On Thursday, June 22, the 2023 NBA Draft will take place. It's all but a done deal that French phenom Victor Wembanyama will be the first overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs.
After that is where it gets interesting. Many mock drafts have Scoot Henderson as second overall pick. Henderson, who's birth name is Sterling, chose to play in the G League instead of playing in college. He spent two years with the NBA G League Ignite.
Henderson, the second youngest of seven siblings, is not the only successful athlete of his family. Three of his older sisters played Division I basketball.
Scoot Henderson's Family of Hoopers
Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images
Oynx and China played at Cal State Fullerton, and Diamond played at Tennessee Tech and Syracuse.
Diamond was by far the best sibling of them on the court. At Syracuse during the 2014-15 season, she averaged 10.5 points per game and scored a career-high 27 against Baylor. She tore her ACL at the end of that season, however, a crushing blow to end her career.
But it might Henderson's younger sister, Crystal Henderson, who's one of the best players in the family.
Crystal Henderson, also known as Moochie, just finished her senior year at Carlton J Kell, a high school in Marietta, Ga. It was an award-filled year for Moochie, who helped lead her team to a Class 5A state championship. Moochie scored 29 points, a game-high, in a 57-36 win over Warner Robbins. While Scoot awaits his next basketball journey, Moochie will be taking her talents to the Georgia State Panthers, a school she chose amongst several Division I offers, including North Carolina.
Committed & ready to work! #A2G #Committed #blessed @coachgenehill @Coach_Noc @jonbollier @kell_longhorns @Kandra_Bailey pic.twitter.com/U37nxjKOZr
— Crystal Henderson (@TheUnguarded30) May 13, 2023
She finished the season with 25 points per game, 5.9 assists per game, 5.5 rebounds per game, and 3.5 assists per game. She finished her career as the highest scorer in her high school's history, with nearly 2,400 points. But perhaps the greatest accomplishment for Moochie was having her jersey retired halfway through her senior season, a feat she accomplished alongside Scoot, who also had his jersey retired the same night.
"She's my favorite player," Scoot told Yahoo Sports. "I love watching her compete, and I'm glad I got to come out and support her. It's a special night for both of us."
One would think that a talented and competitive family would be rivals, trying to better each other every day, but it appears the Henderson's are very supportive of each other. According to their mom, Crystal, Moochie has been very supportive of Scoot. She was a cheerleader while Scoot played football, but once he left the team, she stopped.
The success both Scoot and Moochie have found is not a fluke. They have worked very hard to get where they are today. It was their father, Chris Henderson, who coached them.
G League Ignite Guard Scoot Henderson's Sister Crystal Henderson is a bucket!! ? pic.twitter.com/RKnIk1l0yB
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) November 29, 2021
"My husband trained them from day one," Crystal explained to ITGNext, "and instilled in each of them a great work ethic and made sure they understood the game on a different level, even when they were really young. Then from that, their overall sports IQ got stronger as the years went on, and he would add something new to their game each time."
The Henderson family is a strong one, and that's evident just perusing their Instagram accounts.
In May, Scoot watched Moochie graduate, and the entire sibling squad rooted her on.
"End of an era. Proud of you sis," he wrote on Instagram.
Both of their careers are taking off in different ways, but make no mistake: the Henderson family is intent on taking over basketball.
