The G League Ignite are both making and rewriting history.
The team today announced the signing of five-star high school junior Scoot Henderson, who will forgo his final year of high school to become the first player to spend two years in the pathway program. He will not be draft-eligible until 2023.
another one@stockx is excited to welcome @thereal013, ESPN's No. 7 prospect in the Class of 2022, as the second player to sign with NBA G League Ignite for its second season. #NextIsNow pic.twitter.com/oHkCGAuOTm
— NBA G League (@nbagleague) May 21, 2021
Henderson, a 6-foot-3 point guard from Marietta, GA, was ESPN's seventh-ranked prospect in the Class of 2022 and the top-ranked point guard in the class. This past season, Henderson averaged 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists at Marietta's Kell High School, where he was named Atlanta Journal-Constitution Class 6A Player of the Year.
According to a report from The Athletic's Shams Charania, the 17-year-old Henderson is believed to be the youngest professional player in the history of American basketball, making this a groundbreaking signing for both Henderson and the NBA G League.
“I’m so excited the G League created this platform. It is truly the best fit for me,” Henderson said. “Since I was a kid, competing at the highest level in the world has been my main goal. Becoming the youngest professional American basketball player is just icing on the cake.”
The 2021-22 season will be the second for the G League Ignite and Henderson joins a roster that will feature a five-star prospect in Michael Foster Jr. along with reported additions of five-star prospect Jaden Hardy and four-star forward Fanbo Zeng.
2021-22 G LEAGUE IGNITE: FOSTER | HARDY | ZENG
In the team's inaugural season at the G League bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort, the Ignite finished with an 8-7 record and advanced to the single-elimination playoffs where they fell to the top-seeded Raptors 905.
2021 Ignite prospects Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga are projected to be top-five picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, while guard Daishen Nix is expected to be selected in the upcoming draft as well.
Stick with NBA.com for more updates surrounding the Ignite in the 2021-22 NBA G League season.
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