The 10 Most Memorable Sneakers From The McDonald's All-American Game

Since 1978, McDonald’s has hosted an annual All-American Game that features the best young hoopers in the country, introducing them as the future stars of college and eventually the NBA. From Michael Jordan to Grant Hill to Carmelo Anthony, the array of talent on display in any given year is a glimpse as to who will be dominating at the biggest stage soon.

With Nike opting to do their own high school exhibitions with the Nike Hoop Summit and the Jordan Brand Classic, the sponsorship of the McDonald’s All-American game has bounced around, with stints at Champion, Reebok, and most recently, adidas. In recent years, adidas Basketball's current roster of signature shoes has produced PEs for the participants in the game, while past iterations have given us sneakers that will leave us scratching our heads and wondering why they haven’t gotten a retro.

As we wait for tonight’s game, which will feature potential stars like Tyran Stokes for the boys and Saniyah Hall for the girls, let’s take a look back at the sneakers that have helped define the McDonald’s All-American. While most years have seen players stick to what has been provided for them by adidas, the wave of NIL deals and players signing brand deals early on could make things interesting at these exhibitions in ways we did not think were possible.

1995: Paul Pierce

Sneaker: Champion

In 1995, nobody knew that this particular class of McDonald’s All-Americans would produce one of the most star-studded lineups in the history of the game with future Hall of Famers like Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, and Paul Pierce, and NBA All-Stars like Stephon Marbury, Antawn Jamison, and Shareef Abdur-Rahim… except maybe Paul Pierce. Why? Because he had the foresight to get his jersey and Champion sneakers signed by all of the players from the game. Pierce rediscovered the sneaker and shared it on social media as only The Truth could. The next few years would feature rosters that include legends like Tracy McGrady and the late Kobe Bryant, but 1995 stands as an outlier based on pure talent alone.

2003: LeBron James

Sneaker: Reebok Question Mid PE

The world was introduced to LeBron James thanks to ESPN’s coverage of his final year in high school, including a handful of nationally televised games and the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Game. James would deliver with an MVP performance that showcased the skills that he would soon show off in the NBA. While the rest of the players wore either the Reebok Answer 6 or Answer 7, James received his own personalized pair of the Reebok Question with his initials and jersey number arranged in a way that would be very similar to his eventual crown logo with Nike.

2010: Kyrie Irving

Sneaker: Reebok Kamikaze 2010 McDonald’s All-American Game PE

Kyrie Irving is considered one of the most skilled players in the history of the NBA. One only needs to look at his highlights to be amazed by the seemingly endless depths of his bag. While the performance wasn’t enough to take home the MVP trophy that night, the signs were already there that he was destined to be a superstar that fans enjoyed watching on a different level. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the Reebok Kamikaze 2010, an actual sneaker that was supposed to be the follow-up to Shawn Kemp’s iconic sneakers from the ‘90s. It makes the list not because it was anything special, but because it was such a bizarre attempt to bring back a beloved sneaker franchise. The McDonald’s colorway in red and yellow patent leather did not help matters either.

2011: Anthony Davis

Sneaker: Reebok ZigTech Slash McDonald’s All-American Game PE

Playing in front of his hometown of Chicago, a young Anthony Davis showed out with 14 points, 4 blocks, and 2 steals. He would continue to light up the high school exhibition circuit, earning MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic, before landing in Kentucky and helping the Wildcats win a National Championship a year later. Reebok was the outfitter of the McDonald’s Game at the time, and players wore John Wall’s signature shoe, the Reebok ZigTech Slash, in black, yellow, and red with All-American Game branding on the tongue.

Fun Fact: AD’s game-worn sneakers were sold for a little over $2,000 at auction after he was traded by New Orleans to Los Angeles.

2016: Sabrina Ionescu

Sneaker: adidas D Rose 6 McDonald’s All-American Game PE

In 2002, McDonald’s added the girls’ All-American Game to the lineup. Considering Sabrina Ioenscu’s long and successful partnership with Nike that dates back to her Oregon days, it is genuinely shocking to see her wearing anything but a Swoosh on the court. But that is what happened in 2016 when she played in the McDonald’s Game in a PE colorway of the adidas D Rose 6. Her time with adidas might have been brief, but she made the most of her short stint as she won MVP honors while setting the record for the most points scored in the girls’ game with 25 until Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo broke it with 26 in 2023.

2018: Zion Williamson

Sneaker: adidas Dame 4 Powerade Jam Fest PE

An injury to his thumb put a damper on Zion’s All-American Game, but prior to that night, the most exciting dunker of this generation put on a show during the Powerade Jam Fest. He won without much trouble, and he did it in arguably better sneakers - the berry-themed adidas Dame 4 - than the adidas Harden Vol. 2’s that he wore during the game.

2019: Anthony Edwards

Sneaker: adidas Harden Vol. 3 McDonald’s All-American Game PE

Although future NBA point guard Cole Anthony would take home MVP honors, Anthony Edwards had a handful of highlights that would hint at his future as the face of the league, whether he wants the title or not. Silly discussions like that aside, this was a year when virtually everybody on the roster wore the adidas Harden Vol. 3 in red and yellow, setting aside the interesting experiment that is the adidas N3XT L3V3L.

2023: Bronny James

Sneaker: Nike LeBron 20 PE

Bronny James' NIL deal with Nike prevented a Marcus Jordan situation where the young LeBron would be forced to wear a brand that his father does not endorse, so there was no sneaker controversy during the 2023 All-American Game. Bronny had a standout game with 15 points, with every basket coming from long range in a pink Nike LeBron 20 player exclusive that has yet to release.

2024: Cooper Flagg

Sneaker: adidas AE 1 McDonald’s All-American Game PE

Prior to signing an NIL deal with New Balance later that year, Cooper Flagg wore the mismatched adidas AE 1 McDonald’s All-American exclusive colorway for the game. Although Flagg did not put up the numbers in the exhibition (8 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists) that we are seeing now as the NBA’s top second-best rookie, he was the center of attention that night alongside high school teammate and another rookie who’s shown flashes of stardom in Derik Queen.

2025: AJ Dybantsa

Sneaker(s): Nike GT Cut 3 Turbo PE

Nike has high hopes for Dybantsa, who just completed his freshman season at BYU and will more than likely go no lower than second in the upcoming NBA Draft should he declare. The brand showed its faith in AJ by making him one of the faces of the Nike GT Future and Nike GT Cut 3. Dybantsa wore a mismatched PE version for the All-American Game and a Nike KD 18 PE for the dunk contest.

The red and yellow kicks even came with Dybantsa’s personal “AJ” logo that’s… fine for a top-flight prospect, but we’re going to expect better from Nike and AJ if he’s as good as advertised on the big stage. After Cade Cunningham’s amazing star logo was revealed, the days of accepting interlocking initials and jersey numbers as a logo are done.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. After recently getting into Formula 1, he now has hot takes about who the greatest driver of all time is. Email: juan@soleretriever.com