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Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images There’s so much star-power at the 2025 boys McDonald’s All-American Game. The alumni list at the McDonald’s All-American Game reads look like a who’s-who of American basketball royalty. From Michael Jordan to Shaquille O’Neal to Kobe Bryant to LeBron James, almost every U.
S.-born legend started their run to stardom as a burger boy. The 2025 McDonald’s All-American Game is here, and the roster has as much elite talent as any class in recent memory.
It sounds blasphemous to believe this could be strongest McDonald’s All-American Game roster ever given the game’s history, but the top level talent is that good. With Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer, and A.J.
Dybantsa, there are three legitimate superstar prospects headlining the game this year. Start tanking for the 2026 NBA Draft now, because it’s incredibly rare to have a year with three legitimate No. 1 overall talents.
Cooper Flagg was the star at the McDonald’s Game last year, and now he has Duke in the Final Four. The future of college basketball and the NBA will on display at the 2025 boys McDonald’s All-American Game on Tuesday April 1 at 9 p.m.
ET on ESPN. Let’s meet the roster.Darryn Peterson is everything the NBA wants out of a guardA.
J. Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer had a head-start in the race for the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2025, but Darryn Peterson’s finishing kick has put him on top.
The 6’6 combo guard is headed for Kansas next year after an incredible senior year at Prolific Prep that saw him put up massive numbers while knocking off his elite peers along the way.Peterson dropped 58 points on Dybantsa’s Utah Prep team in Feb., and powered his squad to a Grind Session championship in March.
He checks just about every box for a primary creator at the highest levels, with pull-up shooting, tough defense, and crafty playmaking all part of the package.Darryn Peterson back-2-back step-back threes in the McDonald's scrimmage. He's got everything you want out of a primary creator, favor him for 2026 No.
1 pick right now. pic.twitter.
com/OfDyQe3exn— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) March 31, 2025Peterson has so much scoring gravity with the ball in his hands, but he never forces the issue. With a long-and-strong frame for a lead ball handler, Peterson is a load going downhill, already has an advanced mid-range game, and can easily create space for his own pull-up threes when he wants to. The best thing about Peterson is he never seems rushed and always seems willing to make the winning play, whether it’s kicking out a pass to an open shooter or walling up defensively to get a stop.
It’s hard to think of many elite guards who were this good this soon at both ends of the floor.Peterson has a chance to be the best player Bill Self has ever coached, but his game feels more tailored for the NBA than for college. It’s on Self to put proper spacing around Peterson for his drives to the rim, which was a huge issue for the Jayhawks this past season.
It might be a little bit of a hot take at this stage, but Peterson is my early front-runner for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images A.
J. Dybantsa is oozing with talentDybantsa has the type of tools NBA evaluators dream about. Measuring at 6’8.
5 barefoot with a 7’1 wingspan, Dybantsa is an explosive athlete with a strong frame who can play through contact. He also happens to be one of the better shooters in this class with a release few players can contest.Dybantsa has the potential to be an unstoppable one-on-one scorer.
He’s too fast for forwards to contain on the perimeter, and he’s too big and strong for wings and guards. His downhill attacking offers an easy translation at the highest levels of the game as he tightens his handle. His shooting projection takes his upside to the next level.
Look at the space Dybantsa creates with the step-back on this jumper.Nasty stuff from AJ Dybantsa against future very good NBA defender Caleb Wilson. Not many 6'9 guys in the world have this type of space creation and shooting on the perimeter.
He's 17. pic.twitter.
com/7WrmiCo76S— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) July 24, 2024Dybantsa’s tools should be just as good defensively. It feels like he’s walking into a perfect situation at BYU with Kevin Young leading an NBA-style offense that will surround his star freshman with shooters. No one should be surprised if Dybantsa goes No.
1 overall in the 2026 draft, or if he ultimately becomes the best player from this class. Prospects with this intersection of size, athleticism, and skill do not come around every year. Dybantsa is special, and he’s just starting to scratch his long-term upside.
Cameron Boozer is the do-it-all big man every team covets Icon Sportswire via Getty Images It’s impossible to have a better high school career than the one Cameron Boozer enjoyed. Boozer and his twin brother Cayden (also a McDonald’s All-American headed to Duke) won four consecutive Florida state championships for Columbus High, won Nike EYBL championships at the U15, U16, and U17 level, and won two gold medals with USA Basketball. At each stop, Boozer has been the primary offensive hub getting good shots for his team while also playing rock solid defense.
Boozer is a 6’9 big man who does it all offensively. He can use his strength and touch to score inside, he can hit cutters with passes from the elbow, and he can step out and hit a three-pointer. Boozer’s best skill might be his ability to fire outlet passes to teammates for transition opportunities, a trait that has drawn him plenty of Kevin Love comparisons.
Boozer’s defense is also very good in the paint, though opponents will try to test him on the perimeter.Boozer doesn’t have overwhelming size or athleticism, and he’s a bit caught between positions at the four and the five. Still, Boozer leaves a massive imprint on winning and can be trusted to make decisions with the ball in his hands every time down the floor.
He’s going to be an instant superstar for Duke in college, and he’s going to be a great NBA player, too. Houston reloads with 3 McDonald’s All-AmericansKelvin Sampson has recruited McDonald’s All-Americans before, both out of high school with Jarace Walker and via transfer with Quentin Grimes. Sampson has just never needed to rely on five-star recruits as he’s built his college basketball empire at Houston.
Now the burger boys are coming to him.Houston has three McDonald’s All-Americans coming in next year with big man Chris Cenac Jr., wing Isiah Harwell, and guard Kingston Flemings.
That ties Duke for the most in the class.Houston has 3 McDonald's All-Americans coming in. Chris Cenac Jr.
looks like the most intriguing as a 6'10 big with a 7'3 wingspan who gets off the floor with ease. His shooting stroke looked great at the scrimmage. pic.
twitter.com/m2KdtzejFK— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) March 31, 2025Cenac is the most intriguing long-term bet as a 6’10 big man with a 7’3 wingspan. He’s a fluid athlete who could make his living block shots and finishing lobs at the rim, but there’s so much more to his game than that.
Cenac offers real long-term shooting upside with an easy stroke on spot-ups. The idea of Sampson making him tougher defensively on the inside paired with this type of floor stretching ability gives him a shot at being a top-10 NBA pick.Another angle.
..Isiah Harwell! pic.
twitter.com/6ET2V6Djvy— Ron Harwell (@mitchavelli) March 30, 2025Harwell is a big wing (6’6 with a 6’9 wingspan) returning from an ACL injury. He has a nice baseline of length, athleticism, and shooting projection, and plays with power near the basket.
When Harwell committed, he said Sampson told him he won’t play if he can’t defend. His best long-term translation is as a secondary scoring wing more than a primary creator, so picking Houston is another encouraging sign for his development. Flemings is a more natural creator with impressive speed and burst.
He’s not much of a shooter yet, but his defensive ball pressure will endear him to Sampson early in his career. Cenac and Harwell could be lottery picks with solid freshmen years, but earning Sampson’s trust won’t come easy.Brayden Burries is a walking bucketBurries is the oldest McDonald’s All-American this season, and will turn 20 years old in Sept.
before his freshman season. He’s only two months younger than Detroit Pistons rookie Ron Holland yet two grade levels behind. The advanced age might be a knock on him come NBA Draft time, but there’s no denying Burries’ talent.
The 6’4 combo guard has a strong frame with very good shooting ability and easy bounce off one-foot as a leaper around the basket. He’s never been the fastest ball handler, but Burries wins with strength and craft as a downhill guard.I'd expect Brayden Burries to be one of the best freshmen next year, in part because he'll be 20 years old in Sept.
Good frame for a combo guard, competes defensively, and should shoot it well. Still uncommitted. pic.
twitter.com/HUeXRa8mNa— Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) March 31, 2025Burries is still uncommitted with Arizona, Oregon, Alabama, Tennessee, and USC in the running. He should be an instant impact scorer for any school that lands him with a chance at being a lottery pick in 2026.
More 2025 McDonald’s All-American standoutsMikel Brown Jr., G, Louisville commit: Brown doesn’t look like an NBA lottery pick at first glance with an incredibly thin frame, but he might have the best floor game of any McDonald’s All-American this year. Brown can get wherever he wants on the floor with tight ball handling and the ability to change speeds and direction at a moment’s notice.
His passing vision is outstanding whether he’s whipping the ball to corner shooters or carefully placing it to the roll man. Brown can also beat the defense with his jumper, which looks especially good off the catch. He’s more explosive athletically than he looks, but he’ll need to keep bulking up to play through contact at both the college and pro levels.
Darius Acuff, G, Arkansas commit: Acuff is a powerfully-built 6’2 guard with length and shooting potential. He has a way of making defenders bounce off his body on drives to the rim, setting up floaters and up-and-unders around the basket. Acuff does not hesitate to shoot from deep, and put up solid percentages on high volume at the high school level.
He’s mostly a below-the-rim finisher in traffic which could limit his long-term upside, but there aren’t many guards better at blending scoring and playmaking than him. Arkansas is a great landing spot after looking at how many guards John Calipari has put in the NBA. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Nate Ament, F, Uncommitted: Ament has an appealing long-term projection as a 6’9 forward with shooting ability.
He can stroke spot-up threes as a floor spacer, and also shows some intriguing ball handling with the ability to get into his mid-range game. He can shoot over the top of most defenders, and that length plays well on defense too. The hangup with Ament right now is he can be easily bumped off his spot with a thin frame.
Adding strength will be atop his priority list regardless of which school he chooses between Kentucky, Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisville, and Duke.Malachi Moreno, C, Kentucky commit: Moreno looked fantastic during the scrimmage as a 6’10 big who was crashing the glass, finishing inside, setting screens, and blocking shots. He has good hands and a strong motor, and shows some finishing craft inside without elite bounce or length.
I like Moreno to be an impact freshman at Kentucky by doing the dirty work. Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Caleb Wilson, F, North Carolina commit: Wilson has been on the radar for a while as a long and athletic forward with the potential to be a multi-position defender at the highest levels. He’s still a work in progress on offense, but has the tools to an effective play-finisher on cuts and putbacks around the basket.
Tounde Yessoufou, F, Baylor commit: Yessoufou immediately pops for his huge frame. He’s more physically developed than most of his peers, and he puts it to good use at the defensive end. Yessoufou’s length and strength make him a pest defensively, where he can rip the ball away and immediately start a fastbreak.
He seems more limited in terms of ability to attack off the dribble, but if his spot-ups are falling, there’s an easy translation here as a jacked, high-motor 3-and-D wing.McDonald’s All-American Game boys roster 2025Here are the full rosters for the boys game. You can find the roster for the girls game here.
How to watch the 2025 McDonald’s All-American GameThe girls’ game will start at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Here’s the info for the boys game:Date: Tuesday, April 1Location: Barclays Center, New YorkTime: 9 p.m. ETTV and stream: ESPN.
