Many of the players on this list have gone on to have exceptional NBA careers while others represent some of the biggest "what if" stories in the history of basketball.
Some selections may differ from our list of the top 100 athletes as that list was produced through a consensus of multiple MaxPreps staffers.
Selections were based solely on player's high school basketball achievements and dominance. Only players who graduated in 2001 or after were considered for inclusion. Read on for top 25 high school basketball players of the 21st century (so far).
1. LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)Class: 2003
Before carving out one of the greatest careers in NBA history, James became a household name in the Buckeye State. He won three state championships
in four seasons and averaged 30.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists and
2.9 steals per game during an impressive senior campaign. The King became the third player since 1955 to earn consecutive Mr. Basketball USA Player of the Year honors.
Class: 2025
Arguably the most accomplished high school basketball player of all-time, Boozer is the only two-time MaxPreps National Player of the Year winner. He won four consecutive state championships in Florida's highest classification, captured three straight Nike EYBL Peach Jam titles, won a pair of gold medals and took home the national title in 2024-25.
Class: 2006
Dominant 7-foot post force won the inaugural MaxPreps National Player of the Year award in 2005-06 after putting up 22.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 74 percent from the field as a senior. He led the Wildcats to three consecutive state championships in the highest classification of Indiana alongside teammate Mike Conley. Although injuries derailed his professional career, Oden was selected with the top pick in the 2007 NBA Draft.
Class: 2017
Following
an impressive junior season that saw him average 28 points per contest
en route to leading Father Tolton to the Class 3 state championship in
Missouri, Porter authored one of the most impressive senior campaigns of
the 21st century. He averaged 37.0 points and 14.3 rebounds per game to
lead Nathan Hale to a 28-0 record and the No. 1 spot in the national
rankings. Incredibly, Nathan Hale was 3-18 the year prior to Porter's
arrival.
Class: 2006
The two-time NBA Finals MVP spent his first two seasons at National Christian Academy (Fort Washington, Md.) before transferring to Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.) for his junior year. As a senior, Durant played with Montrose Christian and averaged 23.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 3.0 steals and 2.6 blocks per game. He was named McDonald's All-American Game MVP after tallying 25 points, five rebounds and four assists in a win for the West.
Class: 2016
The catalyst for arguably the greatest offensive team of the 21st century, Ball put up 23.4 points, 9.3 assists, 9.2 rebounds and 4.7 steals per game during his senior campaign while earning 2015-16 MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors. Alongside brothers LaMelo and LiAngelo, Lonzo helped the Huskies average 98.4 points per contest with 18 100-point games. Chino Hills finished the season ranked No. 1 in the MaxPreps Top 25 after going 35-0.
Class: 2002
After an impressive junior season that saw him earn All-Metropolitan Player of the Year at Towson Catholic, Anthony transferred to Oak Hill Academy for his final year. He averaged 21.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game as a senior to help the Warriors finish the season with a record of 32-1. In a big-time matchup against then-junior LeBron James, Carmelo tallied 34 points and 11 rebounds in a 72-66 victory.
Class: 2004
Prior to entering the NBA directly out of high school, Howard authored a remarkable senior campaign with averages of 25.0 points, 18.0 rebounds, 8.1 blocks and 3.5 assists per game to lead Southwest Christian Academy to a 31-2 record and the state championship. Across his four-year career he averaged 16.6 points, 13.4 rebounds and 6.3 blocked shots per game in 129 appearances.
Class: 2007
During his three years on varsity, Rose led the Wolverines to a record of 120-12 with back-to-back state championships during his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, Rose averaged 25.2 points, 9.1 assists, 8.8 rebounds and 3.4 steals per game to help Simeon finish the year ranked in the top 10 of the national rankings after going 33-2. Rose was a three-time Parade All-American selection and earned first team MaxPreps All-America honors in 2006-07.
Class: 2008
MaxPreps National Player of the Year in 2007-08 averaged 35.5 points,
7.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals during his senior year,
finishing his storied two-year run at Oak Hill Academy with 1,927
points. Jennings holds the single-game scoring record at Oak Hill
Academy with 63 points in a win over Bonner Academy. He led the Warriors
to a national title as a junior, following a two-year stint at
Dominguez (Compton, Calif.).
Class: 2015
Although
he played just two full seasons with Montverde Academy after moving
from Australia to Florida during his sophomore season, Simmons left his
mark on the high school scene. The versatile forward helped the Eagles
go 62-1 during his time on the floor with three consecutive Chipotle
Nationals championships. As a senior, he piled up 27.1 points, 11.8
rebounds and 4.1 assists per game to earn MaxPreps Player of the Year
honors.
Class: 2001
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in Garden State history, Wagner began the 21st century with a historic high school career. He scored 80 points in a single game as a junior and led Camden to the Tournament of Champions title, averaging 31.9 points per contest. As a senior, he averaged 42.5 points and scored 100 points in a win over Camden County Tech. Wagner remains the all-time leading scorer in New Jersey with 3,462 career points.
Class: 2007
Although
Love led Lake Oswego to three consecutive state championship games, the
Lakers were only able to capture one state championship during his
junior season. As a senior, he averaged 33.9 points, 17.0 rebounds and
four assists per game to garner MaxPreps National Player of the Year
honors. The future five-time NBA all-star finished his high school
career as the all-time leading scorer with 2,628 points. That mark was
surpassed this season.
Class: 2012
One of the most decorated players in Illinois history, Parker led the Wolverines to four consecutive state championships during his time with the program. He was the first freshman to start at Simeon in program history, averaging 19.3 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game in his debut season. Finished his career with a record of 118-15 and was named MaxPreps National Player of the Year during his senior campaign after putting up 18.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
Class: 2009
In
a dominant state championship game performance during his senior year,
Favors racked up 38 points and 21 rebounds. He averaged 28.1 points, 13.3 rebounds, 5.0
blocks and 3.0 steals per contest during his final year in 2008-09 and won
MVP honors of both the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand
Classic. The 12-year NBA veteran won MaxPreps National Player of the
Year honors in 2009.
Class: 2005
Compiled a record of 129-16 during his four years as a starter, winning state championships during his freshman and senior seasons while helping the Bulldogs advance to the state title game as a sophomore and junior. During his senior campaign he averaged 38.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.9 assists and 4.5 steals per game and piled up single-game scoring outbursts of 65 and 72. Ellis finished his career with 4,167 points.
Class: 2007
The eight-year NBA veteran played six years of high school basketball, beginning his career as a seventh grader at Rose Hill in Kentucky. Mayo holds the unique distinction of being named all-state in three different states. He was first eighth grader to make all-state in Kentucky, he was Mr. Basketball in Ohio as a sophomore and junior and he was the state player of the year as a senior in West Virginia after piling up 28.2 points and 7.2 assists per game.
Class: 2004
The
6-foot guard was selected directly out of high school with the No. 13
pick in the 2004 NBA Draft before bouncing around to eight different NBA
franchises in 10 seasons. Telfair earned USA Mr. Basketball honors in
2004 after averaging 33.2 points per contest during his senior campaign.
The flashy point guard led Lincoln to three consecutive PSAL Class A
titles from 2002 through 2004 and was a two-time Parade All-American.
Class: 2001
Chandler
was selected with the second pick in the 2001 NBA Draft directly out of
high school following a dominant senior season that saw him tally 26
points, 15 rebounds and eight blocked shots per outing en route to
leading the Dons to their second consecutive Division II state
championship. Chandler was one of the most dominant big men of the past
25 years, earning Parade All-America honors and California Mr.
Basketball honors in 2000 and 2001.
Class: 2007
Although
Beasley bounced around to six different high schools, his talent was
undeniable as he averaged a double-double in all four seasons of his
high school career. He put up 20.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.5 blocked
shots per contest as a junior at Oak Hill Academy before tallying 28 points, 16 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and 4 assists
per game during a senior season that saw him record single-game highs of
64 points and 31 rebounds.
Class: 2024
The
recent No. 1 overall pick is the only player to earn state MaxPreps Player of the Year honors. Flagg was also the leader of an undefeated 2023-24 Montverde Academy squad, averaging 16.4 points,
7.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.7 blocked shots per game as a senior.
Class: 2016
Authored
a dominant high school career that saw him earn MaxPreps All-America
honors in three straight seasons. During his senior campaign, he
averaged 29.5 points and 9.1 rebounds per game and pumped in a game-high
40 points in a Class 5 state title game victory over Kickapoo. Tatum
had a number of big games in his final season, scoring 46 points in a
win over Huntington Prep (Huntington, W.Va.) and 40 in an
overtime loss to DeMatha (Hyattsville, Md.).
23. R.J. Barrett, Montverde AcademyClass: 2018
Highly-regarded Canadian led Montverde Academy in scoring during his freshman campaign before winning MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic International Game after the season. Barrett also won MaxPreps National Sophomore of the Year honors before reclassifying from the Class of 2019 into the Class of 2018 to skip his junior year. As a senior, Barrett earned MaxPreps National Player of the Year honors after closing out his career with a record of 86-7 with the Eagles.
Class: 2018
Perhaps
the biggest viral sensation of the 21st century, Williamson was known
for his electrifying highlights throughout his career. He averaged 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.0
assists, 3.0 steals and 2.9 blocked shots per contest over the course of
his impressive four-year career in the Palmetto State while capturing
three consecutive state championships to close out his career.
Class: 2010
One of the most exciting players to watch in high school basketball over the past 25 years, Irving averaged 26.5 points, 10.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game during his freshman and sophomore seasons as Montclair Kimberly Academy, leading the program to its first New Jersey Jersey Prep B state title as a sophomore. Irving led St. Patrick to the New Jersey Tournament of Champions crown as a junior and averaged 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds per game as a senior.
