NBA Draft 2023: Scoot Henderson picked at No 3 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers
Scoot Henderson is selected by the Portland Trail Blazers at No. 3 in the 2023 NBA Draft after Brandon Miller
Scoot Henderson has been selected as number 3 in the 2023 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Georgia-born point guard, 19, spent the past two years with the NBA G League Ignite, having signed a two-year, $1 million contract in May 2021.
The general Draft consensus was that the Hornets would pick Henderson or Brandon Miller, but they landed on the final Thursday night after holding a series of meetings earlier in the day.
Both players had trained in front of rowdy owner Michael Jordan earlier this week, and the team was split on who to draft heading into the Draft in Brooklyn.
Interestingly enough, the franchise went for Miller, meaning the Trail Blazers stormed in to take Henderson with the next pick.
Scoot Henderson speaks to the media ahead of the NBA Draft as he awaited news of his fate
Henderson has played for the past two years on a $1 million deal with NBA G League Ignite
Miller, the 20-year-old former Alabama star, is one of the more controversial inclusions in this year’s event following his involvement in a shooting that resulted in the death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris earlier this year.
Tuscaloosa police testified that Miller delivered a gun to teammate Darius Miles, which was eventually used by another man, Michael Lynn Davis, to kill the woman.
While Miles and Davis remain in jail awaiting trial for murder, Miller has not been arrested in the case. His lawyer says he never handled the firearm and had no idea any shots were fired. Miller’s coach, Nate Oats, said it was a case of “wrong place, wrong time.”
Henderson poses in Times Square during Draft week, before being picked as No. 2 overall
Brandon Miller was another option for the Hornets, but they opted against the Alabama star
The French phenom Victor Wembanyama, as expected, became number 1 in the overall standings with the San Antonio Spurs
When asked about his future in basketball, Miller said, “NBA teams sort of based their background on me and they came to think I was a great guy, a great character.
“I don’t think they’re really worried about the character part of it right now. I think it’s just basketball now.’
Henderson, meanwhile, was also chosen behind Victor Wembanyama from the 2023 Draft class, with the 7-foot-4 Frenchman heading to the San Antonio Spurs at No. 1, as widely expected.