Grind Session Graphic
The Grind Session is the largest winter circuit for elite high school basketball teams and players and will return to Kentucky for the 2024-25 season with four events in Kentucky.
How good is the talent? Four former Grind Session players were picked in the first round of the NBA Draft Wednesday night in Brooklyn. That means the Grind Session has at least one first-round pick in seven of the last nine drafts, including 12 lottery picks. Kentucky’s Rob Dillingham was the first former Grind Session drafted as he went No. 8 overall to the San Antonio Spurs before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was a five-star recruit who played his junior year with Donda Academy where he was a Grind Session All-Star.
Other Grind Session players picked in the first round were:
— Yves Missi was selected No. 21 by the New Orleans Pelicans. As a five-star recruit, he played his final year of high school basketball with Prolific Prep, where he helped lead the team to the 2023 Grind Session World Championship.
— DaRon Holmes II went to Denver after the Nuggets traded up to him with the 22nd pick. Holmes was a four-star recruit who finished his senior year with Arizona Compass Prep and won the Grand Session World Championship in 2021.
— AJ Johnson was chosen with the 23rd pick by the Milwaukee Bucks. He finished his prep career at Southern California Academy and was named a Grind Session All-Star .
“What a special moment for these young ballers. We couldn’t be happier for them and their families,” said Grind Session CEO Scott Waldrop. “They’re just scratching the surface with their talent and they’ll no doubt do whatever it takes to win on the court and make their teams better. We can’t wait to see them grow at the next level.”
Overall, 50 former Grind Session players have been chosen in the NBA draft since 2016. That includes 22 selected in the first round, including 12 lottery picks and two overall number one selections.
Here’s a list of former Grind Session players chosen in the NBA Draft as lottery picks:
DeAndre Ayton (2018: No. 1 overall pick – Phoenix Suns)
Paolo Banchero (2022: No. 1 overall pick – Orlando Magic)
Jalen Green (2021: No. 2 overall pick – Houston Rockets)
LaMelo Ball (2020: No. 3 overall pick – Charlotte Hornets)
Josh Jackson (2017: No. 4 overall pick – Phoenix Suns)
Jamal Murray (2016: No. 7 overall pick – Denver Nuggets
Jonathan Kuminga (2021: No. 7 overall pick – Golden State Warriors)
Shaedon Sharpe (2022: No. 7 overall pick – Portland Trailblazers)
Rob Dillingham (2024: No. 8 overall pick – San Antonio Spurs)
Thon Maker (2016: No. 10 overall pick – Milwaukee Bucks)
Miles Bridges (2018: No. 12 overall pick – Los Angeles Clippers
Joshua Primo (2021: No. 12 overall pick – San Antonio Spurs
“Over the past 10 years, the Grind Session and its institutions have taken high school basketball to new heights, becoming the home and proving ground for the nation’s best prospects and teams,” Waldrop said. “We’re incredibly thankful for each and every one of them, and proud to have been part of their journeys.”
