Kawhi Leonard, the MVP of the NBA Finals twice, is shown at left on the free throw line while playing for M.L. King High of Riverside. At right is a high school photo of 2024 & 2021 NBA Finals’ starter Jrue Holiday when he was at Campbell Hall (North Hollywood). Photos: Scott Kurtz & hoopeduponline.com.
This is our list of every player from a California high school who has been on a roster for a team that has been in the NBA Finals championship series. Go through the names for what also is a trip through NBA Finals history.
RELATED: Super Bowl Alums | World Series Alums (1968-2025)
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Inspired during the pandemic of doing a list of World Series alums from 2020 back to 1968, we also decided to go back through all of the NBA Finals since the first one in 1950 and compile a list of California high school players who’ve been on the roster for each of the two finalists. The list has been updated again through the 2026 NBA Finals.
There was no separate story in 2025 since for only the second time ever there were no California players on either the rosters of the Oklahoma City Thunder or Indiana Pacers. The only time that had happened before was 1971 for the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and Baltimore Bullets. There were plenty of California players on teams that went deep into the Western Conference and Eastern Conference playoffs, but none of those teams reached the finals.
For the 2026 NBA Finals, the New York Knicks have no players on their active roster from a California high school. The San Antonio Spurs, however, have two.
One is rookie guard Carter Bryant, who is from Centennial of Corona. His younger sister, Cydnee, just graduated from the school and was a first team all-state player from a team that won the CIF D1 state title. When Carter played key minutes in the Western Conference finals vs the Thunder (who were denied in their bid for a repeat title) he was sometimes on the floor with Centennial standout and former Mr. Basketball State Player of the Year Jared McCain. They were never teammates (Bryant only played there for his senior year) but being from the same high school drew comments from NBA analyst and former NBA star Reggie Miller (also from the Inland Empire of course from Riverside Poly).
The other Spurs’ player on the roster from California is longtime veteran guard Jordan McLaughlin, a multiple-year all-state player from Etiwanda High.
