Skip to main content

ESPN ranks the best high school prospects since LeBron James

by:Mrs. Tyler Thompson08/08/19

@MrsTylerKSR

Emoni Bates is considered the next big thing in basketball, and if the one-and-done rule goes by the wayside as expected, he’ll go straight to the NBA in 2022. In a feature on the fifteen-year-old phenom, whom many are calling a generational talent, Jeff Borzello opened up a fun debate: who are the best high school prospects since LeBron?

Borzello polled more than a dozen recruiting experts ranging from college coaches to scouts and event operators, and, not surprisingly, some former Cats made the list. Anthony Davis was tied for third with Bates and another John Calipari pupil, Derrick Rose. John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins were among a handful of players (including Zion Williamson) that received votes. Here’s the top seven:

1. Kevin Durant
2. Greg Oden
3a. Derrick Rose
3b. Emoni Bates
3c. Anthony Davis
6. Ben Simmons
7. Dwight Howard

“AD got exponentially better every time you saw him,” one member of the panel said. “That, and his physical profile, made it easy to forecast his greatness.”

Agree? Disagree? Let’s hear it.

[ESPN Insider]

[mobile_ad]

Discuss This Article

Comments have moved.

Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.

KSBoard

2025-04-27