There\u2019s a very familiar name at the top of ESPN\u2019s rankings for the best 2027 boys\u2019 basketball player.<\/p>\n
Wednesday night, ESPN updated its basketball recruiting rankings<\/a> for the 2027 class, and sitting in the No. 1 spot is Marcus Spears, Jr., son of ESPN NFL analyst Marcus Spears.<\/p>\n Spears Jr. is a 6-foot-7, 180-pound power forward who plays for Dynamic Prep out of Plano, Texas. He already has a ton of offers<\/a> from some of the top programs around the country, including Texas, Houston, Indiana, Tennessee, Miami, Arkansas, USC, and Kentucky.<\/p>\n Updated ESPN boys\u2019 high school player rankings for the class of 2027. @SCNext<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83d\udd17 https:\/\/t.co\/wKuF8vecn3<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/P38D2vKhB8<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Paul Biancardi (@PaulBiancardi) August 14, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Spears, Jr. picked up plenty of athleticism from his parents. \u201cSwagu\u201d played for the LSU Tigers before a nine-year NFL career, mostly with the Dallas Cowboys. \u201cSwagu\u201d joined ESPN in 2014, mostly appearing on the SEC Network, but is now a regular on ESPN morning shows as well as NFL Live and Monday Night Countdown.\u00a0<\/p>\n The former NFL star was also the Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year for men\u2019s basketball in high school. His wife, Alysha Smith, is a former first-round WNBA pick.<\/p>\n \ud83d\ude4f\ud83c\udffe Proud of you kid https:\/\/t.co\/uE0ZDRiHWw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Marcus Spears (@mspears96) August 15, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n As for why Spears, Jr. pursued basketball and not football, he told ZagsBlog<\/a> that his father didn\u2019t want him to play, and he gave it up after one season.<\/p>\n \u201cI just hung it up and I never went back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It seems to be paying off.<\/p>\n \t