5. Dwight Howard, Southwest Atlanta ChristianYears: 2000-04
Resume: Howard swept National Player of the Year honors as a senior, posting 25.5 points and 18.3 rebounds per game while leading SAC to the Class 1A state title. He piled up more than 2,100 points, 1,700 rebounds and 800 blocked shots in his career prior to making the leap from high school to the NBA.
After high school: Nonstop trade talk aside, the 6-foot-11 center has lived up to the hype as a professional. Howard owns career averages of 18.4 points, 13 rebounds and 2.2 blocked shots per game and was a three-peat winner of the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award from 2009-11.
[Video of Dwight Howard, Way Back When]
O.J. Mayo was in the media spotlight throughout his high school career.
Photo by Nicholas Koza
2003-07
Resume: Mayo's high school career was a circus, complete with suspensions, arrests, transfers, an alleged "assault" on a referee and intense media coverage. Lost in the controversy, Mayo won three state titles in two different states and was good for 30 points each night out. He's the only sophomore not named LeBron James to be named Mr. Basketball in Ohio and was a staple on postseason All-American teams his final three years of high school.
After high school: Mayo has been a decent scorer in the NBA, but it seems unlikely that his production and success as a professional will match the hype he generated with his play as a high-schooler. He was recently traded from Memphis to Dallas.
[Video of O.J. Mayo]3. Kevin Love, Lake Oswego (Ore.)Years: 2003-07
Resume: Love's time at Lake Oswego will be remembered as a golden era for high school basketball in Oregon, as he battled Kyle Singler and South Medford for state supremacy. The future UCLA Bruin carried the Lakers to three state title games, beating Singler and South Medford as a junior only to have the roles reversed as a senior. He finished his career as Oregon's all-time leading scorer with 2,628 points and was
MaxPreps.com's pick for National Player of the Year in 2007.
After high school: Love became a full-fledged NBA star during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, putting up 26.0 points and 13.3 rebounds per game. He is a member of the USA Basketball's 2012 Olympic team.
[Video of Kevin Love, Way Back When]
Greg Oden is one of the most celebrated players ever in basketball-crazed Indiana.
Getty Images
2002-06
Resume: Not unlike the No. 1 player on this list (guess who?), Oden endured a bright spotlight and remarkable pressure during his days at Lawrence North. With the help of sidekick Mike Conley Jr., Oden helped the Wildcats capture back-to-back-to-back Class 4A state titles in Indiana and go 82-4 over that three-year span. The 7-footer earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors as a junior and senior.
After high school: Knee injuries have ravaged Oden's professional career. He has played in just 82 games over the course of five NBA seasons since he was drafted by Portland.
[Oden leads MaxPreps 2006 All-American Team]1. LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary (Akron, Ohio)Years: 1999-2003
Resume: James did much of his damage before the arrival of MaxPreps, but he still makes the cut after a storied career at the Ohio school that included three state titles and a national title. Despite overwhelming national attention his senior year, King James put up more than 31 points and nine rebounds per game. He finished with more than 2,600 career points and is widely regarded as the greatest high school basketball player of the modern era.
After high school: Best player on the planet.
Off the bench: Kevin Durant,
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, Va.)/
Montrose Christian (Rockville, Md.)Brandon Jennings,
Dominguez (Compton, Calif.)/Oak Hill Academy
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist,
St. Patrick (Elizabeth, N.J.)Brandon Knight,
Pine Crest (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.)Jabari Parker,
Simeon (Chicago) Austin Rivers,
Winter Park (Fla.)Jared Sullinger,
Northland (Columbus, Ohio)
