Top NBA Draft Prospect Scoot Henderson Forms Alliance With Steph Curry, Hopes To Build An ‘Empire’ Similar To SC30

Scoot Henderson doesn’t know where he’ll be chosen in next month’s NBA Draft, but he does know one thing: He wants to model his NBA career off of Steph Curry and attempt to build an equally successful brand.

“I see how he has a family business and all that, the SC30 thing, how everything is kind of close and that’s what I want to build,” Henderson, a projected top-3 pick in the June 22 Draft, said at last week’s NBA Draft Combine in Chicago.

“I want to build an empire with my family as well.”

Curry, the four-time NBA champion from the Golden State Warriors, and Henderson, who signed a professional contract with the NBA G League Ignite when he was 17, recently announced a mentorship and strategic alliance.

Henderson — who shares a vision for entrepreneurship — has aligned himself with Curry who has a proven track record in building and managing his own business. SC30 is his off-the-court presence spanning brand partnerships, media, investments and philanthropy. As part of his philanthropic efforts, he’s providing scholarships for female athletes at his alma mater Davidson.

“I’m just seeing how he’s doing it and he’s giving me little tips here and there,” Henderson said of Curry’s SC30 empire.

Curry and Henderson spent some time getting to know each other in Oakland in late March, when Scoot and his younger sister Moochie, a guard who has committed to play for Georgia State. went through a training session with Curry’s coaches for a morning at Laney College.

Henderson has been working with Curry’s trainers.

“Training with his trainers Brandon Payne and Carl Bergstrom], so much more goes into it than just reps and shooting,” Henderson said. “It’s a lot of reps but it’s more detailed than usual.”

Henderson said one of the main things he worked with Payne on was breathing while he plays.

“It’s very easy to hold your breath at the top of the key, dribbling, and just letting it out. Just make sure I keep breathing and holding it and breathing, that’s the main thing we’re working on right now,” he said.

The advantage? “To not get tired, that’s the main thing. And just to continue to boost my conditioning. And little things in my shooting that’s huge, and we’re getting that locked down right now.” He said he also working with trainers on his “core and stability.”

For Curry, he is drawn to Henderson’s commitment to his community in Marietta, Georgia.

“They’ve developed a perspective on the blessings from the game of basketball and the doors that it’s opened and the platform that you’re given. The resources you have access to can all lead to a sense of purpose outside of just putting the ball in the basket,” Curry, whose Warriors were eliminated by the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, told the Associated Press. “They’re obviously wise beyond their years on that front and understanding that you can do both.”

Five years ago, Henderson’s parents, Chris and Crystal, opened a gym called Next Play 360 near their home outside Atlanta to offer an inclusive space with an emphasis on academics, athletics, leadership and community outreach.

Henderson has helped plan holiday gift and food drives — aiding 75 families last year with the next goal being 360 families, then 3,600 and eventually 36,000 — among other projects, and he hopes to keep doing more, per the AP. The Hendersons partner with schools in Cobb County to identify those in need.

“The main thing that I’ve doing since 2017 is Thanksgiving food drives,” Henderson said in Chicago. “That’s one of the biggest things that we’re doing. Christmas giveaways, the kids write me a paragraph and I read them, and it’s just little things like that that influence a lot of kids in the area, and I just try to be the best role model to them.”

On the court, Curry was the No. 7 overall pick of the Warriors out of Davidson in 2009. Now Henderson is expected to go either No. 2 to the Charlotte Hornets or No. 3 to the Portland Trail Blazers, who could end up trading the pick.

Although Henderson has previously said his goal is to be the No. 1 pick, Victor Wembanyama, the 7-foot-4 French star, is a lock to go No. 1 to the San Antonio Spurs.

“I control what I can control and the rest is God’s work so I go about it as, as long as I’m working, you can’t cheat basketball, you can’t cheat the basketball Gods,” Henderson said. “So I just put it in God’s hands.

“Whether’s it’s 1, 2, 3, my main goal is working on me.”

Has he asked Curry for any advice on where to live and hang out if he lands in Charlotte, which is about half an hour from Davidson?

“Oh yeah, for sure,” he said with a smile, adding that he could also land in Portland or San Antonio. “Hopefully, I get some tips, some cool spots, whatever the case may be.”