Photo: Brian Spurlock-USAToday Another week, another flashback into the past. This time, the time machine is taking us all the way back to 2015—more than a full decade removed from when some of the best high-school basketball players in America shared the floor as teenagers with the basketball world at their feet. Most of these guys were attached to enormous expectations. Five-star recruits. Future lottery picks. Supposed franchise prodigies. But ten years is more than enough

Photo: Tony Guiterrez-AP The future of basketball isn’t approaching—it’s already here. Across the league, the next generation of stars is kicking down the door, taking over franchises and, in some cases, already battling the game’s best players for NBA supremacy. We’re talking freak athletes, walking triple-doubles, defensive monsters, fearless scorers and young franchise players who somehow still have years before they even enter their primes. With so much young talent flood

Photo: John Raoux/AP The 2022 NBA Draft is loaded with star power. Headlined by 6'10" Duke phenom Paolo Banchero, this particular class entered the league with plenty of hype surrounding its top prospects. Chet Holmgren looked like one of the most unique big-man prospects basketball had seen in years, Jabari Smith Jr. put Auburn on the map, and names like Jaden Ivey and Shaedon Sharpe gave the lottery plenty of intrigue beyond the top three. Four years later, we're starting t

Photo: Antoine Crowley-AP Some players spend their entire careers building a legacy in one city. These guys practically collected boarding passes. They’ve been traded, waived, signed, re-signed and shipped across the league more times than they can probably count. They’ve gone from starters to sixth men, contenders to rebuilds, fan favorites in one city to forgotten veterans in the next. But through every new jersey, new locker room and new role, they found a way to stick aro

Photo: Donovan Cook-AP For years, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown were my standard for NBA tandems—a homegrown one-two punch that eventually grew from promising young wings into champions. Now, with the two officially split up, the league’s duo hierarchy suddenly feels wide open. And that got me thinking: who is actually the best Batman-and-Robin pairing in basketball right now? We're firmly in the superteam era. Teams aren’t just chasing Big Threes anymore. Some are trying to

Photo: Jesse Johnson-ImagnImages The United States may be the birthplace of the game we love, but the NBA has long since become a global sport. From all-time legends who introduced entire countries to the league, to today's brightest superstars carrying international basketball into a new era, some of the greatest players in NBA history have come from every corner of the world. Canada gave us 2x MVP gave us Steve Nash. Germany produced Dirk Nowitzki. Greece has Giannis Anteto

Photo: Cody Jeffries-AP Another week, another flash into the past. This time around, the time machine pivots to 2016—and we might be looking at one of the deepest classes we’ve covered yet. Lonzo Ball. De’Aaron Fox. Jayson Tatum. And somehow? That still barely scratches the surface. This wasn’t a class where two or three prospects separated themselves and everyone else faded into obscurity. Damn near half of these McDonald’s All-Americans went on to carve out above average NB

Photo: Sarah Stier-Getty Making an NBA All-Star team next season could be harder than ever. More than 30 players are capable of averaging 20 points per game, a massive wave of young talent is rapidly climbing the league’s hierarchy, and the stat sheet alone isn't enough to separate one candidate from another. Winning, efficiency, defense and overall impact will all matter in an increasingly over-crowded field. With top-tier superstars occupying most of the available spots if

Photo: Greg Byrd-Getty Another week—another step backward through basketball history. This time, we're taking a look at 2017—a class headlined by the likes of Deandre Ayton, Trae Young and a deep collection of prospects who appeared destined to shape the next generation of the NBA. And yet, nine years later, this group still feels strangely unfinished. The more recent classes we've revisited either delivered the stars we expected or gave us enough evidence to understand where

Photo: James Kipp-Getty Another week means another trip backward through basketball history. This time, we're rewinding eight years to 2018—a class overflowing with future stars, cautionary tales and some of the most overwhelming high-school hype the sport has EVER witnessed. At the center? Zion Williamson, a 6'6", burly viral phenomenon whose thunderous dunks and once in a generation athleticism made ordinary high school gyms in South Carolina feel like must-see television.

Photo: Gary Vasquez-ImagnImages By this point, the NBA offseason is supposed to be winding down. Instead, we’re bleeding into August with unfinished business everywhere, major decisions still hanging in the balance and Hall of Fame talent somehow remaining in the job pool. Rosters are filling up, cap space is disappearing and training camp is much closer than it feels—but some of the league’s biggest available names still have no clear home. With so little time remaining and

Photo: Dale Zanine-Getty The 2019 McDonald’s All-American Game represented the final chapter of an unforgettable decade in high school basketball. Twenty-four of the nation’s most celebrated prospects showed out with five-star rankings, viral mixtapes and the expectation of becoming a future star. Seven years later? The picture is polarizing. Some of these kids validated the hype in college and then developed into legitimate NBA stars. Others took longer, more complicated rou

Photo: Gordon Grant-AP This year's rookie class feels different. It starting to feel like we may have just received the most promising batch of young talent since 2003. Summer League performances should always be taken with a grain of salt—but some of these players are simply making it impossible not to believe the hype. This year’s action is so far delivering an exciting collection of top-tier rookies, undrafted prospects, and young players who look more than ready for the n

Photo: Shane Smith-Getty The McDonald’s All-American Game. The premier showcase for the country’s best high school basketball players since 1978. Hall of Famers, generational superstars, high school legends and highly touted prospects who never quite reached expectations have all earned the honor. There's a good chance your favorite player once stepped onto this stage. Traditionally divided into East and West rosters, the event gives the nation’s most celebrated prospects one

Photo: Bo Butler-BostonGlobe This year's free agency period has been one for the books—teams are changing the entire direction of their franchise in one fell swoop. As we know, one smart signing can fix a glaring weakness. One bold trade can turn a playoff hopeful into a legitimate threat. And one perfect offseason can convince the rest of the league that last season’s version of your team was a fluke. So far, these eight teams have absolutely nailed it. Whether it was adding

Photo: Luka Hales-Getty This is it for LeBron James. After 23 unprecedented seasons, countless records and more mileage than any superstar in NBA history has ever endured, the four-time champion has reached what is almost certainly the FINAL stop of his legendary career. James will turn 42 in December, meaning time is of the essence—no more long term situations, rebuilding teams, or a sentimental reunion that can't realistically compete. His next decision will be made with on

Photo: Robert Bukaty-AP Are we witnessing the G.O.A.T. offseason? At this point, the offseason might be more entertaining the actual NBA season. Every summer brings its share of blockbuster trades and signings, but this year feels different. It's as though all bets are off. Every team is trying to find a different concoction that works. Superstars are changing addresses, contenders are aggressively loading up and teams with no regard for symmetry, and once considered untoucha

Photo: Deron Ronald-Getty Another day, another draft retrospective. We now have three years of retrospective on the 2023 NBA Draft, giving us enough time to move beyond projections, scouting reports and begin evaluating whether or not each lottery pick has lived up to the hype. This class entered the league with enormous expectations, headlined by Victor Wembanyama, quite possibly the most anticipate prospects in basketball history. Behind him came an wide array of future sta

Photo: Ben Martens-AP If there was one word to describe the 2026 NBA Draft, it would be unpredictable. From the opening selections to the final picks of the night, consensus rankings were thrown out the window as teams reached for prospects they believed in, passed on "highly regarded talent" and made decisions that immediately divided fans and analysts. Some players were picked up much earlier than expected, and others had a fall few could have predicted. As we know: polariz

by Joel Piton Sportz Nation - 6/19/2026 Photo: Jesse Cumberland-Getty Come one, come all, to our next installment of 2026 NBA Mock Drafts. With draft night rapidly approaching and all 30 teams preparing to make the most important selections of the year, it’s time to take another look at how the first round could end up. From bona fide NCAA superstars at the top to potential steals waiting later in the night, here are the 30 prospects we expect to hear called—and where we beli