DECEMBER 2021 61The Hendersons also knew well the pitfalls of the NCA A:
Diamond, China and Onyx all sustained career-altering
knee injuries in college and felt as though they were treated
as disposable commodities. “My daughters got hurt,”
Crystal says. “And there was nothing.”
All three got their degrees, but as the family saw it,
there wasn’t sufficient compensation for their physical
sacrifice. “The way the Hendersons think, not just with the
NCAA, but just in general, might be the reason why [our]
alliance was able to come together smoothly,” Dawkins
says. “I think we’re both mavericks or risk-takers to a
certain extent and have a strong viewpoint.”
The NCAA policy change that will allow athletes to
profit from their names, images and likenesses came
about six weeks after Scoot signed with the Ignite. But it
wouldn’t have made a difference, he says. And the seven-
figure contract? Scoot allows it was a factor, but so were
the online college courses and life-skills programs the
Ignite provide: “That’s why I don’t like when people just
say, You just went for the money.”
ing”—especially her macaroni and cheese, though Scoot’s
low-carb diet might rule that out, anyway.
The Hendersons are navigating the same mix of excite-
ment for Scoot and separation anxiety, with some living
in Walnut Creek and the rest back in Marietta. But they’ll
all be making regular treks to the Bay Area and to as
many games as possible, both home and road. (The team
does not have an arena of its own, so will play its “home”
games at Mandalay Bay’s arena in Las Vegas.)
When Scoot initially settled in, the whole family trav-
eled for a one-week reunion at the new house. China, the
family’s resident fashion consultant and interior designer,
planned to help Scoot personalize his new space. But at
the moment, it’s just Scoot and his empty apartment with
the bad art. On the plus side, there’s no one else hogging
the Wi-Fi, so his PS5 works seamlessly running NBA 2K.
The transition on the court is going well enough. Scoot
has made a quick impression on his Ignite teammates
and on his coach, Hart, who played in the NBA for nine
years, including two stints with the Spurs during the
Tim Duncan era.
“When he trains, you don’t know he’s 17,” Hart says.
“It’s almost like on some Kobe mindset, focused, driven.”
In practice, Scoot already looks the part of an NBA
player—lean and chiseled and explosive. Person, his
trainer, says he’s seen Scoot pick up the ball off one drib-
ble after crossing midcourt and f ly in for the dunk. His
jumper is a work in progress, though Person had Scoot
shooting (and converting) from 30 feet. “He’s going to be
a Russell Westbrook with range,” says Person.
The Celtics’ Brown, another Marietta product, has
become a friend and mentor. He has also scrimmagedagainst Scoot, coming away with this conclusion: “No
back-down, no quit. Relentless. Which I love.”
The Bay Area might prove hazardous for the average
teenager with time on his hands and money to blow. But
Scoot seems wholly uninterested in anything that doesn’t
involve a basketball. He spends his free time either on the
PS5 or reading and just finished a self-help book called
The Four Agreements. His favorite lesson? “Be impeccable
with your word.”
Scoot almost recoils at getting a driver’s license, that
cherished rite of passage, saying with a joyful cackle, “I
want to stay young forever!” Anyway, if he decides to
explore his new surroundings, he says, “I’ll take the bus.”
G League games are set to begin in November, and a nor-
malcy will follow. He’ll have CJ, Crystal and Onyx nearby,
and the rest of the Henderson Seven will descend on every
Ignite game possible, making their raucous presence felt.
Whatever Scoot becomes over these next two seasons, he
will carry an entire family’s hopes and dreams with him.
“It’s going to be a challenge,” Crystal says of this strange
two-year interlude. “But I think we’re close enough to
make it work. This is an opportunity of a lifetime. This
is generationally changing. The story line that can come
from this is well worth just grinding it out.”“IT’S ONE STEP CLOSER TO MY MAIN GOAL, GETTING TO THE NBA,”
SCOOT SAYS OF THE G LEAGUE.“ THAT’S REALLY IT.”