“Pressure is the single mom trying to scrape together rent. We get paid a lot of money to play a game... to call it pressure is almost an insult to regular people.”

That was Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard back in 2017. And while his words ring true in many ways, pressure in the NBA is very real — it just looks different. No, it’s not life or death. But constant expectation, national scrutiny, and the weight of performance? That’s pressure too.

In today’s social media-fueled era, players are picked apart daily. Whenever someone defends them, the counter is always: “He makes millions — he can handle it.” But pressure isn’t measured in salary. It’s measured in spotlight.

Few young players have felt that more than Scoot Henderson. From the moment he was linked with Victor Wemban

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