The greatest high school basketball players from the Los Angeles area

The first player from Los Angeles, and third overall, to win California Mr. Basketball in 1952. From the San Pedro projects, Naulls was a standout football player at San Pedro High School, but basketball would be his future. His overall athleticism was obvious during his prep days, and opened the door for a successful run at UCLA, where he was twice selected a first-team All-PCC performer and consensus All-American. That success translated to the NBA, where Naulls averaged 15.8 points and 9.1 rebounds for four teams while earning four All-Star nods and winning three league titles.

Essentially all of Goodrich's basketball success was contained to the Los Angeles area. He was a star captain, known for his left-handed shooting touch, and earned legendary status at Poly High in the Valley. The moment that's still talked about came during his team's victorious 1961 Los Angeles City championship, when Goodrich scored 29 points and broke his ankle in the process. Goodrich, California's Mr. Basketball in 1961, would eventually have his jersey retired by the school. From there, Goodrich famously helped UCLA win its first two national championships under John Wooden in 1964 and '65, and also had his uniform retired. Then, he was a five-time NBA All-Star and helped the Los Angeles Lakers win the 1972 title.

From the heart of Los Angeles and Jefferson High School, Lacy was the city's top player and California's Mr. Basketball in 1963. Perhaps more impressive, Lacy was a two-time, first-team Parade All-American selection. An all-around talented athlete, Lacy could do it all on the court as a prep star, and that ultimately led him to UCLA. He would go on to help the Bruins win the 1965 national title. However, a leg injury forced Lacy to redshirt his senior year. He returned for the 1967-68 campaign, but quit the team shortly after being benched against Houston during the "Game of the Century" at the Astrodome.

One of the true local L.A. legends. Hailing from Watts, Lewis tends to fall into the category of "best that never was," when it came to professional basketball success. A street-court star, Lewis averaged 24 points and was a second-team Parade All-American at Verbum Dei, the Catholic school where he was known for his tremendous ball-handling abilities that helped it win three California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section titles (before the state champions were recognized). After playing at Cal State Los Angeles, Lewis was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers. However, following an ugly contract dispute, he never played in the NBA. The documentary "Raymond Lewis: L.A, Legend" chronicles his life. 

Johnson was born in Louisiana, but eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he was the first true superstar at mighty Crenshaw High School. The 1972-73 season concluded with Johnson averaging 26.4 points and 18 rebounds to be named Los Angeles City Section 4-A Division Player of the Year. Playing for local legend Willie West, Crenshaw went 32-0 during Johnson's final two seasons. From there, Johnson was off to nearby UCLA, where he was part of the Bruins' 1975 national title team and the national player of the year in '77. Johnson went on to become a five-time NBA All-Star and had his No. 8 retired by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Theus seemed destined for greatness while starring at Inglewood High, just blocks from the famous Great Western Forum (as it was formerly known). He led the Sentinels to Bay League championships in 1974 and '75, and averaged 28.5 points and 15.5 boards during his 1974-75 season, when Inglewood reached the semifinals of the 4A CIF state tournament. Theus went on to UNLV, where his No. 23 was retired. Then it was off to the NBA, where he was a two-time All-Star (1981, '82) with the Chicago Bulls. Theus, also a head coach in college and the NBA, had his No. 24 retired by Inglewood in 2014.

Prepping in the shadows of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum at Manual Arts, Polee was California's Mr. Basketball and a third-team Parade All-American in 1981. That season, Polee scored 43 points during Manual Arts' 82-69 victory over Crenshaw in the City championship game that reportedly drew more than 14,000 at the nearby Los Angeles Sports Arena. Interestingly, Polee's prep career started at the aforementioned Verbum Dei, before transferring to Manual Arts for his sophomore year. Collegiately, Polee played at UNLV, then Pepperdine, where he was twice named West Coast Player of the Year (1985, '86)

If we're ranking these prep players, Williams would likely top this list. Surpassing the production of the aforementioned Marques Johnson at Crenshaw, Williams was a beast as a teen. He left high school at 6-foot-8 and weighing more than 230 pounds. At the time, Williams was the third player in state history to be named California Mr. Basketball (1983, '84). He completely dominated the game at this level, and helped Crenshaw win the 1983 state championship. The first-team Parade All-American then played two seasons at LSU and was a first-round pick of Washington in the 1986 NBA Draft.

Another Crenshaw superstar, Thompson led the Cougars to a pair of state championships during his prep career, and his No. 32 was retired by the school. As a junior, he averaged 28.0 points, then 34.0 during another stellar season as a senior, when he was also named 4-A City Player of the Year and was a second-team Parade All-American selection. Thompson played collegiately at Syracuse, then in the CBA and briefly in the NBA. He also served as head coach at Cal State L.A. and, as of the 2022-23 season, was an assistant coach at Oregon State.

Another candidate for the greatest high school player to come out of the city and Los Angeles County. The 6-7 Mills owned the court for Fairfax High, where he was the Los Angeles City 4-1 Player of the Year. In addition, Mills was named California's Mr. Basketball, a two-time Parade All-American (first team in 1988) and a McDonald's All-American. Post-high school proved to be quite an adventure for Mills. After being kicked off the team at Kentucky for allegedly taking payments from a booster, Mills landed at Arizona, where he was the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1993. He then spent a little more than a decade in the NBA.

Dubbed "Baby Jordan" for his leaping and dunking ability, Miner was a true showman. He wasn't L.A.'s best high school basketball during his years at Inglewood, but Miner certainly left an impression on his peers and area youth at the time. Miner averaged 27.5 points in each of his last two seasons at Inglewood. When it came time for college, Miner traveled just a few blocks east to USC, where he was a three-time, first-team All-Pac-10 performer, the league's player of the year in 1992 and had his No. 23 retired. In the NBA, Miner's prowess for showmanship continued by twice winning the league's Slam Dunk Contest (1993, '95).

At the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, Murray was king of the hill while attending Glendora High. Despite an injury wiping out his freshman season, the 6-foo7 Murray still scored 3,053 points — the most in California prep history at the time. As a senior, Murray averaged a remarkable 44.3 points, and dropped 64 in a losing effort during the CIF Site D-II championship game. Murray earned McDonald's All-American honors and then went on to star at UCLA , where he was a two-time, first-team All-Pac-10 performer, before embarking on a 12-season NBA career. 

O'Bannon never enjoyed extended success in the NBA, but the road getting there was pretty special. The South Central Los Angeles product was a two-time, first-team Parade All-American and McDonald's All-American. As a senior at Artesia High — that's after transferring from Verbum Dei — the versatile O'Bannon averaged 29.6 points and 9.7 rebounds en route to winning his school winning the CIF Division II state title. O'Bannon won another championship, of the national variety, at UCLA in 1995, when he was the Wooden Award winner and Final Four Most Outstanding Player.

The epitome of a student-athlete. Vaughn was star at Pasadena's Muir High School both on the court (averaging 21 points and 19 assists as a senior) and in classroom (3.9 grade-point average). He was a two-time Parade All-American, including a first-team selection as a senior in 1992-93. That same season, Vaughn dished out 13 assists to earn MVP honors at the McDonald's All-American game. From there, Vaughn went to Kansas, where he won Big Eight Player of the Year in 1996, and had his No. 11 retired. He then enjoyed a 12-year NBA career, during which he won a championship with San Antonio.

A teammate of the aforementioned Jacque Vaughn at Kansas, Pierce ended up in Lawrence thanks to a stellar career at Inglewood High, which retired his No. 34. After failing to make the varsity team as a freshman and sophomore, Pierce quickly blossomed into a prep star during his junior campaign. When Pierce's senior season concluded, he averaged 27 points and 11 assists, was named California's Mr. Basketball and honored as a McDonald's All-American. At Kansas, Pierce was an All-American, who had his No. 34 retired. Then it was off to the NBA, where Pierce was a 10-time All-Star and helped the Boston Celtics win the 2008 championship.

This is our first mention of Southern California prep basketball powerhouse Dominguez High School, located in Compton. One of the best to ever play for the famed school was Brunner, who during the mid-to-late 1990s was considered to be the best point guard in the country. Standing under 6 feet, Brunner was a master playmaker and a wizard with the ball who possessed excellent court vision. Dominguez went 123-14 during Brunner's prep tenure, which included third-team Parade All-American honors. Brunner's college career at Georgetown and Fresno State was marred by plenty of issues, but he eventually found modest success in the ABA.

Another South Central product, Davis prepped at Crossroads, the prominent private high school in Santa Monica. As a junior, the stellar point guard, complete with substance and splash, helped Crossroads win the Southern Section Division. Then during his senior campaign, Davis averaged 25 points while rarely playing the second half of games. By the time he had graduated, Davis was California's Mr. Basketball, first-team Parade All-American, the Gatorade National Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American. Davis went on to be named Pac-10 Freshman of the Year at UCLA and was a two-time NBA All-Star for the Charlotte/New Orleans Hornets.

Prince honed his exceptional two-way skills at Compton powerhouse Dominguez. Perhaps the best overall defender on this list, Prince was a four-time CIF Champion and helped Dominguez won back-to-back state titles in 1996 and '97. In 1998, the lanky, but potent Prince was California's Mr. Basketball and a McDonald's All-American. Prince, the SEC Player of the Year at Kentucky in 2011, an NBA champion with Detroit in 2004 and an Olympic gold medalist from the 2008 Summer Games, had his No. 21 retired by Dominguez in January 2023.

The 7-foot Chandler went from the halls of Dominguez right to the NBA, as the second overall pick in 2001 draft. He played one season, as a freshman on the Dons' varsity team, with the aforementioned Prince in 1997-98, which was the first of four CIF titles won by the school during Chandler's time there. Dominguez also won three state titles (1999, 2000, 2001) during Chandler's high school run, where he averaged 20 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and three blocks as a junior, then 26 points, 15 boards and eight blocks during his senior campaign. A two-time California Mr. Basketball (2000, '01), Chandler was also a McDonald's All-American and two-time Parade All-American. His No. 32 was retired the same night as Prince's jersey.

There wasn't much Adams couldn't do on the basketball court. His overall athleticism and ability to take control of a game led to winning California Mr. Basketball in 2002, when Adams averaged 18 points while helping Westchester win the California State Division I-A Championship. USA Today also ranked Westchester the country's No. 1 team that season, which also saw Adams earn McDonald's All-American honors. Adams then averaged 14.0 points on 49.9-percent shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.8 steals in four seasons at Arizona.

A prep teammate of Hassan Adams at Westchester, Ariza was California's Mr. Basketball in 2003, marking the first time since 1971 and '72 that different players from the same school — San Joaquin Memorial's Cliff and Roscoe Pondexter — took home the honor in back-to-back seasons. As a standout power forward for Westchester, Ariza delivered a mix of power and grace on the floor. The second-team Parade All-American then spent a single season at UCLA, where he averaged 11.6 points and 8.4 assists before embarking on an 18-year NBA career.

One of the greatest athletes to come out of the San Fernando Valley, Farmar attended Taft High, where he scored more than 2,000 points in just two varsity seasons. During his junior season, Farmar averaged 28.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 4.5 steals. Though his numbers were slightly down as a senior (27.5 ppg, 6.5 apg), Farmar was still among the country's best, and earned McDonald's All-American and second-team Parade All-American honors. He then averaged 13.3 points in two seasons at UCLA, before winning two NBA championships with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers. 

A 10-time NBA All-Star, three-time scoring champion and MVP, Harden will go down as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, and it all essentially started at Artesia, where he averaged 13.2 points as a sophomore varsity starter. One year later, Harden averaged 18.8 points and nearly eight rebounds while leading Artesia to a 33-1 record and state championship. His stats were similar as a senior when Harden was named a McDonald's All-American and second-team Parade All-American. Harden wasn't a superstar in high school, but he was destined to be going forward.

DeRozan is proof that great high school basketball players from Compton don't have to attend Dominguez. At Compton High, DeRozan was a four-year varsity standout, hitting the ground running by averaging 26.1 points and 8.4 rebounds as a freshman. He averaged more than 22 points each of the next two seasons, then truly solidified himself as one of the nation's best players during a senior campaign in which DeRozan averaged 29.2 points and eight boards while leading Compton to a second straight Moore League title. A first-team Parade All-American and McDonald's All-American, DeRozan starred at USC, then the NBA, where he earned a sixth All-Star nod with the Chicago Bulls in 2023.

California's Mr. Basketball during his senior season of 2007-08, Holiday averaged 25.9 points, 11.2 rebounds and nearly seven assists with five steals to help Studio City's Campbell Hall win the Division IV state championship. Holiday, whose parents both played college basketball, had already proved himself to be a star prior to his senior campaign, for which he also was named Gatorade National Player of the Year and a first-team Parade All-American. At the 2008 McDonald's All-American game, Holiday posted 14 points, five rebounds and five steals.