2017 Jordan Brand ClassicApr 13, 2017 by Brett Regan
Who Will Break LeBron James' Jordan Brand Classic Scoring Record?
Who Will Break LeBron James' Jordan Brand Classic Scoring Record?
LeBron James holds the Jordan Brand Classic scoring record, but can someone break it during the 2017 game in Brooklyn?
The Jordan Brand Classic might be the end of the prep road for the nation's best seniors, the proverbial exclamation point to an electric final year and career, but perhaps there is some unfinished business to complete.
Although this is the last opportunity to lace up the sneakers as high schoolers, history can still be made at the Barclays Center on Friday in Brooklyn. Prestigious records are up for grabs.
Pulling any feat off will be a challenge, though. Not only are the records pretty rare, but this is also the tail end of a long season, which for many of the Flo40 prospects includes one, a combination of, or all the recent trips to the McDonald's All American Games in Chicago, DICK'S Nationals in New York City, and Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, leading up to this finale.
Still, there is a chance for tomorrow's stars to rewrite the history books filled with some big NBA names. Here are the records and the top candidate to break it this year.
LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar small forward, The King, the best player on the planet, the only player in NBA history to average 25 or more points in now 13 consecutive seasons, put on a show for the ages back in 2003. Of all of the big-time players to hoop in this game, the St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio) alum is the only Jordan Brand Classic player to drop 30 points, which might come as a surprise given the pedigree of the event.
In fact, only 12 players over the years, on both boys' and girls' teams, have scored over 25 points.
James also posted 12 rebounds and six assists to cap off the amazing night. And while it might be difficult to surpass the bucket mark, especially given the recent travel and shooting in a new NBA arena, there's always a chance.
Top Candidate: Michael Porter Jr. The nation's No. 1 player has certainly been busy lately, but of all the stars in this game, why wouldn't Porter Jr. be the most likely to get hot and put up a big number? This has been a historic season for the Nathan Hale (WA) small forward, and it's time to see if he has one final virtuoso performance before heading to Missouri.
Young Amar'e Stoudemire was a beast, man. So athletic. It's not too terribly surprising he cleaned glass in the event's inaugural game, but what's amazing is there haven't been too many players with big board numbers. Of course, splitting minutes and having other crazy talented players on the floor at the same time is a factor, yet it just seems odd only eight boys' prospects have tallied 13 or more rebounds. This might be tougher than one might think.
Top Candidate: Mitchell Robinson. This might happen because a) the 6-foot-11 hyper-athletic big man can rebound at a high clip in limited minutes, and b) he has had a little break. While he might seem like the most popular pick here, he didn't have either DICK'S Nationals or Nike Hoop Summit to worry about. This could be a dominant statement to start his journey to Western Kentucky.
ASSIST RECORD: 14 - Brandon Jennings (Blue '08)
Fresh off a McDonald's All American Games MVP performance, Jennings dazzled to drop dimes like no other in Jordan Brand Classic history. Much like the limited number of players getting a ton of rebounds, getting 10-plus assists is even more rare in this game. Only four players -- Jennings, Tyus Jones, Corey Fisher, and Tony Wroten Jr. -- are the only ones to get double-digit assists in the final showcase of the season.
Top Candidate: Matt Coleman. The Flo40 floor general wasn't exactly happy he was left out of the McDonald's All American Games. He was pretty vocal about it, too. Well, this is the chance to prove everyone wrong who didn't give him the nod there. The 6-foot-2 Coleman is a pure point guard and doesn't really care to shoot too much, so if he just focuses on passing, the Oak Hill (VA) point guard can surpass Jennings, who also went to Oak Hill, on this list.
Although this is the last opportunity to lace up the sneakers as high schoolers, history can still be made at the Barclays Center on Friday in Brooklyn. Prestigious records are up for grabs.
Pulling any feat off will be a challenge, though. Not only are the records pretty rare, but this is also the tail end of a long season, which for many of the Flo40 prospects includes one, a combination of, or all the recent trips to the McDonald's All American Games in Chicago, DICK'S Nationals in New York City, and Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, leading up to this finale.
Still, there is a chance for tomorrow's stars to rewrite the history books filled with some big NBA names. Here are the records and the top candidate to break it this year.
SCORING RECORD: 34 - LeBron James (Black '03)
LeBron James, the Cleveland Cavaliers superstar small forward, The King, the best player on the planet, the only player in NBA history to average 25 or more points in now 13 consecutive seasons, put on a show for the ages back in 2003. Of all of the big-time players to hoop in this game, the St. Vincent-St. Mary (Ohio) alum is the only Jordan Brand Classic player to drop 30 points, which might come as a surprise given the pedigree of the event.
In fact, only 12 players over the years, on both boys' and girls' teams, have scored over 25 points.
James also posted 12 rebounds and six assists to cap off the amazing night. And while it might be difficult to surpass the bucket mark, especially given the recent travel and shooting in a new NBA arena, there's always a chance.
Top Candidate: Michael Porter Jr. The nation's No. 1 player has certainly been busy lately, but of all the stars in this game, why wouldn't Porter Jr. be the most likely to get hot and put up a big number? This has been a historic season for the Nathan Hale (WA) small forward, and it's time to see if he has one final virtuoso performance before heading to Missouri.
REBOUND RECORD: 17 - Amar'e Stoudemire (White '02)
Young Amar'e Stoudemire was a beast, man. So athletic. It's not too terribly surprising he cleaned glass in the event's inaugural game, but what's amazing is there haven't been too many players with big board numbers. Of course, splitting minutes and having other crazy talented players on the floor at the same time is a factor, yet it just seems odd only eight boys' prospects have tallied 13 or more rebounds. This might be tougher than one might think.
Top Candidate: Mitchell Robinson. This might happen because a) the 6-foot-11 hyper-athletic big man can rebound at a high clip in limited minutes, and b) he has had a little break. While he might seem like the most popular pick here, he didn't have either DICK'S Nationals or Nike Hoop Summit to worry about. This could be a dominant statement to start his journey to Western Kentucky.
ASSIST RECORD: 14 - Brandon Jennings (Blue '08)
Fresh off a McDonald's All American Games MVP performance, Jennings dazzled to drop dimes like no other in Jordan Brand Classic history. Much like the limited number of players getting a ton of rebounds, getting 10-plus assists is even more rare in this game. Only four players -- Jennings, Tyus Jones, Corey Fisher, and Tony Wroten Jr. -- are the only ones to get double-digit assists in the final showcase of the season.
Top Candidate: Matt Coleman. The Flo40 floor general wasn't exactly happy he was left out of the McDonald's All American Games. He was pretty vocal about it, too. Well, this is the chance to prove everyone wrong who didn't give him the nod there. The 6-foot-2 Coleman is a pure point guard and doesn't really care to shoot too much, so if he just focuses on passing, the Oak Hill (VA) point guard can surpass Jennings, who also went to Oak Hill, on this list.