"No way Ja was unranked": Hoops fans react to list of NBA superstars who were unranked prospects in high school ft. Ja Morant & Steph Curry

Ja Morant and Steph Curry are two of the most popular guards in the NBA today. However, it may surprise some to learn that neither of them was seen as much of a prospect in high school.

SportsCenter Next, via their Instagram page on Thursday, shared a post that highlighted five current NBA stars who were unranked as high school hoopers. The post featured 2x NBA All-Star Morant, 4x NBA champion and legendary 3-point shooter Curry, 9x NBA All-Stars Paul George and Damian Lillard, and 6x NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler.

As expected, the post has attracted a number of comments from fans, with some finding it hard to believe that Ja Morant was unranked:

"No way Ja was unranked." One fan said.

"How the hell did Ja morant is unranked in highschool? Did he just discover his insane athletic ability in college??" Said another.

"Ja almost wasn't league bound😭😭." Another fan said.

Some fans simply weighed in on why these NBA stars went unranked. Some believed it was because they didn't play for powerhouse high schools, while others saw it as proof that high school rankings aren't always reliable:

"Most of then were balling at highschool, they just weren't ranked bc they didn't play at a powerhouse school." One fan said.

"This just shows people that evaluate aren't good at their job." Said another.

"Maybe the scouts can't properly evaluate talent/potential, put in the work and stop being lazy." Another fan said.

"All this should show ya these people don't be knowing who the best players all the time so go fa ya dreams no matter what u do as long as u believe." Said another.

"No way Ja was unranked": Hoops fans react to list of NBA superstars who were unranked prospects in high school ft. Ja Morant & Steph Curry. (Image via Instagram @sportscenternext)

Revisiting NBA star Ja Morant's high school career

Memphis Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant played high school basketball at Crestwood High School in Sumter, South Carolina. Despite being unranked, he had quite an impressive career.

As a junior, he won South Carolina Class 3A honors, a feat he repeated in his senior year while averaging 27 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists per game in both seasons. He was also a three-time All-Region MVP and left as Crestwood's all-time leading scorer with 1,679 points.

However, despite his brilliant output, Ja didn't really get much attention from top colleges. In fact, they ended up committing to Murray State, who hadn't initially made him any offer.

At Murray State, Morant's impact was immediate. As a freshman, he led the team to an OVC championship, averaging 12.7 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. By the time he ended his second year, in which he averaged 24.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 10 assists per game, he was already projected as a top-five pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.

Of course, he ended up being selected as the No. 2 pick and left such a legacy at Murray State that his No. 12 jersey was retired after he left.