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Curated playlist

Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball)

  • Kevin DurantKevin Durant wore number 35 to honor his murdered youth coach. Charles Craig was 35 when he died.
  • LeBron JamesLeBron James led Cleveland back from a 3-1 Finals deficit, a first in NBA history. It ended a 52-year title wait.
  • Kobe BryantKobe Bryant scored 81 points against Toronto in 2006, the second-highest NBA game total ever.
  • Patrick EwingPatrick Ewing crossed North Carolina off his list after seeing a nearby Ku Klux Klan rally. He chose Georgetown.
  • Isiah ThomasIsiah Thomas scored 25 points in one Finals quarter on a badly sprained ankle. It was a 1988 NBA Finals record.
  • Kevin LoveKevin Love grabbed 31 rebounds in one game in November 2010. It set a Timberwolves record.
  • Michael JordanMichael Jordan was cut from his high school varsity team as a sophomore for being too short.
  • Magic JohnsonMagic Johnson told the world he had HIV from the free throw line in 1991. He was 32 and a five-time NBA champion.
  • Moses MaloneMoses Malone predicted his 76ers would sweep the playoffs, and they went 12-1.
  • Shaquille O'NealShaquille O'Neal twice broke steel backboard supports with his dunks. The NBA then redesigned its equipment.
  • Andrew WigginsAndrew Wiggins shattered a glass backboard at age 14. He later went first in the 2014 NBA draft.
  • Chris BoshBlood clots ended Chris Bosh's NBA career after two straight championships with Miami.
  • Kyrie IrvingKyrie Irving was born in Australia to two American parents. His father had followed basketball there.
  • Luol DengAt 13, Luol Deng averaged 40 points a game against players up to five years older. He had already fled a civil war.
  • Chauncey BillupsChauncey Billups went from a draft bust to NBA Finals MVP. The Pistons guard led a 2004 upset of the Lakers.
  • Dan IsselDan Issel did not start on his high school basketball team until junior year.
  • Kareem Abdul-JabbarKareem Abdul-Jabbar broke Wilt Chamberlain's career scoring record with a skyhook over a 7-foot-4 defender.
  • Artis GilmoreArtis Gilmore played 670 straight pro basketball games without missing one. He entered the Hall of Fame in 2011.
  • Ben SimmonsBen Simmons went first overall in the 2016 NBA draft without ever playing in the NCAA tournament.
  • Christian LaettnerChristian Laettner topped an ESPN fan poll as college basketball's most hated player.
  • Pete MaravichPete Maravich played 658 NBA games with no left coronary artery. An autopsy found it missing from birth.
  • Kosta KoufosIn high school, Kosta Koufos blocked 10 shots in overtime to beat Canton McKinley, which had won 41 straight.

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