A Look at the Favorites for North Carolina’s 2025-26 Gatorade Player of The Year Award

Dionte Neal celebrates scoring 63 points earlier this month. (Photo from Instagram)

The Gatorade Player of the Year. It’s a coveted award, given to the best basketball player in every state. In North Carolina, the talent pool is exceptionally deep, with a variety of elite prospects making a legitimate case for the award. Today, we’re taking a closer look at how the race is progressing, evaluating the state’s top performers to see who is truly separating themselves as a frontrunner.