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.[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.
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. 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 the fast-food chain 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 |
| Year | Player | College | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Michigan State | ||
| 1979 | Ohio State | ||
| 1979 | Virginia | ||
| 1979 | Indiana | ||
| 1979 | Georgia | ||
| 1979 | North Carolina | ||
| 1980 | North Carolina | ||
| 1980 | Marquette | ||
| 1981 | Georgetown | ||
| 1981 | North Carolina | ||
| 1981 | St. John's | ||
| 1983 | North Carolina | ||
| 1984 | Kansas | ||
| 1987 | Odessa / UNLV | ||
| 1988 | Duke | ||
| 1988 | Georgetown | ||
| 1989 | Duke | ||
| 1989 | LSU | ||
| 1990 | Duke | ||
| 1991 | Purdue | ||
| 1991 | Michigan | ||
| 1992 | California | ||
| 1993 | North Carolina | ||
| 1993 | North Carolina | ||
| 1995 | Colorado | ||
| 1995 | North Carolina | ||
| 1995 | Did not attend | ||
| 1995 | Kansas | ||
| 1996 | Did not attend | ||
| 1996 | Did not attend | ||
| 1999 | Duke | ||
| 2002 | Syracuse | ||
| 2002 | Georgia Tech | ||
| 2002 | Did not attend | ||
| 2003 | Did not attend | ||
| 2003 | Wake Forest | ||
| 2004 | Did not attend | ||
| 2005 | North Carolina | ||
| 2006 | Texas | ||
| 2007 | ^ | Oklahoma | |
| 2007 | ^ | Arizona State | |
| 2007 | ^ | UCLA | |
| 2007 | Memphis | ||
| 2010 | ^ | Duke | |
| 2011 | ^ | Kentucky |
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.
| 1977 | The inaugural 1977 team did not play in the current East versus West format (MVP: Gene Banks) | Games Not Televised | |||||
| 1978 | West 94, East 86 | 13,063 | |||||
| 1979 | East 106, West 105 (OT) | 11,666 | |||||
| West 135, East 111 | 8,429 | ||||||
| East 96, West 95 | 10,006 | ||||||
| West 103, East 84 | 15,836 | ||||||
| West 115, East 113 | 14,926 | ||||||
| West 131, East 106 | 10,214 | ||||||
| East 128, West 98 | 9,007 | Jim Thacker Dick Vitale | |||||
| East 104, West 101 | 15,527 | ||||||
| East 118, West 110 | 10,156 | ABC[11] | |||||
| East 105, West 99 | 12,815 | Keith Jackson Dick Vitale | |||||
| West 112, East 103 | Shaquille O'Neal, Robert G. Cole HS (TX) Bobby Hurley, St. Anthony HS (NJ) | 9,419 | Gary Bender Dick Vitale | ||||
| East 115, West 104 | Shawn Bradley, Emery County High School (UT) Khalid Reeves, Christ the King HS (NY) | 12,033 | |||||
| West 108, East 106 | Chris Webber, Detroit Country Day School (MI) Rick Brunson, Salem HS (MA) | 8,246 | Greg Gumbel Billy Packer | ||||
| West 100, East 85 | Othella Harrington, Murrah HS (MS) | 7,589 | James Brown Billy Packer | ||||
| East 105, West 95 | 10,225 | Greg Gumbel Bill Raftery | |||||
| East 112, West 110 | 6,008 | Verne Lundquist Bill Raftery | |||||
| West 125, East 115 | Kevin Garnett, Farragut Academy HS (IL) | 16,201 | |||||
| East 120, West 105 | 13,411 | Gus Johnson Bill Raftery | |||||
| East 94, West 81 | 5,858 | Gus Johnson Dan Bonner | |||||
| East 128, West 112 | 10,253 | Dave Barnett, Bill Raftery, Jay Bilas | |||||
| West 141, East 128 | 10,993 | Dave Barnett, Larry Conley, Jay Bilas | |||||
| West 146, East 120 | 18,624 | Dave Barnett Tim McCormick | |||||
| West 131, East 125 | 9,314 | Dave Sims | |||||
| East 138, West 107 | 16,505 | Dave Sims Larry Conley | |||||
| East 122, West 107 | 18,728 | Dan Shulman Jay Bilas | |||||
| East 126, West 96 | Dwight Howard, Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy (GA) J. R. Smith, St. Benedict's Preparatory School (NJ) | 14,402 | Dave Pasch, Doug Gottlieb, Tim McCormick | ||||
| East 115, West 110 | 7,660 | ||||||
| West 112, East 94 | Chase Budinger, La Costa Canyon HS (CA) Kevin Durant, Montrose Christian School (MD) | 11,900 | Dave Pasch, Jay Williams, Tim McCormick | ||||
| West 114, East 112 | Michael Beasley, Notre Dame Prep (MA) | 11,632 | Eric Collins, Len Elmore, Tim McCormick, Quint Kessenich | ||||
| East 107, West 102 | 10,914 | ||||||
| East 113, West 110 | 5,981 | ||||||
| West 107, East 104 | 9,210 | Bob Wischusen, Jay Williams, Quint Kessenich | |||||
| East 111, West 96 | Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, St. Patrick HS (NJ) James Michael McAdoo, Norfolk Christian (VA) | 19,909 | Bob Wischusen, Jay Williams, Stephen Bardo, Quint Kessenich | ||||
| West 106, East 102 | 16,308 | ||||||
| West 110, East 99 | 15,818 | Carter Blackburn, Jay Williams, Jalen Rose, Quint Kessenich | |||||
| West 105, East 102 | Jahlil Okafor, Whitney Young (IL) Justin Jackson, Homeschool Christian Youth Association (TX) | 17,116 | |||||
| East 111, West 91 | Adam Amin, Jay Williams, Jalen Rose, Quint Kessenich | ||||||
| West 114, East 107 | Josh Jackson, Justin-Siena HS/Prolific Prep (CA) Frank Jackson, Lone Peak HS (UT) | ||||||
| West 109, East 107 | |||||||
| West 131, East 128 | Mike Couzens, Jay Williams, Cory Alexander, Quint Kessenich | ||||||
| East 115, West 100 | |||||||
| 2020 | Game Not Played | Toyota Center | Houston, Texas | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Game Not Played | N/A | N/A | ||||
| East 105, West 81 | Ted Emrich, Cory Alexander, Paul Biancardi | ||||||
| East 109, West 106 | |||||||
| East 88, West 86 | Dylan Harper, Don Bosco Prep Derik Queen, Montverde Academy | ||||||
Denotes All-Star Games in which joint winners were named
| Year | Host Arena | Host City | Player | High School | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Madison Square Garden | New York City, New York | UConn | ||
| 2002 | Shanna Zolman | Tennessee | |||
| 2003 | Gund Arena | Cleveland, Ohio | Purdue | ||
| 2004 | Ford Center | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | Tennessee | ||
| 2005 | Joyce Center | Notre Dame, Indiana | Oklahoma | ||
| 2006 | Cox Arena | San Diego, California | Stanford | ||
| Freedom Hall | Louisville, Kentucky | Duke | |||
| Bradley Center | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Rutgers / Baylor | |||
| North Carolina | |||||
| BankUnited Center | Coral Gables, Florida | Notre Dame | |||
| Value City Arena | Columbus, Ohio | Florida State | |||
| Tennessee | |||||
| United Center | Chicago, Illinois | Duke | |||
| Baylor | |||||
| Tennessee | |||||
| [12] | Notre Dame | ||||
| Notre Dame | |||||
| Oregon | |||||
| Texas | |||||
| 2018 | Philips Arena | Atlanta, Georgia | UConn | ||
| 2019 | State Farm Arena | Tennessee | |||
| 2020 | Toyota Center | Houston, Texas | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2021 | N/A | N/A | |||
| 2022 | Wintrust Arena | UCLA | |||
| 2022 | Sidwell Friends School (DC) | ||||
| 2023 | Notre Dame USC | ||||
| 2024 | TBD South Carolina | ||||
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]
| Year | Dunk Contest | 3-Point Contest | Skills Contest | Legends & Stars Shootout | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Michael Porter[16] | ||||
| 1987 | |||||
| 1988 | |||||
| 1989 | Pat Graham | ||||
| 1990 | |||||
| 1991 | |||||
| 1992 | Carlos Strong | ||||
| 1993 | |||||
| 1994 | |||||
| 1995 | |||||
| 1996 | Lester Earl | ||||
| 1997 | |||||
| 1998 | |||||
| 1999 | |||||
| 2000 | |||||
| 2001 | |||||
| 2002 | JJ Redick (boys) Shanna Zolman (girls) | Torin Francis (boys) Courtney LaVere (girls) | |||
| 2003 | Mike Jones (boys) Ivory Latta (girls) | Brian Butch (boys) Erin Lawless (girls) | |||
| 2004 | Darius Washington Jr. (boys) Sa'de Wiley-Gatewood (girls) | LaMarcus Aldridge (boys) Charde Houston (girls) | |||
| 2005 | Mario Chalmers (boys) Erika Arriaran (girls) | Richard Hendrix (boys) Christina Wirth (girls) | |||
| 2006 | Wayne Ellington (boys) Allison Hightower (girls) | James Keefe (boys) Michelle Harrison (girls) | |||
| 2007 | Chris Wright (boys) Italee Lucas (girls) | Nolan Smith (boys) Cetera DeGraffenreid (girls) | |||
| 2008 | Larry Drew II (boys) Ashley Corral (girls) | Jrue Holiday (boys) Nneka Ogwumike (girls) | |||
| 2009 | Ryan Kelly (boys) Skylar Diggins (girls) | Dante Taylor (boys) China Crosby (girls) | |||
| 2010 | Cory Joseph (boys) Maggie Lucas (girls) | Keith Appling (boys) Chelsea Gray (girls) | |||
| 2011 | Kyle Wiltjer (boys) Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis (girls) | Michael Carter-Williams (boys) Ariya Crook-Williams (girls) | |||
| 2012 | Rasheed Sulaimon (boys) Morgan Tuck (girls) | Tyler Lewis (boys) Jordan Jones (girls) | |||
| 2013 | Nigel Williams-Goss (boys) Kaela Davis (girls) | Demetrius Jackson (boys) Jessica Washington (girls) | |||
| 2014 | James Blackmon Jr. (boys) Alexa Middleton (girls) | Tyus Jones (boys) Alexa Middleton (girls) | |||
| 2015 | Luke Kennard (boys) Asia Durr (girls) | Jalen Brunson (boys) Napheesa Collier (girls) | |||
| 2016 | Malik Monk (boys) Amber Ramirez (girls) | Jayson Tatum, Amber Ramirez, Candice Wiggins | |||
| 2017 | Trae Young (boys) Chasity Patterson (girls) | Quade Green, Anastasia Hayes, Jayne Appel | |||
| 2018 | Immanuel Quickley &<br>Cam Reddish (boys) McKenzie Forbes (girls) | Romeo Langford, Christyn Williams, Candice Wiggins | |||
| 2019 | Cole Anthony (boys) Samantha Brunelle (girls) | Tyrese Maxey, Samantha Brunelle, Diamond DeShields | |||
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic | ||||
| 2021 | |||||
| 2022 | Ashlyn Watkins | Keyonte George (boys) Ashlon Jackson (girls) | Mark Mitchell (boys) Indya Nivar (girls) | ||
| 2023 | Sean Stewart | Jared McCain (boys)Kymora Johnson (girls) | Ja'Kobe Walter (boys)Riley Nelson (girls) | ||
| 2024 | |||||
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.