For a fleeting moment or two, Marshall Henderson was the hottest thing in college basketball. The guard for Ole Miss talked smack, taunted opposing students sections, drilled the longest three-pointers and generally chucked his way into the national conversation through his utter lack of conscience and overabundance of cockiness.
Then he went unselected in the 2014 NBA Draft, and fell off the basketball radar entirely -- until now, when he showed up in the unlikeliest of places.
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If you ever wondered "whatever happened to," well, wonder no more: Henderson is playing professionally in Baghdad -- yep, that Baghdad, the one in Iraq -- according to a fascinating update from Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports.
In a way, it's kind of perfect. Henderson was a player of extremes on and off the court: His issues with drugs and alcohol were well-documented, and he was a character of extravagant proportions on the hardwood. Now, he's playing in perhaps the most extreme setting a pro basketball player could be.
"Henderson plays in the Iraqi Super League," Spears wrote. "The former Ole Miss star hears gunshots from time to time in the city. He doesn't leave his Baghdad hotel too often, where working electricity can be a daily challenge."
Henderson reportedly earns more than $10,000 per month in Iraq, plus full room and board. He also told Spears that he's been able to abstain from drugs and alcohol while there. He credits a newfound discipline, although it can't hurt that he now lives in a war-torn country where he pretty much just stays confined to his hotel room or the gym.
But when the Iraqi Super League season ends, Henderson said, he plans to spend time in his hometown of Dallas and Oxford, Mississippi, where he became a cult hero at Ole Miss.
"The real test is going to be going home with thousands of dollars," Henderson said. "What am I going to do with that? I will be excited to see what I do when I get home, and whom I'm going to surround myself with. You can't really say much until you're in that situation. So we'll see."
Here's hoping Henderson can stay on the straight and narrow, and carve out a long and lucrative career for himself. Meanwhile, Spears' full story is well worth your time, so check it out, here.
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