Chukwuemeka Ndubuisi "Emeka" Okafor is an American former professional basketball player. Okafor attended Bellaire High School in Bellaire, Texas and the University of Connecticut, where in 2004 he won a national championship. In his first season in the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 2004–05, Okafor played for the Charlotte Bobcats and was named Rookie of the Year. He was traded to the New Orleans Hornets in 2009 and was then dealt to the Washington Wizards in 2012. However, a herniated disc in his neck caused Okafor to miss four consecutive seasons from 2013 to 2017 before being medically cleared to play.
Eric Daniel Brunson is an American basketball coach who is currently an assistant coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and a former professional player. He played nine seasons in the NBA and has also worked as an assistant coach for several teams. Brunson played college basketball for the Temple Owls.
The McDonald's All American Game is the all-star basketball game played each year for American and Canadian boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the high-school basketball season, in an East vs. West format. As part of the annual event, boys and girls compete in a slam dunk contest and a three-point shooting competition, and compete alongside All-American Game alumni in a timed team shootout. The last of these competitions replaced separate overall timed skills competitions for boys and girls. It is rare for girls to compete in the slam dunk contest. They have, however, won it three times—in 2004 by Candace Parker, in 2019 by Fran Belibi, and most recently in 2022 by Ashlyn Watkins. The boys' game has been contested annually since 1978, and the girls game has been played each year since it was added in 2002.
The Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represents Duke University in NCAA Division I college basketball and competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The team is fifth all-time in wins of any NCAA men's basketball program, and is currently coached by Jon Scheyer.
The 2006 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at Cox Arena in San Diego, California, home of the San Diego State University. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2007. The game was the 29th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
Jabari Ali Parker is an American professional basketball player for FC Barcelona of the Spanish Liga ACB and the EuroLeague. He was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks with the second overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, after one season of playing for Duke University. He played four seasons for the Bucks. Then, he played with 5 different teams over the course of 4 more NBA seasons. Parker was a standout high school athlete, helping his team win four straight Illinois state championships for Simeon Career Academy, and was named the National High School Player of the Year by Gatorade and McDonald's. In his freshman year for the 2013–14 Duke Blue Devils, he was named a consensus first-team All-American, the USBWA National Freshman of the Year, and the runner-up for the John R. Wooden Award.
Jahlil Obika Okafor is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Capitanes de Arecibo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 Duke national championship team. He was selected with the third overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
The 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game is an All-star basketball game that was played on April 3, 2013 at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It is the 36th annual McDonald's All-American Game for high school boys. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited blue chip boys high school basketball players graduating in 2013. Chicago, which became the first city to host the game in back-to-back years in 2012, will continue to host the game annually at least until 2015. The Kentucky Wildcats landed a record number of 5 selections at the time of the original selection and an additional later commitment. The West team won the game by a 110–99 margin and Aaron Gordon was MVP.
Cliff Alexander is an American professional basketball player for Guangxi Rhinos of the National Basketball League. He completed his freshman season at the University of Kansas for the Jayhawks' on their 2014–15 team. He declared himself eligible for the 2015 NBA draft but was undrafted. He played one season for the Portland Trail Blazers and earned a second year of NBA service with the Brooklyn Nets.
Tyus Robert Jones is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The older brother of NBA player Tre Jones, he previously played for his hometown team, the Minnesota Timberwolves for four seasons, before signing with the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2019 offseason. After 4 seasons with the team, he was traded to the Washington Wizards. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils in his freshman season as part of the 2014–15 National Championship team.
Tyler Ulis is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Kentucky Wildcats of the SEC. He played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats. At Kentucky in 2015, he led his team in assists, he made the 2015 SEC All-Freshman Team and led the 2014–15 Kentucky team that won its first 38 games before losing to Wisconsin in the final four of the 2015 NCAA tournament. As a sophomore, Ulis was a Consensus first-team All-American and earned the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year and SEC Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
The 2014–15 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University during the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The team played its home games in Durham, North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium, celebrating the arena's 75th anniversary. Mike Krzyzewski led the team as head coach in his 35th season with the Blue Devils. During the season, Krzyzewski became the first head coach in Division I men's basketball history to win 1,000 games. On the court, the team featured All-ACC players Jahlil Okafor, Quinn Cook, and Tyus Jones, with Okafor being named ACC Player of the Year and National Freshman of the Year.
The 2015 McDonald's All-American Boys Game is an All-star basketball game that was played on April 1, 2015, at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It was the 38th annual McDonald's All-American Game for high school boys. The game's rosters features the best and most highly recruited blue chip boys high school basketball players graduating in 2015. Chicago, which became the first city to host the game in back-to-back years in 2012, continues to host the game annually for the fifth consecutive time. When the rosters for the game were announced on January 28, 15 of the 24 players had committed to Division I basketball programs; Duke and LSU led the field with two commits each.
The 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball championship game was the final game of the 2015 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, determining the national champion for the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The game was played on April 6, 2015, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana between the South regional champion, first-seeded Duke and the West regional champion, first-seeded Wisconsin.
Darryl Leon "L. J." Peak Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Yokohama Excellence of the B.League. He played college basketball for the Georgetown Hoyas. In high school, he won two South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) 4A state championships with Gaffney High School as well as a 2013 Chicago Public High School League (CPL) championship with Whitney Young High School and was named South Carolina Mr. Basketball in 2014. At Georgetown, he was a 2015 Big East Conference All-Rookie team selection for the 2014–15 team and won a gold medal with USA Basketball at the 2015 FIBA Under-19 World Championship.
The 2016 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 30, 2016 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters features the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2016. The game is the 39th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1977.
The 2017 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters features the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2017. The game is the 40th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1977.
The 2018 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on Wednesday, March 28, 2018 at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Atlanta Hawks. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2018. The game is the 41st annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1977.
Billy Garrett Jr. is an American professional basketball player for CD Estela of the LEB Plata. He played briefly in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the New York Knicks. He has also played professionally in the NBA G League as well as for teams in several international leagues. His professional highlights include a G League Championship in 2021 with the Lakeland Magic and All-PLK Team recognition in 2022.
The 2019 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on Wednesday, March 27, 2019 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the Atlanta Hawks. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in the class of 2019. The game was the 42nd annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1977. Cole Anthony of the East had 14 points, five rebounds and seven assists, and was named the game's most valuable player (MVP).
