Best player that went straight from high school?

[The X]

Yep, I'd definitely have to go with Moses Malone as number one too....at this stage that is....

my starting 5:
C- Moses Malone
PF- Shawn Kemp
SF- Kevin Garnett
SG- Kobe Bryant
PG- Lebron James

[dansensei]

That's what separates LeBron from other players coming off highschool in their first year.. With a body like LeBron, and the skills he has, the Cavs immediately gave him the opportunity to play a big role for the team.. He showed that he doesn't need 2-3 more years to develop into a star..

i think the main reason why lebron is very successful in his first year is because his team doesn't have a go-to guy to take over a game, so their main option is to pass the ball to lebron, who, even in his first year, has the skills of a veteran. in the case of kobe, the team's go-to guy is shaq. why would you choose kobe(though very talented, is only a freshman) over shaq(who is seven years in the league and is the most dominant center in the league)??

[wazee]

I said in terms of career, I gotta pick Kobe, but for the first year out of highschool, LeBron..

[rdelizo35]

I forgot about Malone... I think the best ever to come out of high school would probably be Moses Malone (his numbers and championship season with the 76ers speak for themselves). In terms of the best of the current generation?

Kobe and Lebron.

Honorable mention:

Garnett

[Billie]

Use tablez plz.

Moses Malone anyone?

WINNAH.

Fo Fo Fo Fo sho.

ask benji.

[Lamrock]

Or you could not be a lazy fuck and actually post something readable and tell us what your point is.

[NovU]

it's different era, against different competition, in different rules, so i think it all depends how you measure.

if i was to build a team and could pick a player in prime, i think it's gonna be lebron. simply cuz the guy's just a freak of nature. might be a gamble but i have a feeling his prime is yet to be seen and seems like it's gonna be one hell of a freakish prime time as well. not that he's likely to win multiple championship like kobe or be recorded along with the bests in history with all the greatest statistical numbers like malone but i'm sure he's capable of it with the right team & time if he could remain healthy all along.

[benji]

not that he's likely to win multiple championship ... but i'm sure he's capable of it with the right team & time

Going out on quite the limb there.

it's different era, against different competition, in different rules, so i think it all depends how you measure.

How about the players against their eras?

Malone dominated the gap between Kareem and Magic-Bird. LeBron/Kobe/KG are trying to fill the gap between Shaq and the Darko-Amir Johnson era.

From 1979-1983, there was pretty much nobody superior to Malone. From 1976-1984, he dominated the offensive glass like nobody before or since.

Since Shaq wound down in 2002, Duncan was probably the best in 2003 with McGrady close second, KG was easily in 2004 and 2005, Dirk, Kobe and LeBron about matched each other in 2006, Dirk took over in 2007's season and LeBron in the playoffs, and LeBron and Paul matched each other this year while Amare wasn't too shabby.

There doesn't appear to be a clearcut "best high schooler" since then as each has his period at the top. (And there's so many to go around. Malone was alone against Bill Willoughby.)

Isn't Dirk technically "straight from high school"? Or at least gymnasium?

[bowdown]

deleted

[GoHornets]

Is he actually a big man? He's only 6'7 and he plays at 2 or 3.

[bowdown]

that was my tard brother sorry

[shadowgrin]

Use tablez plz.

Moses Malone anyone?

WINNAH.

Fo Fo Fo Fo sho.

ask benji.

It means I agree it's Moses

I had too much Fo.

[NovU]

How about the players against their eras?

that's why i said "depends on how you measure" like some would argue with kobe's 3 rings against malone's 1 ring. my measure was strictly on whom i'd choose in their prime. i am sure some would go for moses, but any answer's a right answer in this kinda thread.

this debate is sorta like whom to choose between wilt and jordan as the greatest player in the history of nba. both dominated their era but who's really the best player if they were to live in same era. some'd be guessing it's jordan whilst some'd be thinking it's wilt.

[benji]

some would argue with kobe's 3 rings against malone's 1 ring.

Yeah, but those are the losers who equate individuals with the teams they happened to play on. We tend not to listen to their kind.

[NovU]

some would argue with kobe's 3 rings against malone's 1 ring.

Yeah, but those are the losers who equate individuals with the teams they happened to play on. We tend not to listen to their kind.

lol. yeah... u got me there in that sense.
but historically, our future generations will only be able to judge kobe from records of what he's done not knowing the impact he brought to the game. and fo sho, he'll be compared to future stars in a way that we're doing with current players as well. so i respect the method of measuring players' greatness by # of rings or bunch of other things. like for malone, his monstrous offensive reb # could be one. and quite frankly, only a handful of us lived to see malone's era so comparison isn't just possible without major assumptions. lol...

[benji]

so i respect the method of measuring players' greatness by # of rings

But that's what his team did, not him. Or is Will Perdue greater than Kobe? Robert Horry better than Michael Jordan? Are either even hall of fame caliber players? Of course not.

will only be able to judge kobe from records of what he's done not knowing the impact he brought to the game.

What?

[NovU]

yeah kobe was just part of it and was more of team effort that resulted in 3 rings. nevertheless, in history, it'll be somewhat remembered differently since he's likely to go down as one of the best shooting guard ever anyways with # of rings. say in 20-30 years from now, ur kids will be comparing past stars with stars of their era using stats and achievements. which i find would be unfair. so like u said, there's no clear cut who the best player is. # of rings is just one of the many ways to measure.

and yes, kobe is still under the shadow of shaq and he's still trying hardest to get outta it. i respect that. and even if he does win 1 more, i think it will still be tough silence the critics cuz he has too anti-kobes. lol. nevertheless, he's good enuf to be the candidate to be mentioned as the best player straight from high school. so in some ways, i respect those arguments about kobe being the best in that class, even tho i'm in some doubt as well. i lean more towards to lebron and malone.

[benji]

in history, it'll be somewhat remembered differently

By the same idiots who think Russell and Jordan won the titles by themselves. People who actually understand that basketball is a team sport won't. Just like they don't now.

which i find would be unfair.

What? It's unfair to compare players of the same era?

[Jeffx]

Moses Malone, Legacy wise because he was the first one to jump from high school to the nba. Not only was he the first to do that, he was the first one to do it well and proved that moving from prep to pro and still being great in the nba could be done.His accomplishments in his 19 years in the nba proves it, 3 time nba MVP very impressive!!

Here are his career acomlishments:

Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (1999)
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame (2001)
NBA champion (1983)
NBA Finals MVP (1983)
3x NBA MVP (1979, 1982, 1983)
3x Sporting News NBA MVP
ABA All-Rookie Team (1975)
4x All-NBA First Team (1979, 1982, 1983, 1985)
4x All-NBA Second Team (1980, 1981, 1984, 1987)
1x NBA All-Defensive First Team (1983)
1x NBA All-Defensive Second Team (1979)
ABA All-Star (1976)
12x NBA All-Star (1978-1989)
NBA's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team (1996)
ABA's All-Time Team (1997)

Thank you for going old skool. Moses Malone hands down. One word describes his game - RELENTLESS! Dude was a wrecking ball in the '83 playoffs.

[Rip32]

Best? Moses Malone.


Worst? Ndudi Ebi.

[dansensei]

i'm not really familiar w/ moses malone, but based from what i read in this thread so far, it seems like i need to change my choice.

[shadowgrin]

Fo sho. Foo.

[Angelo]

The best player that was drafted from Highschool is definitely Kobe and the worst player to be drafted from Highschool is Kwame Brown (cuz he plays like a girl)