1996 McDonald's All-American Boys Game
The 1996 McDonald's All-American Boys Game was an All-star basketball game played on Sunday, March 31, 1996 at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The game's rosters featured the best and most highly recruited high school boys graduating in 1996. The game was the 19th annual version of the McDonald's All-American Game first played in 1978.
1996 game
The game was telecast live by CBS. Ronnie Fields did not play, having suffered an injury in February 1996 that forced him to stay away from the basketball court for a long time. Charles Hathaway was also unable to play. Shaheen Holloway, who was the starting point guard for the East, won the MVP award with 7 points, 8 assists and 6 steals; other players who starred were guard Kobe Bryant, center Vassil Evtimov and bench players Stephen Jackson and Winfred Walton who were the top scorers of the game, tied at 21 points. Of the 22 All-Americans, 12 did not play in the NBA, while 2 were drafted out of high school in the 1996 NBA Draft: Kobe Bryant and Jermaine O'Neal. Only Ronnie Fields did not play a single game in the NCAA or the NBA.East roster
| No. | Name | Height | Weight | Position | Hometown | High school | College of Choice |
| 3 | Tim Thomas | 6-9 | 240 | F | Paterson, NJ, U.S. | Paterson Catholic | Villanova |
| 5 | Stephen Jackson | 6-7 | 220 | F | Mouth of Wilson, VA, U.S. | Oak Hill Academy | Arizona |
| 6 | Jermaine O'Neal | 6-10 | 235 | C | Columbia, SC, U.S. | Eau Claire | Undecided ' |
| 10 | Shaheen Holloway | 5-10 | 171 | G | Elizabeth, NJ, U.S. | St. Patrick's | Seton Hall |
| 15 | Willie Dersch | 6-5 | 197 | G | Queens, NY, U.S. | Holy Cross | Virginia |
| 21 | Ed Cota | 6-1 | 177 | G | Oakdale, CT, U.S. | St. Thomas More | North Carolina |
| 30 | Richard Hamilton | 6-6 | 190 | G | Coatesville, PA, U.S. | Coatesville | Connecticut |
| 32 | Nate James | 6-6 | 195 | F | Frederick, MD, U.S. | St. John's at Prospect Hall | Duke |
| 33 | Kobe Bryant | 6-6 | 200 | G | Ardmore, PA, U.S. | Lower Merion | Undecided ' |
| 54 | Vassil Evtimov | 6-9 | 235 | F / C | Long Island, NY, U.S. | Long Island Lutheran | North Carolina |
| N/A | Charles Hathaway | 6-10 | 250 | C | Nashville, TN, U.S. | Hillwood | Tennessee |
West roster
| No. | Name | Height | Weight | Position | Hometown | High school | College of Choice |
| 4 | Glendon Alexander | 6-4 | 215 | G | Carrollton, TX, U.S. | Newman Smith | Arkansas |
| 5 | Corey Benjamin | 6-6 | 200 | G | Fontana, CA, U.S. | Fontana | Oregon State |
| 10 | Mike Bibby | 6-2 | 190 | G | Phoenix, AZ, U.S. | Shadow Mountain | Arizona |
| 24 | Mateen Cleaves | 6-2 | 205 | G | Flint, MI, U.S. | Flint Northern | Michigan State |
| 32 | Mike Robinson | 6-6 | 210 | G / F | Peoria, IL, U.S. | Richwoods | Purdue |
| 33 | Loren Woods | 7-1 | 245 | C | St. Louis, MO, U.S. | Cardinal Ritter | Wake Forest |
| 34 | Winfred Walton | 6-9 | 240 | F | Detroit, MI, U.S. | Pershing | Syracuse |
| 40 | Jason Collier | 7-0 | 260 | C | Springfield, OH, U.S. | Catholic Central | Indiana |
| 50 | Lester Earl | 6-9 | 240 | F | Baton Rouge, LA, U.S. | Glen Oaks | LSU |
| 52 | Jerald Brown | 6-7 | 225 | F | Houston, TX, U.S. | Aldine | Texas A&M |
| N/A | Ronnie Fields | 6-3 | 198 | G | Chicago, IL, U.S. | Farragut Academy | DePaul |
Coaches
The East team was coached by:- Head Coach John Miller of Blackhawk High School
- Asst Coach Rick Bell of Peters Township High School
- Asst Coach Don Graham of North Catholic High School
- Head Coach Nate Harris of Booker T. Washington High School
- Asst Coach Levi Brown of Booker T. Washington High School
All-American Week
Contest winners
- The 1996 Slam Dunk contest was won by Lester Earl.
- The 1996 3-point shoot-out was won by Nate James.