Viral: 6-foot-10 8th-grade basketball player with facial hair
PHOENIX (BVM) – Adrien Isaac Porras is a 6-foot-10 basketball player – not to mention he’s only 14 years old and is only in the 8th grade. The Phoenix-area middle schooler even has a goatee and mustache.
Porras, who attends Sequoia Pathfinder Academy at Verrado Way & I-10 Elementary, is going viral on apps like TikTok for his height, age and basketball talents. Watch below as the 6-foot-10 star blocks shots and dunks the ball effortlessly. The scoreboard reads, 60-16 – and it’s not hard to imagine why.
@espn Adrien Porras is ridiculous 🔥 (via @ballislife) #basketball #tall #height #hooper
Porras won’t graduate high school until the Class of 2027 graduating year rolls around, but Division I offers could start to come in very soon. Viral comments from fans often read that they believe he’ll be the next 7-foot-4 Victor Wembanyama – who is widely projected to be the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Notably, Porras himself wouldn’t be eligible to enter the league until the 2028 NBA Draft.
But, Porras hasn’t even played on a high school team yet. However, users online don’t believe that he’s only in middle school. Since he looks and sounds like a grown man, Porras is constantly replying to comments that he is in fact 6-foot-10, in the 8th grade, was born in 2008 and is really only 14. Still, some don’t believe him.
One social media user accused him of reclassifying, to which Porras responded with, “My dad is 7-foot-1 and my mom is 5-foot-6.” Notably, he is part Black and part Mexican American.
“It’s always crazy watching [Porras] (video shown below) during my PE class at Sequoia Pathfinder Academy at Verrado Way,” wrote Jimmy Scroggins, the school PE teacher.
@jkpushing It’s always crazy watching this during my PE class at Sequoia Pathfinder at Verrado Way. #insane #fyp #middleschool
♬ Inspirational Background Music ( warm, motivation, determined, cinematic ) – four_track
Scroggins himself used to play pro basketball overseas. He actually trains Porras and is the reason why the young star fell in love with the game of basketball.
“[I] like to thank this man, Jimmy Scroggins, for helping me get to where I am today and helping me get into many of these hoops college camps,” Porras wrote in an Instagram post. “Without him, I would still be sitting at home playing video games and being the same chubby kid. But the mission is not done, gotta keep doing the work.”
In terms of the future, Porras could very well surpass 7 feet and become one of the most touted basketball players of his generation.
“Isaac Porras possesses an intriguing combination of physical tools with his size, length, and mobility at such a young age,” according to West Coast MSA Camp from when he was in the 7th grade. “His ball skills and perimeter game are fairly raw to this point, however, he utilizes his physical intangibles very well on both ends of the floor. He uses his positional size and length to finish plays on the interior, to rebound, and to protect the rim. Isaac Porras showed flashes of his ability to knock down face-up jumpers, however, he’s most effective operating in the paint. As he continues to develop his offensive game and grow into his frame, he’s definitely a prospect to look out for.”