America’s next best high school basketball player is graduating early

The top high school basketball player of the class of 2027 is reclassifying to 2026, allowing him to graduate next summer.

Babatunde Oladotun was ranked at No. 1 in ESPN’s class of 2027 list but he has announced that he is stepping up and age group, bringing forward his expected move to the NBA.

The 16-year-old stands 6ft 9in and having added 20lbs over the past year he is an imposing sight in high school basketball. He is now set to graduate next spring from Blake High School in Maryland and looks set for a very bright future.

“First and foremost, I am ahead of schedule academically and will graduate next year,” Oladuton told ESPN. “Most of my life, I have played up in age and after playing in the 17U division for Team Durant, I felt comfortable. I have gained 20 pounds over the last year and it never felt like I was playing up.”

“Lastly, I am staying and graduating from Blake High School. It is a great environment, and I have a lot of support.”

He follows in the footsteps of Cooper Flagg, who also reclassified after impressing during summer play in high school. Flagg excelled in his one year in the NCAA with Duke and was the No. 1 pick at the 2025 NBA Draft, heading to the Dallas Mavericks.

Even playing up a year group, Oladotun is still expected to be in the running to compete for the McDonald’s All American boys’ game later this year and should go to a top college program. He could even be a top-ten pick for the 2027 NBA Draft but he still has a lot of development to do before he can be considered the type of elite-level prospect that Flagg showed himself to be.

Much of that work will be done in college and the family are already contemplating his next steps.

“We are looking for a coach that has a long history of teaching and winning,” Oladotun’s father, Ibrahim, explained. “Someone who knows how to use a big guard and has a history of coaching big guards. A coach that also plays an NBA-style offense with quick actions.”

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