Top 10 Prep to Pro Players In NBA History

The NBA is filled with one and done players these days. But it wasn’t that long ago that the league was allowing gifted high school graduates to declare for the draft. The modern version of the quantum leap from prep to pro, which started with Darryl Dawkins and Bill Willoughby in 1975, lasted through July, 2005. There were a total of 41 high school draftees. Since then, the practice has been prohibited by the new collective bargaining agreement in which players who enter the draft have to be 19 years of age and at least one year removed from high school.

Most teams now draft on upside potential. But some prospects are can’t miss, regardless of age and have proven they can make an immediate impact. Prep prodigies like forward LeBron James, guard Kobe Bryant and forward Kevin Garnett each won the MVP award and have turned into future Hall of Famers. Others like Korleone Young, Ndudi Ebi and Leon Smith drifted into the abyss.

With that in mind, we ranked the Top 10 prep to pro stars to play in the NBA. We included the late Moses Malone from Petersburg, Va. High, who signed with the Utah Stars of the ABA in 1974, then went on to become a dominant center in the NBA once the two leagues merged two years later, among the candidates.

The hardest choice we had to make was who should be No. 1– James or Bryant. We finally settled on the 30-year old James because he has been a dominant force in the league from the time he was a rookie with the Cleveland Cavaliers, single handedly took a weak Cleveland franchise of Daniel Gibson, Sasha Pavlovic, Drew Gooden and Zydrunas Ilgauskas and himself into an NBA finals four years later before winning two titles with Miami while emerging as the ultimate force in the league. James is back in Cleveland now, trying to win another title. He came up short last year (his fifth consecutive appearance in an NBA Finals), losing to the Warriors in the finals, where he averaged 38 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists, playing without potential All Stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love.

1. LeBron James, 6-8 forward, 2003 first pick overall, St. Vincent St. Mary’s- High School in Akron, Oh.

Most, if not all of the players on this list had their relentless, focused personalities forged by their struggle for survival in the black community. James was born to a 16-year old mother, Gloria, who raised him on her own. Growing up, the family moved from apartment to apartment in the seedier side of Akron while James’ mother looked for steady work. In an effort to create stability, she allowed James to move in with the family of Frank Walker, his youth football coach, who introduced him to basketball when he was nine years old.

James went on to become the most hyped player ever in high school basketball when his national championship high school team toured the country during his senior year to play a number of nationally ranked teams before sellout crowds in huge arenas, including a game against Oak Hill Academy before a sellout crowd in Cleveland that was nationally televised on ESPN2. James was a rock star, averaging 31.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 3.4 steals and was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year for a second straight year. The first hint he might turn pro occurred when he accepted a Hummer H2 for his 18th birthday from his mother, who secured a loan for the vehicle from a bank based on his future earning potential as a professional athlete. When he played in a third national All Star game that spring, he forfeited his NCAA eligibility, making it a certainty he would apply for the draft.

He was anointed “King James” and “The Chosen One” long before he was selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Nike thought enough of him to give him a $90 million dollar contract. We were all witnesses as he averaged 27.3 points, 7.1 rebounds and 6.9 assists, making 11 NBA All Star appearances. James was selected all NBA first team eight times, all NBA first team all-defensive team five times and was voted league MVP four times.

2. Kobe Bryant, 6-6 guard, Lower Merion, Pa. High, 1996 13th pick Charlotte Hornets (later traded to the Los Angeles Lakers).

The 37-year old Bryant faced different challenges than James. He moved to Italy with his family at age 6 when he father Joe signed to play in the Italian pro league. He learned to speak fluid Italian and Spanish and started playing basketball when he was three. His favorite team was the Lakers and his grandfather would mail him videos of NBA games to study. When Joe retired in 1991, the family moved back to the United States. When Kobe enrolled at Bala Cynwyd, Pa. Middle School, he didn’t know anybody and had trouble reading. He channeled his anger into basketball and there was no denying his talent. Bryant had a spectacular high school career at Lower Merion, playing all five positions and averaged 30.8 points, 12 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.8 blocked shots while leading the suburban Philadelphia school to its first state championship in 53 years. He ended his career as Southeastern Pennsylvania’s all-time leading scorer with 2,882 points, surpassing Wilt Chamberlain.

Bryant was selected national Player of the Year and was recruited heavily by Duke, but when Garnett went in the first round of the 1995 NBA draft, he began considering going directly to the NBA. He was selected by the Hornets, then traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac. He has gone on to become a 17-time All Star and a prolific scorer who scored 32,432 points, No. 3 in NBA history. He won the scoring title twice, made first team All NBA 11 times, the all-defensive team nine times. Bryant was voted MVP in 2008 and has finished in the top 10 in the balloting 10 times. But more importantly, he has five NBA championship rings.

3. Moses Malone, 6-10 center, Petersburg, Va. High School , selected by the Utah Stars in the third round of the 1974 ABA draft.

Malone was born in Petersburg. He was an only child, raised alone by his mother Mary, who dropped out of school after finishing fifth grade. He attended Petersburg High and polished his game by playing pick up against the inmates at a local prison. Petersburg went undefeated in his final two years, winning 50 games and the Virginia state championship twice. Malone signed to play for the University of Maryland but opted to turn pro. He was so advanced defensively that Howard Garfinkel, the director of fabled Five Star camp in the Poconos, said he was the only camper who was too good for the camp.

“The Chairman of the Boards” was just 19 years old when he entered the league. Two years later, after the NBA and ABA merged, he became a dominant center in his second season with the Houston Rockets in 1978-79. Malone was a rebounding machine who averaged 12.2 rebounds during his career. Malone averaged 20.6 points, played in 12 all-star games, won three MVPs and an NBA championship in 1983 with the Philadelphia 76’ers when he made the famous prediction, “Fo, fo, fo,” when asked how long it would take the Sixers to wrap up the championship. Malone played for 10 different teams in the NBA and ABA with varied levels of success. He was the first prep-to-pro player to be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame. He died unexpectedly September 12 the age of 60 in late September.

4. Kevin Garnett, 6-10 forward, Chicago Farragut Career Academy. Selected by Minnesota with the fifth pick overall in the 1995 NBA draft.

Garnett was born in Greenville, S.C. to Shirley Garnett and O’Lewis McCullough, the second of his mother’s three children. Garnett’s mother and McCullough were never married and their relationship ended shortly after his birth. Shirley raised Garnett and his two sisters alone. When Garnett was 12 years old, his mother married Garnett’s stepfather and moved the family to Mauldin, S.C. Garnett took up the sport while attending Hillcrest Middle School, although he did not play organized basketball until high school. In his first three high school years, Garnett played for Mauldin High School. However, during the summer prior to his senior year of high school, Garnett was in the general vicinity of a fight between black and white students. Although not directly involved, Garnett was one of three students arrested for second-degree lynching, a charge that was erased through a pre-trial intervention.

Due to the racially charged incident and fearful of being a target, Garnett decided to leave Mauldin and transferred to Farragut for his senior year, where he led his team to a 28–2 record and was named National High School Player of the Year by USA Today. He was named Mr. Basketball in the State of Illinois after averaging 25.2 points, 17.9 rebounds, 6.7 assists and 6.5 blocks while shooting 66.8% from the field. In four years of high school, Garnett posted an impressive 2,553 points, 1,809 rebounds and 737 blocked shots. He was named the Most Outstanding Player at the McDonald’s All American game after combining for 18 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 blocked shots, and then declared for the draft. He was the first NBA player drafted out of high school in 20 years.

Garnett made an immediate impact with the Minnesota Timberwolves leading them to eight-consecutive playoff appearances. In 2004, Garnett led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals and won the league’s MVP award. Since his second season in the NBA, Garnett has been named to 15 All Star games in 20 years and is currently tied for third-most All Star selections in NBA history. He has been a nine-time member of the All NBA team and a 12 time member of the all-defensive team. After spending 12 seasons with the Timberwolves, Garnett was traded to the Celtics in a blockbuster trade in 2007. In his first year with the Celtics, he helped lead them to their first NBA title since 1986,

5. Dwight Howard, 6-10 center, Atlanta Christian Academy, selected with the first pick overall by the Orlando Magic.

Howard was born in Atlanta to Dwight Sr. and Sheryl Howard. Howard became interested in basketball at age 9 and in eighth grade resolved to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft one day. He elected to attend Atlanta Christian Academy, where his father was the athletics director and as a senior the power forward averaged 25 points, 18 rebounds, 8.1 blocked shots and 3.5 assists and was widely considered the best high school basketball player in the country. Following graduation, he chose to turn pro– a decision inspired by his idol Kevin Garnett– and was selected ahead of center Emeka Okafor, who led UConn to the NCAA tournament championship. He took the number 12 for his jersey, because it was the reverse of Garnett’s 21 when he played for Minnesota.

Howard went on to become an eight-time All Star selection, five-time all-defensive member and three time Defensive Player of the Year. He has been ranked consistently as one of the best in the league in rebounds, blocks, field goal percentage and free throw attempts and led the Magic to three division titles and one conference title, and he was the winner of the 2008 NBA Slam Dunk contest. He currently plays for the Houston Rockets.

6. Amar’e Stoudemire, 6-11 center, Cypress, Creek Fla. High School, selected by Phoenix in the ninth round of the 2002 draft.

Stoudemire was born in Lake Wales, Fla. and raised by his mother Carrie, who did agricultural work, picking oranges in Florida and migrating north to upstate New York to pick apples during the fall. She was in and out of prison for crimes such as petty theft and forgery and between Florida and North Carolina, Stoudemire transferred to five different high schools, occasionally living with a local policeman Burney Hayes and his Fastbreak USA travel coach Travis King before finally landing at Cypress Creek. Due to all the transfers, he played just two years of high school basketball but in both was named MVP of the Nike Summer League. In his senior year, he averaged 29.1 points, 15 rebounds, 6.1 blocks and 2.1 steals and was considered the No. 1 player in high school basketball. Stoudemire committed to Memphis, but later de-committed and declared for the draft and was the only high school player taken that year in the first round.

Stoudemire has suffered from chronic knee problems, including undergoing micro fracture surgery on his knees. In spite of these problems, he won the 2003 Rookie of the Year Award, made six appearances in the NBA All Star game was a first-team All NBA selection in 2007. He is averaging 19.8 points and 8.1 for a career that continues in Miami.

7. Tracy McGrady, 6-9 swingman, Mt. Zion, N.C. Academy, selected by Toronto with the ninth pick in the first round of the 1997 draft.

McGrady was a relative unknown from Auburndale (FL) High School before he attended the ABCD camp in Teaneck, NJ. There he created a national buzz after his performance in the All Star game. He subsequently transferred to Mt. Zion where he became the national High School Player of the Year. He chose the NBA over a scholarship to Kentucky. Chicago GM Jerry Krause was so high on McGrady, he offered to trade Scottie Pippen to Toronto for him but Michael Jordan threatened to retire if the deal was made.

McGrady got little playing time at first. He described his rookie year as hell and began sleeping 20 hours a day. But he eventually got more playing time when the team changed coaches and he improved his work ethic. The Raptors drafted his distant cousin Vince Carter in 1998. Carter and McGrady led the Raptors to their first playoff in franchise history in 2000. After the season, McGrady became a free agent and signed with Orlando where he was voted the league’s Most Improved Player in 2001 after raising his scoring average from 15.4 points to 26.4 points. McGrady blossomed into a star, drawing comparisons to George Gervin. He was a two time NBA scoring champion in 2003 (32.1 points) and 2004 (28.0 points) and a seven-time NBA All-Star and seven-time All NBA selection with the Magic and Houston before retiring from the league in 2012.

8. Jermaine O’Neal, 6-11 center, Eau Claire High School for the Arts in Columbia, S.C., selected by Portland with the 17th pick in the 1996 draft.

O’Neal was a natural athlete who grew up watching videotapes of Bill Russell going up against Wilt Chamberlain but looked like he was destined to be a big guard who could drain three pointers when he entered high school. He was 6-4 as a 14-year old ninth grader, then sprouted up five inches over the next year and a half and developed into a defensive force like his idol Bill Russell. O’Neal averaged 22.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 5.2 rebounds as a senior and was a McDonald’s All America, but his college prospects looked dim after he scored poorly in his SATs. He thought he could emulate Kevin Garnett, another South Carolinian who made the quantum leap from high school to the NBA the year before.

O’Neal was selected by Portland. At 18 years, one month and 22 days, he became the youngest player to play in an NBA game, (a mark that has since been eclipsed by Andrew Bynum) but could not crack the Trail Blazers’ veteran starting front court and was traded to Indiana in 2000. In his eight seasons with the Pacers, he averaged 18.6 points and 9.6 rebounds, putting up 20/10 three consecutive seasons. He was voted to the NBA All Star game six times and made the All NBA teams three times. He also helped Indiana reach the playoffs six times, including the conference finals in 2004, before he retired.

9. Sean Kemp, 6-9 forward, Concord High School in Elkhart, Ind., selected by Seattle 17th in the first round in the 1989 draft.

Kemp attended the University of Kentucky and Trinity Valley Community College but we put him on the list before he never played a college game. Kemp was one of the top five players nationally his senior year at Concord. He failed to score the minimum 700 on the SATs and was forced to miss his freshman year at Kentucky, but still enrolled. He left the team in November after he was accused of pawning two gold chains that had been reported stolen from teammate Sean Sutton. Sutton did not press charges and Kemp resurfaced at Trinity Valley, where he spent a semester as a student before declaring for the draft.

Kemp struggled to adjust at first year in Seattle, but was mentored by Xavier McDaniel and blossomed into a star by his second year in the league. He played 14 seasons, picked up the nickname, “Reign Man” and was a six-time NBA All Star. Kemp averaged 21.6 points and 12.3 rebounds during the 1996 NBA finals against Michael Jordan and the Bulls.

10. Darryl Dawkins. 6-11 center, Maynard Evans High School in Orlando, Fla. Selected by Philadelphia with the fifth pick in the 2005 draft.

After his high school team won the Florida state title, a year after the ABA Utah Stars drafted Moses Malone out of high school, the 18-year old, 250 pound giant opted to pass on college and was the first high school player to be drafted by the NBA as a economic hardship candidate.

Dawkins, who was nicknamed “Chocolate Thunder” by no less than Stevie Wonder, was best known for his powerful dunks, which led the NBA to adopt breakaway rims after he shattered a backboard on two occasions in 1979. Dawkins, one of the most colorful characters in the history of the league, named his first backboard breaking dunk, “The Chocolate-Thunder-Flying, Robinzine Crying, Teeth Shaking, Glass Breaking, Rump Roasting, Bun Toasting, Wham Bam, Glass Break I Am.”

Dawkins averaged double figures nine times in his 14 years in the NBA, often ranking among the league leaders in field-goal percentage. He also played in the NBA finals three times as a member of the 76’ers in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s.

Sadly, he passed away at age 58, just over a month ago.

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