- Scoot Henderson is projected to be one of the top draft picks in the 2023 NBA Draft.
- Henderson spoke to Insider about his experience in the NBA G League and his preparation for the NBA.
In May 2021, Scoot Henderson became the youngest professional basketball player in US history when he signed a $1 million deal with the NBA G League Ignite at age 17.
Nearly two years later, Henderson is widely projected as the No. 2 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft behind the 7-foot-4 French prospect Victor Wembanyama.
The 19-year-old, former five-star point guard from Marietta, Georgia, spoke to Insider in a Zoom call last month about his experience of graduating high school early to join the NBA G League and about his state of mind heading into June's draft.
We discussed his various business ventures, including the multi-year endorsement deal he signed with Puma, his decision to trademark a motto ("O.D.D.," or "Overly Determined to Dominate") with the US Patent and Trademark Office, and the community center he founded as an athletic and academic hub in his hometown.
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.
Almost two years out from your decision to reclassify, graduate high school early. How do you look at that decision now?
I look at it like the best decision I ever made in my entire life.
[Laugh].
Not that my life has been, you know, long, but it's been blessed for sure, man. Being here at Ignite taught me so much about who I am, who I am as a person and as a player. So, you know, I'm just blessed that I came here and made the right decision.
Was the G League experience what you expected it to be?
Uh, yeah, it really is, honestly. I could lie, "I thought it would be easy." But I knew it was gonna be tough. You know, I knew it was gonna be guys that killed college, that I'm gonna be guarding and going against, stuff like that. I knew it was gonna be guys that's been up and down in the league. So I knew it was gonna be pretty tough, and I knew I was gonna really develop from it at a high level. And, uh, like I said, like I'm gonna keep saying, I'm blessed that I came here.
You know, I want to get into everything that you're doing on the business front, but I have to ask, in the middle of March Madness. Does any part of you wish you had played a year in college?
Uh, not at all. You know, I'm rooting for those guys that's in college and that's hopefully killing. I know a couple guys that's there. So, uh, everything happens for a reason. I'm not really pressed about not going to college.
Trademarking a motto. That's cold as hell.
Appreciate it. [Laugh].
[Laugh]. On that alone. You got a business acumen beyond your years. What is it in your background that has set you up to make those type of moves?
Just having my family in my ear, always, man. Having my mom in my ear. You know, she's telling me I need to make sure I got this down pat. Make sure I'm learning at the same time as being a pro. Cuz there's a lot of money that I'm gonna hopefully come into, and I need to learn how to manage it. Just find the things I'm interested in and take action in it. Like, we went to a whole wealth summit to learn about money and what I could do with it. So, nah, I kinda took that class, and it was still in the back of my mind.
You signed with Puma in June last year. What made that the move for you personally and professionally at the time?
Personally, it was just me going with the group that I'm most comfortable with. And Puma, they gave me that confidence that I needed in a group, and in a brand like Puma, man. I'm blessed to be a part of Puma. And I knew they were about family, man. That's who I am, and that's who I'll always be. And I could just tell that that's who Puma was as well. You know, them having LaMelo. Just with his family, I thought it wouldn't work out, but they worked everything out perfectly. The way they're going about things, how they're branding Melo. It's been huge. Everything they've done with Melo, it's been huge, and everything they're doing with Breanna Stewart right now is huge. So I'm just glad to be a part of that, such a skilled and, you know, blessed group.
What are you, uh, most looking forward to out of that partnership?
Uh, I think it's just to continue to grow as the brand. Sticking together and continue to grow our relationships through just this. You know, I think brands could go way further than many people think. It could just be a one-way deal, whatever, where they not really showing as much love. But Puma's the opposite, man. They respect me and my family as much as anybody, and as much as they should, you know? And, like I said, I'm happy to be a part of Puma and just excited to get the relationships out of it.
Why was it important for you to start AAU teams? What were you looking at in putting that together?
I think the main thing was to just do it at a young age so they know where it's coming from. They knew that I was 18, 19 starting it. I wanted them to be comfortable with coming to my organization. And, my dad and my mom, they always had an AAU team. So that inspired me at a very young age to one day have my own team. I just wanna make sure kids grow into great leaders and great people. We have a lot of things off the court at Next Play 360, where the team will mostly be, training and stuff. So we're just trying to grow them into great young women and men.
I wanted to turn to the NBA here. You know, people make the NBA out to be a wings' league at this point in time. But you look at Jalen Brunson, what he's done with the Knicks, it's still, a point guard is essential. What do you say to those who suggest that a top pick shouldn't be a point guard?
Um, honestly, I never heard that.
[Laugh].
But I mean, you would want somebody at the head of your team to have that confidence coming into the league, and I think it'll just be a point guard. You know, somebody that does his work, that's kind of forced to do his work, just cuz he's the point guard, and stuff like that. But, yeah, I don't really like that people think point guards shouldn't, you know... [Laugh]... be drafted top or whatever, just cuz of the position. I know it's a guard-heavy league and all that, but I think I fit in pretty well.
When you see comparisons for yourself to Russ, John Wall, Derrick Rose, how do you view that? And is there a player that you personally think your game resembles?
I don't think my game resembles anybody personally. But you know, the comparisons and stuff, I see all that. It's pretty cool to be compared to those skilled guys coming to the league. But I know I want to create an outlet for myself to where I could not be compared to anybody, just being Scoot Henderson out there. Just everything that's within my game, you know, the flair, the joy that's in my game, man. I just wanna continue to make that name for myself and become a household name.
What's been the most challenging aspect of the lead up to the draft for you?
I think the most challenging thing is, uh... I don't really think it's too much other than... Just to continue to grow and find out things I'm interested in, not just on the court. But right now I'm finding out a lot of things that I'm interested in and trying to create that name for myself off the court, you know? Like my family's always talked about it to where, like I said, I wanna be a household name, and that comes on the court as well. But I wanna do a lot of things in my community that's on the court.
I have this gym called Next Play 360 in Marietta, and we're investing a lot in it. And I think it could become one of the top community centers in my city and in the nation at that. We don't just train and play basketball. We actually have all sports and a STEM lab and stuff like that. Recovery nutrition programs to help take care of your body. A lot of academic support. You know, we focus on leadership and financial education for the whole community. So I think it'll be one of the top things that I'm growing right now.
Where are you at mentally with where you land in the draft? How are you viewing that at this point?
I'm viewing it as, doing what I can, just controlling what I can, man. Like that's in my bio. That's kind of how I live right now. Controlling it is just, you know, working hard. You get out what you put in, that's what they say. So I'm just going day by day. I'm not really looking into the future. That's how you can get caught up into kinda viewing yourself as one. And I think it's just me going day by day with it. That's how I keep myself level-headed, and that's how I keep myself humble and always wanting to get better.
What about a, uh, particular destination? You know, I don't expect you to say anything specifically, but do you have a set of destinations that you're hoping for?
Uh, I don't really have any set of destinations, man. Wherever God takes me, that's where I'm at, you know what I mean? I'm blessed to be here. I'm blessed to be a part of this draft class. They say it's one of the top in forever, so I'm here just working hard, trying to keep my last name happy and keep my last name people proud. Keep my family proud of me, and all that. So I'm just going wit it day by day for real.