The McDonald's All-American Game is an American

all-star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

game played each year for boys' and girls'

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

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 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 on ...

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 Candace Nicole Parker (born April 19, 1986), 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 dr ...

won in 2004,

Fran Belibi Francesca Belibi (born July 20, 2001) 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 atten ...

in 2019, and most recently in 2022 by Ashlyn Watkins. The boys' game has been played annually since 1978, while the girls' annual game wasn't added until 2002. The McDonald's

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

n designation began in 1977 with the selection of the inaugural team. That year, the All-Americans played in the

McDonald's Capital Classic The Capital Classic is an annual American all-star game featuring high school basketball players. It is the country's longest-running high school all-star basketball game. The game pits a team of all-stars from the Washington, D.C., area against ...

all-star game against a group of high school stars from the Washington, D.C. area. 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. Selected athletes often go on to compete in

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

. 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, the 2014 UConn Huskies, the 2021 Baylor Bears, and the 2023 UConn Huskies. The 2023 Final Four was the first in which no McDonald's All-Americans participated. The teams are sponsored by

McDonald's McDonald's Corporation, doing business as McDonald's, is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain. As of 2024, it is the second largest by number of locations in the world, behind only the Chinese ch ...

. Proceeds from the annual games go to local

Ronald McDonald House Charities Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of ...

(RMHC) and their Ronald McDonald House programs.

Greatest Boys McDonald's All-Americans

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. In 2017, five players were added to the list in celebration of the 40th Anniversary. Another five players were added in 2022 to celebrate the 45th Anniversary of the game. 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:

Annual game results

MVP MVP most commonly refers to: * Most valuable player, an award, typically for the best performing player in a sport or competition * Minimum viable product, a concept for feature estimating used in business and engineering MVP may also refer to: ...

/MOP award is presented each year to the most outstanding boy and girl players. The award is officially called the

John R. Wooden John Robert Wooden (October 14, 1910 – June 4, 2010) was an American basketball coach and player. Nicknamed "the Wizard of Westwood", he won ten National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, nati ...

Most Valuable Player Award.

Boys

Denotes All-Star Games in which joint winners were named

Girls

;Notes

Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year

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 Morgan Bayard Wootten (April 21, 1931January 21, 2020) was an American high school basketball coach for 46 seasons at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Maryland. He led the Stags to five national championships and 33 Washington Catho ...

, one of the founders of the McDonald's game.

Past winners

;Boys * 1997:

Shane Battier Shane Courtney Battier ( ; born September 9, 1978) is an American former professional basketball player. He also worked for ESPN and recently joined the board of Yext. Battier is best known for his four years playing basketball at Duke, his 13 ...

* 1998:

Ronald Curry Ronald Antonio Curry (born May 28, 1979) is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the quarterbacks coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the San Fra ...

* 1999:

Jonathan Bender Jonathan Rene Bender (born January 30, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player who played for the Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A highly touted 6'11" prospect who mostly played ...

* 2000: Chris Duhon * 2001:

Aaron Miles Aaron Wade Miles (born December 15, 1976) is an American former professional baseball second baseman. He played nine seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2003 to 2011 for the Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals, Chica ...

* 2002:

Torin Francis Torin Jamal Francis (born June 26, 1983) is an American professional basketball player for Club La Unión, La Union de Formosa of the Liga Nacional de Básquet, Argentine Basketball League. He is tall and he plays at the Center (basketball), ce ...

* 2003:

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. ( ; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is the NBA's all-time leading scorer and ...

* 2004:

Dwight Howard Dwight David Howard II (born December 8, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Superman" for his athletic prowess, he is an NBA champion, eight-time All-Star, eight-time All-NBA Team honoree, five-time All-Defen ...

* 2005:

Josh McRoberts Joshua Scott McRoberts (born February 28, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player who played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). McRoberts, a power forward, played college basketball for the Duke Blue ...

* 2006:

Greg Oden Gregory Wayne Oden Jr. (born January 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. Oden, a 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) center (basketball), center, played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball, Oh ...

* 2007:

Kevin Love Kevin Wesley Love (born September 7, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Miami Heat of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time All-Star and a two-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, winning an N ...

* 2008:

Greg Monroe Gregory Keith Monroe Jr. (born June 4, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player who is a player development coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons i ...

* 2009:

Derrick Favors Derrick Bernard Favors (born July 15, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Windy City Bulls of the NBA G League. Favors played college basketball for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets for one season before be ...

* 2010:

Harrison Barnes Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being sel ...

* 2011:

Austin Rivers Austin James Rivers (born August 1, 1992) is an American former professional basketball player who is currently a sports analyst for ESPN. He played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). In the 2012 NBA draft, Rivers was se ...

* 2012:

Shabazz Muhammad Shabazz Nagee Muhammad (born November 13, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Hangtuah Jakarta of the Indonesian Basketball League (IBL). He played one season of college basketball for the UCLA Bruins before being selecte ...

* 2013:

Jabari Parker Jabari Ali Parker (born March 15, 1995) 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 ...

* 2014:

Jahlil Okafor Jahlil Obika Okafor (; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Noblesville Boom of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 Duke Blue Devils men's baske ...

* 2015:

Ben Simmons Benjamin David Simmons (born 20 July 1996) is an Australian professional basketball player who plays for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for one season with the LSU Tigers, a ...

* 2016:

Lonzo Ball Lonzo Anderson Ball (born October 27, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, he played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins, earni ...

* 2017:

Wendell Carter Jr. Wendell Andre Carter Jr. ( ; born April 16, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. High school career Carter ...

* 2018:

RJ Barrett Rowan Alexander "RJ" Barrett Jr. (born June 14, 2000) is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected third overall in the 2019 NBA draft by the New York Knicks af ...

* 2019:

James Wiseman James Monteinez Wiseman ( ; born March 31, 2001) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Memphis Tigers. Listed at ...

* 2020:

Evan Mobley Evan Mobley (born June 18, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected third overall by the Clevel ...

* 2021:

Chet Holmgren Chet Thomas Holmgren ( ; born May 1, 2002) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A consensus five-star recruit and the top-ranked player of the 2021 class, Holmg ...

* 2022: Dereck Lively II * 2023:

Isaiah Collier Isaiah Jaden Collier (born October 8, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the USC Trojans. He was a consensus five-star recruit and o ...

* 2024:

Dylan Harper Dylan Harper (born March 2, 2006) is an American basketball player. He played college basketball for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. He was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class. Early life and high school caree ...

* 2025:

Cameron Boozer Cameron Sikander Boozer (born July 18, 2007) is an American basketball player who currently attends Christopher Columbus High School. Committed to Duke, Boozer was named the boy's Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2023 and 2025, and is ...

;Girls * 2002: Nicole Wolff * 2003:

Ivory Latta Ivory Latta (born September 25, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player. She was drafted 11th overall by the Detroit Shock in the 2007 WNBA Draft. A guard noted for her three-point shooting and on-court enthusiasm, she played ...

* 2004:

* 2005:

Abby Waner Abigail Nellie Waner (born October 31, 1986) is an American basketball player who, after a collegiate career at Duke, was drafted by the New York Liberty in the 2009 WNBA draft, and was waived on May 29, 2009. In 2008, she became a college baske ...

* 2006: Tina Charles * 2007:

Maya Moore Maya April Moore (born June 11, 1989) is an American social justice advocate and former professional basketball player. Naming her their inaugural Performer of the Year in 2017, ''Sports Illustrated'' called Moore the "greatest winner in the hist ...

* 2008:

Elena Delle Donne Elena Delle Donne (born September 5, 1989) is an American former professional basketball player for 10 seasons as a member of the Washington Mystics and Chicago Sky. Delle Donne played college basketball for the Delaware Blue Hens from 2009 to ...

* 2009:

Kelsey Bone Kelsey Renée Bone (born December 31, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. College statistics Source USA Basketball Bone was selected to play in the USA Women's Youth Development Festival. Eligi ...

* 2010:

Chiney Ogwumike Chinenye Joy "Chiney" Ogwumike (born March 21, 1992) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In 2020, she became the first black woman and th ...

* 2011: Elizabeth Williams * 2012:

Breanna Stewart Breanna Mackenzie Stewart ( ; Born, August 27, 1994), nicknamed "Stewie", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is one of the most accomplished women in ...

* 2013: Taya Reimer * 2014:

Ariel Atkins Ariel Atkins (born July 30, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). In addition to her playing career, she served as a player development coach at the Universi ...

* 2015:

Katie Lou Samuelson Katie Lou Samuelson (born June 13, 1997) is an American professional basketball player basketball player for the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. Samuelson i ...

* 2016:

Crystal Dangerfield Crystal Simone Dangerfield (born May 11, 1998) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. After a high school career that made her the nation's top-ranked point guard, she played college basketball for the UConn ...

* 2017: Evina Westbrook * 2018: Christyn Williams * 2019:

Haley Jones Haley Jones (born May 23, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the WNBA. She played college basketball for the Stanford Cardinal of the Pac-12 Conference, helping the team win the national championship in ...

* 2020:

Paige Bueckers Paige Madison Bueckers ( ; born October 20, 2001) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies women's basketball, ...

* 2021:

Azzi Fudd Azzi Jazlyn Fudd ( ; born November11, 2002) is an American college basketball player for the UConn Huskies of the Big East Conference. She attended St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., where she was ranked as the number one recr ...

* 2022: Kiki Rice * 2023: Mikaylah Williams * 2024:

Joyce Edwards Joyce Edwards (born January 30, 2006) is an American college basketball player for South Carolina. She attended Camden High School and was a five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2024 class. High school career Edwards attended Ca ...

* 2025:

Sienna Betts Sienna Betts (born October 3, 2006) is a Spanish-born British-American basketball player who attends Grandview High School, where she is ranked as the No. 2 recruit in the 2025 class by ESPN. She is committed to play college basketball at UCLA. ...

Sprite/Powerade Jam Fest Award Winners

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. :''Note: The only female winners of the slam dunk contest are Candace Parker, Fran Belibi, and Ashlyn Watkins who respectively won in 2004, 2019, and 2022.''

References

External links

*
McDonald's Boys All American Teams
at Basketball-Reference.com {{McDonald's High school basketball games in the United States

Game A game is a structured type of play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or video games) or art ...

Recurring sporting events established in 1977 1977 establishments in the United States