With Olympic basketball set to start this weekend, the Group USA males are days away from starting their marketing campaign to atone for the nation’s failure to win the 2023 FIBA match.
These are the perfect of the perfect who hail from america. With legends like LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry coming again for what is probably going their last run, returning Olympians in Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum and Jrue Vacation, and first-timers in Anthony Edwards, Derrick White and Tyrese Haliburton and Derrick White, the workforce is primed to compete.
However these stars weren’t all the time Olympians. Years in the past — and in some instances, over a decade in the past — they have been in excessive schoolers, searching for their school alternative that may greatest result in NBA stardom (or in a single notable case, not school).
Check out these gamers’ histories, from after they weren’t Olympics, not All-NBA expertise, not even school gamers, however excessive schoolers making a reputation for themselves.
Picture: McDonald’s
By the point Bam Adebayo graduated in 2016, he one of the extremely regarded excessive schoolers in his class. He was a consensus five-star recruit, ranked No. 9 on the 247Sports Composite. Adebayo would go on to star at Kentucky earlier than being drafted on the finish of the lottery by the Miami Warmth.
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Devin Booker made waves in highschool and recruited by Blue Bloods, however he wasn’t fairly the bonafide prime recruit like a number of the different gamers on this listing. That’s to not say school groups didn’t take him significantly — Booker was a four-star participant on the 247Sports Composite (5-star by 247 itself) and ranked the No. 22 participant within the class of 2014 on each. He attended Kentucky, the place he performed as a sharpshooting sixth man, after which was drafted by the Phoenix Suns at No. 13.
(Picture: Charlotte Christian)
Because the years have progressed, recruiting shops have turn out to be more proficient at rating gamers, and Steph Curry is likely one of the prime misses by these shops within the mid-2000s. Within the class of 2006, Curry was ranked a three-star guard — with 146 gamers ranked greater than him on the 247Sports Composite. He awoke the doubters at Davidson, the place he led the workforce to the Elite Eight and constructed up his profile to be the No. 7 choose in 2009 by the Golden State Warriors.
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Anthony Davis had the alternative highschool profile of Curry. 5-stars, consensus No. 1 participant, one-and-done at Kentucky to being the No. 1 choose within the NBA draft by the then-New Orleans Hornets — and play for Group USA within the 2012 Olympics earlier than setting foot on an NBA court docket.
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The expertise of Kevin Durant was clear in highschool, when he was the No. 2 participant within the class behind Greg Oden. The category of 2006 star at Montrose Christian Faculty went on to dominate at Texas earlier than heading to the Seattle SuperSonics.
Picture: Kelly Kline, Below Armour
Anthony Edwards’ reclassification from the category of 2020 to the category of 2019 early in his last 12 months of highschool propelled him from the second-best participant in his former class to No. 1 participant in his new class, overtaking James Wiseman. Edwards attended Georgia for one 12 months earlier than being drafted with the primary choose by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Picture: Gainesville Solar
Joel Embiid was a five-star participant within the class of 2013, ranked No. 17 total on the 247Sports Composite. After profitable a championship as a senior, he attended Kansas earlier than being drafted third by the Philadelphia 76ers.
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In hindsight, Tyrese Haliburton didn’t obtain as a lot hype as he ought to have. A 3-star participant at Oshkosh North Excessive Faculty, Haliburton was ranked No. 169 within the class of 2018 with 27 level guards ranked above him. He didn’t have the presents one would anticipate for a future star, however he broke out at Iowa State and was drafted No. 12 total by the Sacramento Kings.
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Except you have been from the Denver space, you most likely didn’t find out about Derrick White in highschool. Even then, you continue to may not have. In his senior 12 months in 2012, White had no Div. I presents and no star rating, opting to hitch College of Colorado Colorado Springs as a most well-liked walk-on. After setting a points-per-game report, single-season factors report, and turning into the primary All-American in UCCS historical past, he transferred to Colorado for his senior season. He did sufficient to be picked close to the tip of the primary spherical in 2017.
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It’s arduous to keep in mind that Jrue Vacation graduated highschool within the class of 2008. He was a five-star recruit and ranked within the prime 5 by each 247 and Rivals, He joined a UCLA workforce that was coming off three straight Closing 4 appearances, and after a 12 months in Los Angeles departed for the NBA draft, the place he was picked No. 17 by the 76ers.
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Twenty years later, the legend of highschool LeBron James lives on. Billed as “The Chosen One” on the quilt of Sports Illustrated as a junior, the one factor greater than his potential have been the expectations that surrounded him. He met and surpassed them and is again to chase one last gold medal with Group USA.
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Jayson Tatum was lengthy thought-about a prime participant within the class of 2016. A five-star prospect ranked No. 4 total on the 247Sports composite, Tatum had his choose of the highest universities within the nation. He went with Duke and head coach Mike Krzyzewski, the place he spent one season earlier than being picked third within the draft by the Boston Celtics.
