Former NBA Lottery Pick John Henson Confirms Retirement

Former NBA big man John Henson has no intentions of attempting a comeback, confirming to Spencer Davies of RG.org that he has retired as a player and has moved onto the next stage of his life.

“I was so blessed to play this long,” Henson said. “It’s a lot of opportunities, man. It’s just a matter of one step at a time. I’m only 33, so I have time to explore and figure out what I want to do next. This is just the next phase, and we’ll see where it takes me. But so far, so good.”

The 14th overall pick in the 2012 draft, Henson spent his first seven seasons with the Bucks, then played for the Cavaliers and Pistons during the 2019/20 season. He averaged 7.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 19.7 minutes per game across 445 career outings (160 starts) from 2012-20. Health issues, including wrist and hamstring injuries, slowed him down and limited his availability during his final seasons.

Though he inked a 10-day contract with the Knicks in April 2021, Henson didn’t appear in any games for New York. The 6’9″ center also signed with Mets de Guaynabo in Puerto Rico in March 2022, but ended up not suiting up for the team.

“I could’ve fought. I could’ve went the G League route and tried to work my way back, but I’ve always just been a guy that basketball’s never life or death for me or my life,” Henson said. “I’m not gonna sit here and bang my head against the wall. My first initial thought was let me finish my education and let me see what happens, and then we’ll go from there.”

According to Davies, Henson has passed on offers in recent years to be a veteran mentor on the G League Ignite’s roster and to join the Capital City Go-Go (the Wizards‘ G League affiliate) as an assistant coach.

Henson’s focus has been on media jobs — he’ll provide color commentary for ACC games and serve as an analyst on SiriusXM’s ACC Today program during the 2024/25 season, per Davies. The big man previously spent two seasons appearing on The Bettor Half Hour on MSG Network.