Jordan, Kobe, or LeBron - who had the best high school career?
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in high-school
Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and LeBron James - three players without whom the list of the greatest basketball players ever is unimaginable.
Their NBA achievements are familiar, but how they managed in high school games is less known. We got the full stat sheets from their high-school careers, so let's check out who had the best numbers and overall the best high-school career.
LeBron James, St. Vincent-St. Mary High School
We witnessed what James did as a senior at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School when ESPN started showing his HS games in 2002. James was a highlight reel, and in that season, he won every award possible. But LBJ was a prolific scorer in the years before that.
James averaged 18.0 points in his freshman year and added 6.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 3.1 steals, and 1.0 blocks in 27 games in which he led his school to a 27-0 record. LeBron's best game that season came against Benedictine High School when he scored 41 points added nine rebounds and six assists. As a junior, Bron averaged 28.0 points, 8.9 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 3.0 steals, and 1.7 blocks, with a 23-4 record at the end. That was stunning, but not as nearly as his senior year.
Bron had 12 games over 30 points in his senior year, but his most dominant display came against Westchester High School when he dropped 52 points on 21/34 shooting, with 6/9 3-pointers made. James also added seven rebounds and two assists. His stats were impressive: 30.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 2.9 steals and 1.9 blocks per game, and a 25-1 record in that year.
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Kobe Bryant, Lower Marion High School
LeBron's junior and senior years weren't as impressive as Kobe Bryant's. Kobe dominated in his last two years in Lower Marion High School, especially his junior year. Proof of his scoring qualities was averaging 32 points per game, and in his 5th game of the season, he got to 1000 high school points against Marple Newtown.
Last season before going to the NBA, Kobe played 34 games, including a milestone of 2000 points reached in the 6th game of the season. Kobe scored 40 or more points in four games, and on two occasions, he scored 50. Out of 34 total games played in his senior year, Kobe had only three games under 20 points, with his lowest-scoring game being 14 points.
Michael Jordan, Emsley A. Laney High School
As for MJ, his high school stats weren't that spectacular. Jordan was at his best as a senior in Emsley A. Laney High School. MJ averaged 26.8 points in 23 games (19-4 record), and his most effective game came on February 3rd, 1981, against Kinston High School, in which MJ scored 39 points and went to the free-throw line 19 times. The year before, MJ averaged 24.8 points and a 12-10 record.
Looking at these stats from their high-school careers, you could easily argue Michael Jordan was the least impressive one and was a late bloomer in that sense compared to Kobe or LeBron. Out of all three, LeBron's high-school career was the most documented one, and everyone knew he was NBA ready when coming out of high school, which wasn't the case for Kobe, who had to prove himself first. On the other hand, Jordan went to play college basketball at UNC and decided to enter the NBA draft after three years, unlike Kobe and LeBron, who came straight out of high school.
