From a spinning merry-go-round. Off the wall. Off the other wall. From behind the wall. Off the corner of a curb.
It’s safe to say you’ll probably never see a better collection of basketball trick shots than this video, which was uploaded to YouTube this week. It comes to us via the sports site Grantland, which wonders if the astounding scores can even be real.
Who are these magicians of make? Just some dudes in North Dakota with a lot of free time. Check them out, and let us know what you think in the comments.
NBA Stars Before They Were Stars
The
Chicago Bulls point guard starred at the Windy City's Simeon Career
Academy in high school before playing one season of college ball then
getting picked first overall by his hometown pro team in the 2008 NBA
Draft. He was league MVP in 2011, and is currently on the road to recovery from a serious knee injury.
As a high schooler, he was the top-ranked player in the country. This video, which has over 2.6 million YouTube views, makes it easy to understand why.
As a high schooler, he was the top-ranked player in the country. This video, which has over 2.6 million YouTube views, makes it easy to understand why.
2. Vince Carter
Before
becoming the rather husky swingman you see in Dallas today, Carter was
known as "Air Canada" for his high-flying exploits as a Toronto Raptor.
Before that, he starred at the University of North Carolina. Before
that, he dunked all over helpless youngsters as a Florida high school
legend.
3. James Harden
The
Oklahoma City Thunder guard is known as much for his epic beard as
smooth game today. But just a few years ago, he was a baby-faced prep
star leading Artesia High School to back-to-back California state
championships.
4. LeBron James
This
Ohio news report on a local high school sophomore by the name of LeBron
James is priceless today. From coaches speculating that he might make
the NBA one day, to his earnest interviews, it's amazing to compare this
with the global icon we know today. Newsman Brad Forster, who you see
in the clip, uploaded it to his personal YouTube channel in 2010.
5. John Wall
Wall
starred at the University of Kentucky for one season before becoming
the first overall pick of the 2010 NBA Draft. This compilation is from
his senior year of high school at Word of God Christian Academy in
Raleigh, North Carolina, is pretty freaking sweet and has 6.8 million
views on YouTube.
6. Jason Kidd
What
makes this highlight reel even more impressive? It all comes from one
game, when Kidd led St. Joseph's High School from Alameda, California,
to the 1992 state championship. He then went on to star at Cal and is
currently wrapping up his Hall of Fame career with the New York Knicks.
7. Brandon Jennings
Jennings
is a budding star for the Milwaukee Bucks. This video, which has more
than 1.3 million YouTube views, shows him as a high schooler dominating
for Oak Hill Academy and in various club team tournaments.
8. Kyrie Irving
After
being this awesome in high school, Irving played one year at Duke,
became the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, then won the
league's Rookie of the Year award in 2012.
This video of his high school exploits has earned more than 1.5 million YouTube views.
This video of his high school exploits has earned more than 1.5 million YouTube views.
9. Anthony Davis
Davis,
the first overall pick of the June's draft, is being counted on to help
lead the New Orleans Hornets back to respectability. This is him
destroying all comers during his senior year at Chicago's Perspectives
Charter School way back in 2010 and 2011.
10. Austin Rivers
Davis
will be joined in New Orleans by Rivers, another highly touted rookie.
He's the son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, and is seen here
killing it at Winter Park High School in Florida as a senior in 2010 and
2011. The impressive mix has been viewed more than 2 million times on
YouTube.
11. Damian Lillard
Who's
that, you ask? Lillard, the sixth overall pick of June's NBA Draft, is a
trendy pick among many analysts to take home the Rookie of the Year
award this year. This is him back at Oakland High School in the Bay Area
of California.
12. Rajon Rondo
So
Rondo's been doing that fake behind-the-back move forever! This is the
current Celtics star during his final year of high school ball, in 2004
at national basketball power Oak Hill Academy.
13. Josh Smith
Rondo
was joined at Oak Hill that season by current Atlanta Hawks star Josh
Smith. Now that's what's called an unfair advantage.
14. Carmelo Anthony
A
couple years before that, current New York Knick Carmelo Anthony played
for Oak Hill and, yeah, he was pretty good and dunked a lot, too.
15. Amar'e Stoudemire
And
here's Anthony's current Knicks teammate Stoudemire completely taking a
bunch of high schoolers to well, school, as a prep in Orlando, Florida.
All these dunks and blocks, from just four games. What are you supposed
to do against a kid like that?
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