Oregon Football Coach Dan Lanning Recruits No. 3 NBA Draft Pick Scoot Henderson To Switch Sports, Play For Ducks

Scoot Henderson is set to make somewhere between eight and nine million dollars as a rookie in the NBA after being drafted No. 3 overall by the Portland Trail Blazers. However, as exciting as that may be, it isn't his dream.

At least, it wasn't his dream.

The 19-year-old point guard grew up with different aspirations in a different sport. Henderson wanted to play football, not basketball.

Ironically, had he followed the path he had yearned for as kid, it would have led him to the same state.

As Scoot Henderson joined his new teammates for practice ahead of the NBA Summer League, he told reporters that he always wanted to play football at the University of Oregon. Things obviously went a little bit differently than the Georgia-native had planned, but it certainly worked out!

Considering that Henderson was born in 2004, his desire to play for the Ducks makes a lot of sense. Mike Bellotti, Chip Kelly and Hark Helfrich led Oregon to seven-straight seasons with 10 wins or more from 2008 to 2013— right when the NBA rookie would have been starting to figure out sports.

It was hard to watch DeAnthony Thomas do his thing and not want to follow down that same path!

Of course, Phil Knight and Nike also had the Ducks looking different from the rest of college football. They stood out and their flashy uniforms were the talk of the early 2010s.

At 6-foot-2, 195 pounds, Scoot Henderson would have been a problem for opposing defenses at either wide receiver or running back. His frame and athleticism would serve him well on the gridiron.

Dan Lanning, entering his second year as head football coach in Eugene, agrees. He offered Henderson the opportunity to come play for him if the whole NBA thing doesn't work out!

Technically, since Henderson didn't go to college, he has four years of eligibility remaining. And even if the No. 3 overall pick changes his mind after a year or two in the NBA — because of new NCAA rules, he could go back and play a different sport in college.

J.R. Smith played a full NBA career and went on to play college golf in retirement. What is stopping Scoot Henderson from playing basketball for awhile and then going back to play football for Oregon?

Technically, nothing. Logically, a lot of things. That doesn't make it any less fun to imagine!