Sterling "Scoot" Henderson (born February 3, 2004) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played for Carlton J. Kell High School in his hometown of Marietta, Georgia, where he was a five-star recruit. At age 17, Henderson signed with the NBA G League Ignite after graduating early from high school and became the youngest player in G League history. In his second season, he was selected as a captain of the G League Next Up Game. Henderson was drafted as the 3rd pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Blazers.

Scoot Henderson
No. 00 – Portland Trail Blazers
PositionPoint guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (2004-02-03) February 3, 2004 (age 20)
Marietta, Georgia, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight202 lb (92 kg)
Career information
High schoolCarlton J. Kell
(Marietta, Georgia)
NBA draft2023: 1st round, 3rd overall pick
Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers
Playing career2021–present
Career history
20212023NBA G League Ignite
2023–presentPortland Trail Blazers
Career highlights and awards
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Early life

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Henderson was born in Marietta, Georgia to Chris and Crystal Henderson.[1][2] His father is a coach and trainer, and his mother is a healthcare administrator. His parents run the training facility Next Play 360° in Marietta, where they moved from Hempstead, New York shortly before Henderson's birth. He is the second youngest of seven siblings, including three sisters who played NCAA Division I basketball, and was nicknamed "Scoot" or "Scoota" because of how he would scoot across the floor as a baby.[3][4]

High school career

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Henderson played basketball for Carlton J. Kell High School in Marietta. During his freshman season, he came off the bench and played alongside his brother, C. J., a senior on the team.[1][5] In February 2020, during his sophomore season, Henderson scored a then career-high 49 points and made the game-winning shot in a 92–91 overtime win over Miller Grove High School in the first round of the Class 5A state tournament.[6][7] He led Kell to the semifinals and averaged 24 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals per game as a sophomore.[8] Henderson was named Class 5A Player of the Year and first-team 5A All-State by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[9] On January 22, 2021, as a junior, he scored 53 points in a 94–64 win against Osborne High School, breaking the program single-game and career scoring records.[10] Henderson led Kell to the Class 6A state title game, scoring 29 points in a loss to a Wheeler High School team featuring future top prospect Isaiah Collier.[11] He averaged 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game in the season,[12][13] earning Class 6A Player of the Year and first-team 6A All-State honors from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.[14] He bypassed his senior season to play professionally.[15] In January 2023, Henderson and his sister, Crystal both had their jerseys retired at Kell. The two of them are the top scorers in school history, with Crystal surpassing Henderson's total during her senior season.[13]

Recruiting

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Henderson was a consensus five-star recruit, and 247Sports ranked him as the second-best point guard in the 2021 class.[16][17][18] He drew the attention of NCAA Division I programs at camps following his freshman year of high school.[19] He received his first Division I scholarship offer from Ole Miss and held offers from Florida, Florida State and Georgia Tech by his sophomore season.[20] On May 21, 2021, he announced that he would reclassify to the 2021 class and join the NBA G League Ignite, declining offers from Auburn and Georgia.[1]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Scoot Henderson
PG
Marietta, GA Carlton J. Kell (GA) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 181 lb (82 kg) — 
Star ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 92
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 13  247Sports: 10  ESPN: 7
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Professional career

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NBA G League Ignite (2021–2023)

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On May 21, 2021, Henderson signed a two-year, $1 million contract with the NBA G League Ignite, a developmental team affiliated with the NBA G League that began in the previous year.[3][21] He was sidelined to start the season with a rib injury.[3] On November 17, 2021, Henderson made his debut with eight points and six rebounds in a 115–103 win against the South Bay Lakers.[22] At age 17, he became the youngest player in G League history.[23] In his second game, on November 26, Henderson recorded a career-high 31 points, six rebounds and five assists in a 112–110 loss to the Santa Cruz Warriors.[24] In February 2022, he was one of four Ignite players to compete in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend, scoring two points for Team Payton in a 50–48 loss to Team Barry.[25][26] In the 2021–22 season, he played 11 games in the G League Showcase Cup and 10 exhibition games and averaged 14.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.[27]

In October 2022, Henderson represented the Ignite in a pair of exhibition games against Victor Wembanyama, the projected first overall pick, and Metropolitans 92.[28] In the first game on October 4, he recorded 28 points, nine assists and five rebounds in a 122–115 win.[29] On October 6, he left the second game after suffering a bone bruise in his right knee during the first quarter, as his team lost, 112–106.[30] On November 12, Henderson posted 18 points, a career-high 16 assists and six rebounds in a 125–115 victory over the Santa Cruz Warriors.[31] Four days later, he recorded a season-high 27 points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals in a 110–95 win against the Oklahoma City Blue.[32] On November 18, Henderson suffered a nasal fracture and concussion and missed 11 games before returning on December 27.[33] On January 10, 2023, he scored 27 points in a 123–122 win over Capitanes de Ciudad de México.[34] In February, Henderson was named captain of Team Scoot in the inaugural G League Next Up Game.[35] He played for Team Jason Terry in the Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend, scoring four points in a loss to Team Joakim.[36] On March 14, it was announced that Henderson would not play in the final five games of the season. He averaged 17.6 points, 6.4 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game in 25 appearances.[37]

Portland Trail Blazers (2023–present)

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The Portland Trail Blazers selected Henderson with the third overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft.[38] He made his 2023 NBA Summer League debut on July 7 against the Houston Rockets with 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists. He left the game early due to a shoulder injury and sat out the rest of Summer League.[39][40] On October 10, Henderson made his preseason debut, putting up seven points, one rebound, and six assists in a 106–66 victory over the New Zealand Breakers.[41] Henderson debuted his first signature shoe during the Blazers' media day. He will be the seventh player in NBA history to wear a signature shoe in their debut game.[42] On October 25, Henderson made his NBA regular-season debut, putting up 11 points and four assists in a 123–111 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.[43] On November 1, Henderson suffered a sprained right ankle and bone bruise against the Detroit Pistons and was sidelined for an unknown amount of time until November 21, where he was assigned to G League affiliate Rip City Remix to return to court conditioning.[44][45] On December 14, Henderson had a career-high 10 assists in a 122–114 loss to the Utah Jazz.[46] On January 14, Henderson put up a career-high 33 points along with nine assists in a 127–116 loss to the Phoenix Suns.[47] On March 29, Henderson recorded the worst plus-minus in NBA history with a minus-58 in a 142–82 loss to the Miami Heat.[48]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Portland 62 32 28.5 .385 .325 .819 3.1 5.4 .8 .2 14.0
Career 62 32 28.5 .385 .325 .819 3.1 5.4 .8 .2 14.0

NBA G League

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 NBA G League 10 4 31.5 .460 .250 .778 4.6 4.8 1.6 .3 14.7
2022–23 NBA G League 19 18 30.7 .429 .275 .764 5.4 6.5 1.1 .5 16.5
Career 29 22 31.1 .445 .263 .771 5.0 5.7 1.6 .4 15.6

Off the court

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On June 15, 2022, Henderson signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Puma.[49] In 2022, Henderson applied for trademarks on his name and his motto, "Overly Determined to Dominate." In the same year, he launched his own boys' and girls' Amateur Athletic Union programs.[33] Henderson starred in Shooting Stars (2023), where he portrayed Romeo Travis.[50]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Abrams, Jonathan (May 21, 2021). "Scoot Henderson Has Options. He's Choosing G League Ignite". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  2. ^ "Scoot Henderson Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Beck, Howard (November 18, 2021). "He Should Be in High School. Instead He's in the G League. And He's the Future". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  4. ^ Gordon, Sam (October 3, 2022). "Hoop prodigy's journey takes detour to Las Vegas". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Conley, Tyhi (February 13, 2019). "Battle-tested Kell team prepares for state tournament". Marietta Daily Journal. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  6. ^ Carrington, Adam (February 20, 2020). "Scoota Henderson, Male AOW". Marietta Daily Journal. Archived from the original on May 21, 2021. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Awtrey, Stan (February 16, 2020). "Class AAAAA blog: First-round report – Four top seeds bite the dust". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  8. ^ Divens, Jordan (April 1, 2020). "MaxPreps 2019–20 Boys Basketball Sophomore All-American Team". MaxPreps. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  9. ^ Holcomb, Todd (March 26, 2020). "2019-20 High school basketball All-State boys team". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
  10. ^ Bednarowski, John (January 26, 2021). "Henderson sets new Kell scoring marks". Marietta Daily Journal. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  11. ^ Tec, Josh (March 13, 2021). "Wheeler wins back-to-back state championships with victory over Kell". HoopSeen. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  12. ^ Divens, Jordan (April 13, 2021). "2020-21 MaxPreps All-America Team: Chet Holmgren headlines high school basketball's best and most talented players". MaxPreps. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Peek, Krysten (February 1, 2023). "Scoot Henderson and younger sister, Crystal, have high school jerseys retired on same night". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  14. ^ "2020-21 High school basketball All-State boys team". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. April 2, 2021. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 21, 2023.
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  20. ^ "Scoot Henderson's Stock Is On The Rise". HoopSeen. June 27, 2019. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
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  22. ^ "GLI vs. Lakers – NBA G League Box Score – November 17, 2021". ESPN. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
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  26. ^ Ganguli, Tania (February 23, 2022). "Prospects Get a Taste of N.B.A. Life During All-Star Weekend". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2023.
  27. ^ Irving, Kyle (July 30, 2022). "G League Ignite prospect Scoot Henderson is much more than a consolation prize to Victor Wembanyama in 2023 NBA Draft". Sporting News. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  28. ^ Woo, Jeremy (October 5, 2022). "Inside Victor Wembanyama and Scoot Henderson's Thrilling Showdown in Vegas". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  29. ^ Helin, Kurt (October 5, 2022). "Wembanyama scores 37, Scoot Henderson 28, as both make case to go No.1". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on January 23, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  30. ^ Medcalf, Myron (October 6, 2022). "Ignite's Scoot Henderson has bone bruise, feels 'good and healthy'". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 23, 2023.
  31. ^ Peek, Krysten (November 28, 2022). "2023 NBA Mock Draft 3.0: Brandon Miller, Anthony Black are early stock risers". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
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  33. ^ a b Vorkunov, Mike (January 12, 2023). "With NBA draft in sight, Scoot Henderson won't stop working and learning: 'I don't like failure'". The Athletic. Archived from the original on January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  34. ^ "Ignite Escapes With Win Over Capitanes In Nail-Biting Finish". NBA G League Ignite. January 11, 2023. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  35. ^ "Wolves' Garza And Ignite's Henderson Named Captains For NBA G League Next Up Game". NBA G League. February 8, 2023. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
  36. ^ Taylor, Cody (February 18, 2023). "Scoot Henderson ready to jump to the NBA after Rising Stars game". Rookie Wire. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  37. ^ Givony, Jonathan (March 14, 2023). "G League shuts down projected No. 2 NBA pick Scoot Henderson". ESPN. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
  38. ^ Peterson, Anne (June 22, 2023). "Trail Blazers select Scoot Henderson with No. 3 in NBA Draft". NBA.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 23, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
  39. ^ McDaniel, Mike (July 7, 2023). "Scoot Henderson Leaves Sensational Summer League Debut Early With Shoulder Injury. He is now considered an NBA bust". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on July 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  40. ^ Fentress, Aaron (July 17, 2023). "Trail Blazers' Scoot Henderson out for remainder of summer league with shoulder injury". OregonLive. Archived from the original on July 21, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  41. ^ Holdahl, Casey (October 10, 2023). "Trail Blazers Shake Offseason Rust In Win Versus Breakers". NBA.com. Archived from the original on October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  42. ^ DePaula, Nick (October 2, 2023). "Nick DePaula: First Look: Blazers PG Scoot Henderson debuts his first signature shoe — the Puma Scoot Zeros". HoopsHype. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  43. ^ Deckard, Dave (October 25, 2023). "In-Depth Analysis of Trail Blazers-Clippers on Opening Night". Blazers Edge. SB Nation. Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
  44. ^ Fentress, Aaron (November 2, 2023). "Trail Blazers' Scoot Henderson out Friday against Memphis with ankle injury". The Oregonian. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  45. ^ "Blazers' Scoot Henderson (ankle) assigned to G League". ESPN. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
  46. ^ Sampson, Peter (December 15, 2023). "Blazers' Scoot Henderson slowly finding footing amid rough start to rookie season". ClutchPoints. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  47. ^ Peterson, Anne (January 14, 2024). "Suns hold off Trail Blazers despite Henderson's big game". columbian.com. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
  48. ^ Taylor, Cody (April 2, 2024). "Chauncey Billups believes in Scoot Henderson: I'm very confident he will be a star". The Rookie Wire. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
  49. ^ "Welcome to the Fam, Scoot Henderson". Puma. June 15, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved January 19, 2023.
  50. ^ Radish, Christina (June 7, 2023). "AJ Wills Jr., Khalil Everage & Scoot Henderson on 'Shooting Stars' and Playing Basketball's Fab Five his shoe deal with puma was ended and he had to repay them $1.7 million and they're now taking him to claims court to get their money". Collider. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
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