Fame.
3. Oscar Robertson
(Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis)
It was no where but up for “The Big O” after legendary UCLA coach John Wooden called him the greatest high school player he had ever seen. Robertson, who attended a segregated all-black high school, was a pioneer when the Attucks became the first all-black high school to win a state championship, going 33-1 in 1955. The team repeated when he was a senior, with Indiana’s Mr. Basketball scoring 24 points per game. In three seasons at the University of Cincinnati, he was tabbed the Player of the Year and topped the nation in scoring (33.8 points per game). The 6-5 Robertson won an Olympic Gold Medal in 1960 and an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks. He is a member of the basketball and college basketball halls of fame.
4. LeBron James
(St. Vincent-St. Mary, Akron, Ohio)
Dubbed “The Chosen One” and “King James,” James helped the Irish win three Ohio state championships and the mythical national championship as a senior in 2003. He finished his four-year prep career with 2,657 points, 892 rebounds and 523 assists. Along the way, he was crowned a three-time Mr. Ohio Basketball and two-time Gatorade National Player of the Year. He was the first pick of the 2003 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, bypassing the college game. A five-time NBA All-Star, James recently won the NBA’s MVP award and earned an Olympic gold medal with the U.S. men’s team in 2008.
5. Earvin “Magic” Johnson
(Everett, Lansing, Mich.)
Johnson redefined the position of point guard. At 6-8, he used his height to scan the court and distribute the ball. As a senior, he averaged 28.8 points and 16.8 rebounds en route to a state championship season. As a sophomore, he earned the nickname “Magic” from a local sports writer after recording a triple-double in a game. He closed his prep career with 2,012 points (30th all time in Michigan) and averaged 25.8 points. While at Michigan State, he won an NCAA national championship in 1979. Two months later, he was the first-round pick of the Los Angeles Lakers. His 17-year NBA career produced five NBA titles, three MVPs and 12 All-Star selections. He was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2002. OC
The Best of the Rest
6. Moses Malone (Petersburg, Va.)
7. Jerry West (East Bank, W.V.)
8. Kevin Garnett (Farragut, Chicago)
9. Jerry Lucas (Middletown, Ohio)
10. Bill Walton (Helix, La Mesa, Calif.)
11. Shaquille O’Neal (Cole, San Antonio)
12. Kobe Bryant (Lower Merion, Ardmore, Pa.)
13. Patrick Ewing (Rindge & Latin, Cambridge, Mass.)
14. Isiah Thomas (St. Joseph, Westchester, Ill.)
15. Jason Kidd (St. Joseph, Alameda, Calif.)
16. Alonzo Mourning (Indian River, Chesapeake, Va.)
17. Pete Maravich (Broughton, Raleigh, N.C.)
18. Michael Jordan (Laney, Wilmington, N.C.)
19. Robert Parish (Woodlawn & Union, Shreveport, La.)
20. Larry Bird (Spring valley, French Lick, Ind.)
21. Chris Webber (Detroit Country Day, Birmingham, Mich.)
22. John Havlicek (Bridgeport, Ohio)
23. Kenny Anderson (Archbishop Molloy, Briarwood, N.Y.)
24. Ralph Sampson (Harrisonburg, Va.)
25. Adrian Dantley (Dematha, Hyattsville, Md.)
26. Elvin Hayes (Britton, Rayville, La.)
27. Wes Unseld (Seneca, Louisville, Ky.)
28. Reggie Miller (Poly, Riverside, Calif.)
29. Dan Issel (Batavia, Ill.)
30. Calvin Murphy (Norwalk, Conn.)
31. Rasheed Wallace (Simon Gratz, Philadelphia).
32. Bernard King (Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
33. Tracy McGrady (Mt. Zion Academy, Durham, N.C.)
34. Bill Cartwright (Elk Grove, Calif.)
35. James Worthy (Ashbrook, Gastonia, N.C.)
36. David Thompson (Crest, Shelby, N.C.)
37. Vince Carter (Mainland, Daytona Beach, Fla.)
38. Connie Hawkins (Boys & Girls, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
39. Carmelo Anthony (Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, Va.)
40. Dwight Howard (Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy, Ga.)
41. Allen Iverson (Bethel, Hamton, Va.)
42. Bill Bradley (Crystal City, Mo.)
43. Spencer Haywood (Pershing, Detroit)
44. Sebastian Telfair (Lincoln, Brooklyn, N.Y.)
45. Mike Bibby (Shadow Mountain, Phoenix)
46. Quinn Buckner (Thornridge, Dolton, Ill.)
47. O.J. Mayo (Huntington, W.V.)
48. Larry Johnson (Skyline, Dallas)
49. Greg Oden (Lawrence North, Indianapolis)
50. Chris Bosh (Lincoln, Dallas) |
