
Wolves' Garza and Ignite's Henderson Named Captains for NBA G League Next up Game
February 7, 2023 - NBA G League (G League) News Release
NEW YORK - Iowa Wolves forward Luka Garza and NBA G League Ignite guard Scoot Henderson have been named team captains for the NBA G League Next Up Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 at 3 p.m. ET and air live on NBA TV from the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City as part of NBA All-Star 2023.
Each captain will select a 12-man roster from the 24-player field during the NBA G League Next Up Game Draft, which will be broadcast on Feb. 14 on NBAGLeague.com at 2 p.m. ET and then on the NBA App at 3 p.m. ET. The 24-player field includes players selected by a fan vote and the NBA G League. Head coaches Scott Morrison (Salt Lake City Stars) and Paul Hewitt (Ontario Clippers) will lead Team Scoot and Team Luka, respectively.
In addition to Henderson, the guard group features the Cleveland Charge's Sharife Cooper, who ranks second in the NBA G League in scoring (26.2 ppg); the Fort Wayne Mad Ants' Gabe York, the first three-time NBA G League Player of the Week since 2014-15; and 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year Mac McClung of the Delaware Blue Coats. Joining Garza in the frontcourt are San Antonio Spurs Two-Way player Charles Bassey, Memphis Grizzlies Two-Way player Kenneth Lofton Jr. and Cleveland Cavaliers Two-Way player Isaiah Mobley.
Six of the NBA G League's top 10 scorers will compete in the game: the Windy City Bulls' Carlik Jones (26.8 ppg), Cooper (26.2), the South Bay Lakers' Scotty Pippen Jr. (24.3), York (24.1), the Salt Lake City Stars' Frank Jackson (23.0) and Mobley (23.0). Three of the league's top five leaders in field goal percentage will also play in the game: Bassey (68.7), Ignite's Eric Mika (68.3) and the Stockton Kings' Neemias Queta (67.9).
Garza finished as the top vote-getter in fan voting, which ran from Jan. 13 - Feb. 3. The Cleveland Charge's Didi Louzada ranked among the top 10 in fan voting, but he is unable to participate. All NBA G League contract players currently on rosters and NBA Two-Way players who have played in at least four NBA G League games through Jan. 29 were eligible to be selected by fans.
Below is the 24-player field for the NBA G League Next Up Game:
Player (Team) Pos. Ht. Wt. Prior Birthdate
Charles Bassey (Austin Spurs)* C-F 6-9 230 Western Kentucky 10/28/2000
Sidy Cissoko (G League Ignite) G 6-8 200 Baskonia (Spain) 4/2/2004
Sharife Cooper (Cleveland Charge) G 6-1 176 Auburn 6/11/2001
David Duke Jr. (Long Island Nets)* G 6-4 204 Providence 10/13/1999
Luka Garza (Iowa Wolves)* C 6-10 243 Iowa 12/27/1998
Scoot Henderson (G League Ignite) G 6-7 210 Kell HS (USA) 2/3/2004
Frank Jackson (Salt Lake City Stars) G 6-3 205 Duke 5/4/1998
London Johnson (G League Ignite) G 6-3 175 Norcross HS (USA) 6/6/2004
Carlik Jones (Windy City Bulls)* G 6-0 174 Louisville 12/23/1997
Mojave King (G League Ignite) G 6-5 195 Southland Sharks (New Zealand) 6/11/2002
Saben Lee (Phoenix Suns) * G 6-2 183 Vanderbilt 6/23/1999
Kenneth Lofton Jr. (Memphis Hustle)* F 6-6 275 Louisiana Tech 8/14/2002
Mac McClung (Delaware Blue Coats) G 6-2 185 Texas Tech 1/6/1999
Eric Mika (G League Ignite) C-F 6-10 233 Brigham Young 1/5/1995
Leonard Miller (G League Ignite) F 6-10 210 Fort Erie Intl. (Canada) 11/26/2004
Isaiah Mobley (Cleveland Charge)* F 6-8 238 USC 9/24/1999
Shareef O'Neal (G League Ignite) F 6-10 220 LSU 1/11/2000
Scotty Pippen Jr. (South Bay Lakers)* G 6-1 170 Vanderbilt 11/10/2000
Trevelin Queen (Fort Wayne Mad Ants)* G 6-6 190 New Mexico State 2/25/1997
Neemias Queta (Stockton Kings)* C 7-0 248 Utah State 7/13/1999
Babacar Sane (G League Ignite) F 6-6 194 BAL Elevate 9/19/2003
Gui Santos (Santa Cruz Warriors) F 6-6 185 Minas (Brazil) 6/22/2002
Zavier Simpson (Lakeland Magic) G 6-0 190 Michigan 2/11/1997
Gabe York (Fort Wayne Mad Ants) G 6-3 190 Arizona 8/2/1993
*NBA Two-Way Player
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