When it comes to being the King of Ohio, look no further than LeBron James. But even within his reign of the Buckeye State, he faces some competition, at least, pre-collegiately.
Meet Luke Kennard, a Franklin High senior shooting guard, who has just passed LeBron James on Ohio’s all-time scoring ladder, moving into the fourth rung. After scoring 44 points in a win against Brockville on Friday night, Kennard brought his high school career point total to 2,652, surpassing James’ 2,646 point total at St. Vincent-St. Mary.
Kennard, who is averaging an astounding 38.8 points per game in his senior year, has also been named to McDonald’s All-American last week. His other accolades include being named Ohio’s Mr. Basketball.
James, who knows Kennard through his AAU team, the King James Shooting Stars, was initially unaware of how close Kennard was to surpassing him, but commended him for his achievement:
“He’s good. He’s going to Duke. He’s one of my kids. That’s great. I’m happy for him.”
Here’s the play that gave him his 43rd and 44th point of the night:
The five-star recruit is ranked No. 23 on ESPN 100, a ranking of the top high school players in the country. Catch some of his highlights in his BallIsLife mixtape: