Every year, some of the best and most talented players make it to the McDonald’s All-American game. This is certainly the best High School basketball game held each year. But that’s not the end game. Several spectacular basketball players have carved the most successful careers despite not making it into the High School tournament. One of them is former NBA player Ray Allen. Recently, during his appearance at The Old Man and The Three Podcast, the legend shared his opinion on how that turned out for him.

Revealing one reason behind calling the McDonald’s All-American game a curse, Allen said how the other players always had the same ranking as him. This was because of the coaches who used to pick their favorite players based on “political” reasons.  

Furthermore, he revealed how this is a curse for some of the players. “It was always like I was one guy off the roster but it was the best thing in the world for me. Because when you look back at McDonald’s All-American teams a lot of names you don’t remember because I think it almost is it can be a curse for him because those kids think that they already made it,” Allen said.

As a coach, he said, “And every year at this year for my team I wrote all the guys down from last year and I showed them who made it and who didn’t what they did in their freshman years in college and how just because you scored this many points in high school you going to college you got to start all over again and more importantly I think I said congratulations nobody here (to his HighSchool team) in  made it that means you’re on your way.”  J J Redick also seemed to agree with Allen. 

As mentioned above, numerous names in the 50 greatest players in NBA history didn’t play in this tournament. Here is a glimpse at those top players.

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NBA Greats who never played in the McDonald’s All-American game

The first name in the roster is Philadelphia 76ers legend Charles Barkley. He was undeniably a force in the league. Sir Charles attended Leeds Highschool and slowly transitioned into the rebounding king during the three seasons he played for Auburn. Chuck started to garner attention when he scored 26 points against Bobby Lee Hurt who played in the McDonald’s All-America. Another surprising name is Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen. The 6x NBA champion was named one of the 50 best players in the league’s history. His historic run with the Bulls playing alongside Michael Jordan is well known to the people.

Miami Heat’s iconic star Dwyane Wade led the franchise toward victory in 2006. He was the reason behind the Heat’s game-changing transformation. However, the 13x NBA All-Star couldn’t make it to the McDonald’s All-America. Due to academic issues and a growth spurt, Wade had limited college offers with only Marquette, Illinois State, and DePaul. But fans have witnessed the basketball legend ascend to the pinnacle with his exceptional skills and talent. Other NBA player stars who never featured in elite high school basketball game are Allen Iverson, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Tim Duncan, Jimmy Butler, and more. Did you know about this story? What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section below.

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