Aaron Henry (basketball)

Aaron Henry
Henry in January 2020
No. 11 – Fighting Eagles Nagoya
PositionSmall forward
LeagueB.League
Personal information
Born (1999-08-30) August 30, 1999 (age 25)
Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolBen Davis (Indianapolis, Indiana)
CollegeMichigan State (2018–2021)
NBA draft2021: undrafted
Playing career2021–present
Career history
2021–2022Philadelphia 76ers
2021–2022Delaware Blue Coats
2022Delaware Blue Coats
2022–2023Metropolitans 92
2023–presentFighting Eagles Nagoya
Career highlights and awards
  • Third-team All-Big Ten (2021)
  • Big Ten All-Defensive Team (2021)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Aaron James Henry (born August 30, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Fighting Eagles Nagoya of the Japanese B.League. He previously played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans.

Early life

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Henry was born in Louisville, Kentucky but moved to Indianapolis, Indiana while he was a child.[1] He attended Ben Davis High School, where he was a four-year starter on the school's basketball team. As a junior, he averaged 14.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists per game and was named to the first team of the Indy-Area Super Team by the Indianapolis Star and second team All-State by the Associated Press as he helped lead the Giants to the 2017 4A State Championship.[2] Henry led the Giants to a sectional title while averaging 17 points, 8.8 rebounds and four assists in his senior season and was named first team All-State by the Associated Press and to the second team by USA Today.[3] A three-star recruit, he committed to playing college basketball for Michigan State over offers from Butler, Illinois, Ohio State and Xavier.[4]

College career

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As a freshman Henry played in all 39 of Michigan State's games, starting 22 of the final 23 contests and averaging 6.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.[5] He averaged 9 points and 5.6 rebounds during postseason play as whole and 10.4 points and 5.2 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament.[6][7] Henry scored a season high 20 points to go with eight rebounds and six assists against LSU in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2019 NCAA tournament.[8]

Henry defending Anthony Cowan Jr.

Henry was named the 90th-best collegiate basketball player going into the 2019–20 season by CBS Sports.[9] He scored 18 points in a 71–66 loss to Virginia Tech on November 25, 2019.[10] On February 25, 2020, Henry scored 17 points in a 78–70 win over Iowa, and coach Tom Izzo called him the team's best player in the game.[11] Henry averaged 10 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game during his sophomore season.[12] Following the season, he declared for the 2020 NBA draft but did not hire an agent.[13] He ultimately decided to withdraw and return to Michigan State for his junior season.[14]

As a junior, Henry averaged 15.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He was named to the Third Team All-Big Ten. Following the season he declared for the 2021 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.[15]

Professional career

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Philadelphia 76ers (2021–2022)

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After going undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft, Henry signed a two-way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers on August 8, 2021, splitting time with their G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats.[16] Henry was waived by the 76ers on January 11, 2022.[17]

Delaware Blue Coats (2022)

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On January 18, 2022, Henry was reacquired and activated by the Delaware Blue Coats.[18]

Metropolitans 92 (2022–2023)

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On August 6, 2022, he has signed with Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A.[19] He suffered a season-ending quadriceps injury in December 2022.[20]

Fighting Eagles Nagoya (2023–present)

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On June 30, 2023, Henry signed with Fighting Eagles Nagoya of the Japanese B.League.[21] On May 28, 2024, he re-signed with Fighting Eagles Nagoya.[22]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2021–22 Philadelphia 6 0 2.8 .200 .000 .2 .0 .0 .3 .3
Career 6 0 2.8 .200 .000 .2 .0 .0 .3 .3

College

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Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018–19 Michigan State 39 22 22.1 .495 .385 .692 3.8 1.6 .6 .5 6.1
2019–20 Michigan State 30 29 29.1 .441 .344 .703 4.6 2.9 .8 .6 10.0
2020–21 Michigan State 28 26 32.5 .449 .296 .762 5.6 3.6 1.3 1.3 15.4
Career 97 77 27.2 .457 .333 .729 4.6 2.6 .9 .7 10.0

References

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  1. ^ Quinn, Brendan (March 21, 2019). "The voice in Aaron Henry's head". The Athletic. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  2. ^ Jackson, Stu (April 9, 2017). "Three-Star In-State Forward Aaron Henry Has Big Ten, Big East Interest". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  3. ^ Warnemuende, Jeremy (April 19, 2018). "MSU signee Aaron Henry makes big jump in final Top247 for 2018". Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  4. ^ Neddenriep, Kyle (September 11, 2019). "Ben Davis' Aaron Henry commits to Michigan State". Indianapolis Star. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  5. ^ Levinsky, Gregory (July 10, 2019). "Michigan State basketball's Aaron Henry preparing for dynamite sophomore season". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  6. ^ Mulholland, Mike. "Michigan State's Aaron Henry looks to pick up where he left off from strong Final Four run". MLive.com.
  7. ^ "Michigan State Spartans' Aaron Henry pegged as rising basketball star". The Detroit News. April 29, 2019.
  8. ^ Conway, Tyler (March 29, 2019). "Aaron Henry, No. 2 Michigan State Crush Tremont Waters, No. 3 LSU in Sweet 16". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  9. ^ Boone, Kyle; Norlander, Matt; Parrish, Gary (October 24, 2019). "Ranking the Top 100 And 1 best players in college basketball entering the 2019–20 season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  10. ^ "Virginia Tech knocks off No. 3 Michigan State 71–66 in Maui". ESPN. Associated Press. November 25, 2019. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Winston-led, No. 24 Michigan State beats No. 18 Iowa 78–70". ESPN. Associated Press. February 25, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  12. ^ Carpenter, Hondo (March 12, 2020). "Michigan State Coach Tom Izzo Acknowledges This Was His Most Difficult Season". SI.com.
  13. ^ Solari, Chris (April 27, 2020). "Michigan State basketball's Aaron Henry enters NBA draft with ability to return to college". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved May 2, 2020.
  14. ^ Givony, Jonathan (August 2, 2020). "Michigan State's Aaron Henry withdrawing from draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
  15. ^ Gastelum, Andrew (April 12, 2021). "Michigan State Forward Aaron Henry Declares for NBA Draft". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  16. ^ "76ers Sign Aaron Henry, Re-Sign Rayjon Tucker to Two-Way Contracts". NBA.com. August 8, 2021. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  17. ^ Levick, Noah (January 11, 2022). "Local product Brown Jr. earns two-way contract with Sixers". NBC Sports. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  18. ^ "2021-22 NBA G League Transactions". gleague.nba.com. January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  19. ^ "Aaron Henry inks with Metropolitans 92". Sportando. August 6, 2022. Retrieved August 15, 2022.
  20. ^ "Boulogne-Levallois va devoir se passer d'Aaron Henry pendant plusieurs semaines". L'Équipe (in French). December 10, 2022. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  21. ^ "【#11 アーロン・ヘンリー選手】新規入団のお知らせ". ファイティングイーグルス名古屋 (in Japanese). June 30, 2023. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  22. ^ "【2024-25シーズン】#11 アーロン・ヘンリー 選手 契約継続のお知らせ". ファイティングイーグルス名古屋. May 28, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
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