This story appears in SLAM 251. Get your copy now!
Like any young hoop, Caleb Wilson tended to look to the most obvious sources for inspiration. “When I was younger, I only looked up to the stars, LeBron, Kobe, the big names,” he explains. “But my dad brought to my attention that there were a lot of people I didn’t know about.”
A willingness to accept his father’s guidance helps explain how, when asked to name players whose games he admires, the 18-year-old rattles off a list of boys who would impress any skilled father, and probably many. grandparents too. “I watch Tracy McGrady, Penny Hardaway, John Stockton, Steve Nash, David Thompson, Alex English. I watch Clyde Drexler, Rick Barry, Chris Mullin and Run TMC, Nick, young Shaq in Orlando, and then the Lakers; I could go on about Magic and Kareem…
He smiles. “I can continue. I know a lot about basketball.”
Of course, his appearance in this magazine means Wilson is more than just a well-informed fan. The 6-9, 205-pound forward from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in Atlanta is also a consensus top-10 prospect in the Class of 2025, with a game informed by both a multi-generational group of NBA greats and current stars like Nikola Jokic : With the game’s irreverent revolution firmly entrenched, it only makes sense that someone like Wilson would look far for inspiration. “I feel every player has aspects you can learn from,” he says, “especially the great ones.”
Wilson has a long way to go before he hears his name mentioned in the same breath as the aforementioned All-Stars and Hall of Famers, but then he’s come a long way. He was a relatively late bloomer compared to most of his peers near the top of the rankings, and memories of how far he was from the game’s elite provide plenty of motivation now that he’s among the top high schoolers in the country. “I feel like a lot of young kids look up to me because of that, so I want to talk about my humble beginnings, my struggles as a young player,” he says. “I remember not being the best player, that stays with me. Just because you’re not good at something now doesn’t mean you can’t be good later.”
Wilson’s rise is proof of that, as evidenced by his performances at Holy Innocents (he averaged 21 points, 15 rebounds and over 4 blocks last season) and the Nike EYBL, as well as this summer’s USA Basketball U18 National Team. his invitation to participate. team camp. Of course, the big programs have noticed. As we went to press, Auburn, UNC, Stanford and Duke were among the favorites to bring him to campus in 2025.
Quiet off the court. “I like to play video games, watch a lot of TV, especially anime, and sometimes I do Lego,” he says, “Wilson is dedicated to the game and is usually in the gym. Still somewhat offensive, he’s athletic and smart enough to score or get teammates involved, and as those shutout numbers attest, he has the potential to be a game-changer on D. sure, but ultimately, Wilson says the foundation of his game doesn’t lead to anything more difficult than holding himself accountable and putting him to work.
“I feel like it’s just discipline and commitment,” he says. “Tell yourself once. I will do somethingand you follow through on it, you build trust with yourself. I became true to myself about it. Caleb, you’re going to dribble for 30 minutes every day, you’re going to do push-ups, you’re going to do sit-ups every day. It allows you to believe that you can do better. You’re competing with yourself.”
Portraits via Omar Rawlings.
