Videos: Top 5 high school videos of NBA superstars featuring LeBron James, Steph Curry, Joel Embiid and more

Before NBA players filled arenas with their incredible exploits, they learned the basics and played hoops mostly in front of family and friends. LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant the late Kobe Bryant and so many others first starred in high school.

It’s worth looking back at the raw athleticism and skills of future NBA superstars who were just starting to learn the ropes. At this stage, their love for the game was what mainly drove them to be their best. Their budding games showed glimpses of what they would become once they entered the best pro basketball league in the world.

Here are a few highlights of NBA players who showcased their basketball talents in high school:

NBA players who made high school basketball their launching pad to stardom

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Joel Embiid

Joel Embiid persevered through a brutal start to his high school basketball career. [Photo: YouTube]

Unlike the other names on this list, Joel Embiid did not start playing serious basketball until he was 15. Embiid’s preferred sports were volleyball and soccer. The Cameroonian even planned to play professional volleyball in Europe.

Embiid’s entry into basketball was horrible. The Philadelphia 76ers revealed how bad he was at basketball when he was kicked out by the coach. Playing a strange game in a strange place was a lot to take in, and Embiid struggled, to say the least.

Philly’s All-Star center eventually turned things around. He finished his senior year averaging 13.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Embiid led The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida, to a 33-4 record and a state championship.

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Kobe Bryant

Before he became the stubborn leader of the LA Lakers, Kobe Bryant became a legend at Lower Merion High. [Photo: USA Today]

Before Kobe Bryant became a beloved and iconic LA Lakers legend, the five-time champion displayed his skills at Lower Merion High in Philadelphia. Just how good Bryant already was came quickly to the fore when he made the varsity team in his freshman year.

Bryant had already started showing that unfailing belief in himself and fierce competitiveness. In his senior year, the Aces were the state champions in 1996. But before they won the state title, Bryant showed stubbornness that would become a trademark of his 20-year career in pro basketball.

After breaking his nose before the semifinal game, Bryant refused to wear a protective mask and led Lower Merion to the championship game.

The “Black Mamba” had a sizzling high school career, averaging 30.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 4.0 steals and 3.8 blocks. His incredible numbers would make him a first-round pick by the Charlotte Hornets, who traded him to the LA Lakers in a draft-night deal.

Kevin Durant

Kevin Durant was already a confident and smooth scorer in prep. [Photo: Boardroom]

Kevin Durant was described as a unicorn when he entered the NBA in 2007. In his high school days, there were already unmistakable glimpses of what he would become. KD was skinny, had a gigantic wingspan and the smoothness of a gifted scorer.

In all three places where Kevin Durant played high school basketball, he got better every year. KD went to National Christian in Fort Washington and then spent a year with the renowned Oak Hill Academy before returning to Montrose Christian in his senior year.

In an interview with Draymond Green later in his career, Durant explained that transferring schools was his way of looking for next-level competition. His work ethic and already enviable physical gifts would help him become one of the most sought-after high school players to enter college.

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Steph Curry

Skinny and undersized, Steph Curry work on every aspect of his game to become a good high school basketball player. [Photo: Sporting News]

Unlike LeBron James, Steph Curry wasn’t surrounded by hoopla. He regularly played in half-empty gyms and, more often than not, was the smallest player on the floor. The future two-time MVP has always been skinny, so it wasn’t a surprise that he looked quite fragile.

Playing for Charlotte Christian School, SCurry had to grind his way to become part of the roster. The NBA’s greatest 3-point shooter did not even try out for the varsity team in his first year, admitting later he was too nervous and scared.

The adversity that he had to go through just to get a spot on the team gave him lifelong lessons about perseverance and patience. Without the length, size and athleticism of most basketball players, Curry religiously worked on every aspect of his game until he could make up for his disadvantages.

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LeBron James

LeBron James already caused media frenzy back in high school. [Photo: Sports Illustrated Vault]

LeBron James was different. In his senior year at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio, the young James was already a national sensation. He was already more covered than top college players and was immune to the bright lights surrounding almost every game.

As the James hype was going full blast, a young, versatile player named Trevor Ariza was also starting to make his name in high school basketball. James’ Fighting Irish eventually met Ariza’s Westchester High in Los Angeles.

Ariza, now James’ teammate with the LA Lakers, reportedly talked trash to the “Chosen One.” James dropped 52 points in that game, which is the same total Westchester High School managed to score.

The game against Ariza was just one of the many in James’ senior basketball schedule that solidified his status as a future NBA star.