In the absence of live basketball games amid the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, ESPN will air the high school appearances of some of the NBA’s biggest current stars in a Saturday marathon of previous McDonald’s All-American Games.
Saturday’s televised slate includes the 2007 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game, which featured several future NBA players who were completing their senior year of high school at the time — headlined by James Harden and Eric Gordon of the Houston Rockets.
Harden scored 8 points on 4-of-7 shooting in 13 minutes, while Gordon scored 13 points in 22 minutes. Harden and Gordon each played for the West team, which won the game by a 114-112 final.
Here’s a look at some of the high-school recruiting profiles of Harden and Gordon from that time. Both were five-star guard prospects.
Other marquee NBA players to have played in the 2007 McDonald’s All-American Game included Derrick Rose, Blake Griffin, and Kevin Love. The re-broadcast will air at 10:30 a.m. Central time on ESPN2.
Gordon also participated in the 2007 Powerade Jam Fest, which will be shown at 10 p.m. Central on the same network. Other future NBA participants in the dunk contest included Griffin and Michael Beasley.
Harden went on to play in college at Arizona State University, while Gordon went to Indiana University. Harden played two years in college before declaring for the 2009 NBA Draft, while Gordon declared in 2008.
