The top 50 basketball recruits in the Class of 2023 was released by 247Sports on Wednesday. The list is as star-studded as ever led by the offspring of current and former stars of the sport in DaJuan Wagner, a former top-10 draft pick, and LeBron James, the Lakers star on the precipice of winning his fourth NBA championship.
Coming in at No. 1 is Wagner's son, DaJuan Wagner Jr., a 6-foot-3 point guard prospect from Camden, New Jersey. Wagner Jr.'s father played at Memphis in the early years under John Calipari. He has no reported scholarship offers to date, but Kentucky and Calipari are already considered the favorites.
At No. 30 overall in the class is Bronny James, LeBron James's eldest son. Bronny is a 6-foot-2 combo guard who plays for a Sierra Canyon squad last season that was flush with blue-chip talent, including BJ Boston (Kentucky signee), Ziaire Williams (Stanford signee) and Amari Bailey (undecided five-star recruit in 2022).
Wagner Jr. narrowly edged out Mikey Williams for the top spot in the 247Sports rankings. The duo comprises two of the eight total five-stars in the class. Here's what 247Sports' Brian Snow wrote of the two:
While it remains early in the process and nothing is set and stone, right now a clear top two have emerged in the class. From New Jersey, DaJuan Wagner Jr. and also California native Mikey Williams have asserted themselves as the top prospects in the class at this early stage.
Somewhat young for his grade, Wagner has all of the tools to be an elite prospect going forward, and there is no doubt that he will assert himself as a name to watch on the national scene over the next several years.
Williams is somewhat the opposite of Wagner. He is a physically developed prospect who is a bit older for his grade. Right now, Williams gets it done with athleticism and power, and his skills are coming along as he gets more experience on the court.
The remaining five-stars in the class are Elijah Fisher, Omaha Biliew, Kwame Evans Jr., Mookie Cook, Simeon Wilcher and Matt Bewley. You can find the full top-50 here.
