Louisville bound Mikel Brown Jr. wins epic 3-point contest over Aaliyah Chavez at McDonald's AA Games (video)

In highest-scoring long-range shooting contest in battle of champions, girls No. 1 2025 recruit headed to Oklahoma comes up just short

Mar 31, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; McDonald’s All American West guard Mikel Brown Jr. (11) shoots the ball during the three point contest during the Sprite Jam Fest at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images / Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

The slam dunk contest always draws the biggest views and elicits the biggest gasps.

But Monday's battle of the champions/sexes three-point contest between Mikel Brown Jr. and Aaliyah Chavez was the best thing we watched on ESPN2 Monday night at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

High School on SI's Myckena Guerrero watched it live, taped it (see below) and called it "amazing," while ESPN commentators believe it was the highest scoring three-point contest final in the history of the competition.

• SLAM DUNK WINNER | Tounde Yessoufou wins it with a windmill

While most of the headlines around Monday's Sprite Jam Fest went to slam dunk winner Tounde Yessoufou, of St. Joseph (Santa Maria, Calif.), the best performance definitely came from Brown, a Louisville signee, and the Oklahoma bound Chavez who combined for 53 points.

After winning the boys three-point contest with a score of 20, Brown, a senior at DME Academy (Daytona Beach, Fla.) exploded out of the gates, making nine of his first 10 shots in the showdown with Chavez. He finished it off with making four of five from the corner, not even watching his last shot swish threw, instead celebrating with his East teammates.

His score of 28, a perfect score would be 34, was believed to be a McDonald's record, leaving little chance, it seemed for Chavez, who scored nearly 5,000 career points at Lubbock Monterey (Texas).

Mar 31, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; McDonald’s All American West guard Aaliyah Chavez (2) shoots the ball during the Sprite Jam Fest at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images / Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

The nation's No. 1 female recruit from the Class of 2025 started slow but then gained serious traction with five straight money-ball makes from straight away. She made four of her last five shots from the corner to finish with 25 points, a valiant effort in defeat. She earlier won the girls competition with a score of 18.

Before the final, Chavez predicted it would take 22 to win. "If I can get above that I think I'm going to win," she told ESPN's Brooke Weisbrod. Turns out she cleared that mark by three and still lost by three.

"Once I got that first round out of the way, the nerves were out of the way, now I'm just shooting, it was like an empty gym to me," Brown said.

Mar 31, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; McDonald’s All American West guard Mikel Brown Jr. (11) poses for photos after winning the boys’ three point competition during the Sprite Jam Fest at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Pamela Smith-Imagn Images / Pamela Smith-Imagn Images

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