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. While it is rare for girls to compete in the slam dunk contest, occasionally a girl will elect to participate. The contest has been won by a girl three times: Candace Parker won in 2004, Fran Belibi in 2019, and most recently in 2022 by Ashlyn Watkins. [1] The boys' game has been contested annually since 1978, and the girls game has been played each year since it was added in 2002.[ clarification needed ]
The McDonald's All-American designation began in 1977 with the selection of the inaugural team. That year, the All-Americans played in the McDonald's Capital Classic all-star game against a group of high school stars from the Washington, D.C. area. [2] [3] The following year, the McDonald's All American Game began with a boys contest between the East and West squads. In 2002, with the addition of a girls contest, the current girl-game / boy-game doubleheader format began.
The McDonald's All-American Team is the best-known of the American high-school basketball All-American teams. Designation as a McDonald's All-American instantly brands a player as one of the top high-school players in the United States.[ citation needed ] Selected athletes often go on to compete in college basketball. All but four of the teams to win the NCAA men's championship since 1978 have had at least one McDonald's All-American on their rosters. The exceptions are the 2002 Maryland Terrapins, [4] the 2014 UConn Huskies, [5] the 2021 Baylor Bears, and the 2023 UConn Huskies. The 2023 Final Four was the first in which no McDonald's All-Americans participated. [6]
The teams are sponsored by McDonald's. Proceeds from the annual games go to local Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) and their Ronald McDonald House programs.
On January 31, 2012, McDonald's All-American Games unveiled its list of 35 of the Greatest McDonald's All-Americans, released in celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the McDonald's All-American High School Boys Basketball Game. [7] In 2017, five players were added to the list in celebration of the 40th Anniversary. [8] Another five players were added in 2022 to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the game. [9]
The Greatest Boys McDonald's All-Americans list includes some of the top names in men's basketball history, and features past and present Olympics, NBA and NCAA stars. The players were selected by members of the McDonald's All-American Games Selection Committee. In determining the list, all past McDonald's All-Americans were considered based on their high school careers and performances in the McDonald's All-American Games, success at the collegiate and professional level, and post-career accomplishments. The full list of players includes:
^ | Inducted in 2017 |
* | Inducted in 2022 |
† | Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
An MVP/MOP award is presented each year to the most outstanding boy and girl players. The award is officially called the John R. Wooden Most Valuable Player Award.
East All-Stars (23 wins) | West All-Stars (21 wins) |
---|---|
a Denotes All-Star Games in which joint winners were named
Prior to each game since 1997 (Boys)/2002 (Girls), a national player of the year has been chosen from the field of McDonald's All-Americans based on activity in the community, classroom and on the court. The award is named in honor of high school coach Morgan Wootten, one of the founders of the McDonald's game. [13]
The slam dunk contest was first held as an unofficial event in 1985, and became an official part of the festivities in 1987.
The three-point contest was first held for boys in 1989, with a girls' competition added alongside the inaugural girls' game in 2002.
The skills contest was added for both boys and girls in 2002, with separate events held for both sexes through 2015.
In 2016, the skills contest was discontinued and replaced with a "Legends & Stars Shootout", involving teams consisting of one boy, one girl, and one All-American Game alumnus of either sex. Within each individual entry of Legends & Stars Shootout winners, the teams are listed in the aforementioned order. The Shootout is a timed competition in which each team must make a layup, free throw, three-pointer, and halfcourt shot in that order. [15]
A slam dunk, also simply known as a dunk, is a type of basketball shot that is performed when a player jumps in the air, controls the ball above the horizontal plane of the rim, and scores by shoving the ball directly through the basket with one or both hands. It is a type of field goal that is worth two points. Such a shot was known as a "dunk shot" until the term "slam dunk" was coined by former Los Angeles Lakers announcer Chick Hearn.
Candace Nicole Parker, nicknamed "Ace", is an American former professional basketball player. Widely regarded as one of the greatest WNBA players of all time, she was selected as the first overall pick in the 2008 WNBA draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. She spent 13 seasons on the Sparks, two seasons with the Chicago Sky, and one season with the Las Vegas Aces, winning a championship with each team.
The 2008 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2008. The game was the 31st annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
The 2010 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 31, 2010, at the Jerome Schottenstein Center in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2010. The game was the 33rd annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
The 2009 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, April 1, 2009, at the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, home of the University of Miami Hurricanes. The game's rosters featured the highest rated high school boys graduating in 2009. The game was the 32nd annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game, first played in 1978.
The 2007 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 28, 2007, at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, home of the University of Louisville Cardinals. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2007. The game was the 30th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
The 2011 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on Wednesday, March 30, 2011, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2011. The game was the 34th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
The 2008 McDonald's All-American Girls Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school girls graduating in 2008. The game was the 7th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 2002.
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.
The 2005 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 30, 2005 at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana, home of the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2005. The game was the 28th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
The 2004 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an all-star basketball game played on Wednesday, March 31, 2004 at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the future home of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2004. The game was the 27th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
The 2012 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on Wednesday, March 28, 2012 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2012. The game was the 35th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978. Chicago is the first city to host the game in back-to-back years.
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.
The 2012 McDonald's All-American Girls Game is an All-star basketball game that was played on March 28, 2011, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, home of the Chicago Bulls. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school girls graduating in 2012. The game is the 11th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 2002. The West team won 79–78.
The 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game that was played on April 2, 2014 at the United Center in Chicago, home of the Chicago Bulls. It was the 37th 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 2014. 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 rosters for the game were announced at 6:00 PM ET on January 29 on ESPNU. At the time of the announcement 22 of the 24 players had committed to Division I basketball programs. Duke and Kentucky led the field with four commits each. One of the game's major storylines was that local big men Jahlil Okafor and Cliff Alexander opposed each other.
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 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 2002 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Thursday, April 4, 2002 at the Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 2002. The game was the 25th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
Francesca Belibi is an American former basketball player. She played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference where she won the NCAA championship in 2021. Prior to college, she drew national attention in high school for her dunking ability. In 2020, she became the eighth woman to dunk in a women's college basketball game.
Ashlyn Watkins is an American college basketball player for the South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).