When kids reveal what they aspire to be growing up, not many will lay claim to being a professional slam dunk star.
Enter Joel Henry: a soft spoken, well-dressed and even better mannered man from North London. Don't let his kind character fool you, though. When he is competing in a dunk contest, he turns into a different beast. He evolves into his basketball alter-ego, The Royal Guard.
His journey from London to Barcelona and the world is something of an urban legend as he fought tooth and nail to forge a unique career for himself. Henry's saga started at Greig City in the London borough of Haringey, where he first truly discovered basketball.
“I was a footballer at heart - as most people in London are - but I grew up watching the whole Space Jam thing, and I felt like I was in a movie with the cheerleaders, the atmosphere, and it was inside,.” Henry exclusively told Mirror Sport. “I hated the cold, so I gravitated to basketball.
“It was a challenge, but I was so committed to this new sport and I liked the different dress sense compared to football, like wearing Jordans for example. I signed with Hackney White Heat, and that had a big impact on me because it gave me the discipline I needed as a young man growing up without a dad - how to conduct myself on and off the court while using basketball as an outlet for everyday struggles. I realised I needed this in my life.”
Henry worked his way into the starting five but changed to Uxbridge High School, which had an American coach named Mike Speranza who influenced him immeasurably. From that moment, Henry committed to training every single day from morning to night alongside other elite athletes including British basketball stars Kofi Josephs and Aiden Saunders. His American dream came tantalisingly close in the form of an offer from a D2 college in Tampa Bay, but becoming a father meant Henry put the pursuit on hold - so he stayed playing basketball in the UK.
After meeting a FIBA agent while training with the London Lions, Henry signed with Surrey in the British Basketball League and enjoyed a successful year. It was at this time he crossed paths with his future career for the first time as he was invited to dunk contests at the BBL League Finals, the BBL Cup Finals in Birmingham and the BBL Playoffs at Wembley Arena.
“I was a professional basketball player, but I was a dunker second,” Henry said. “I just liked to jump. From that, I met Simon Piechowski who was building a dunk team and he showed me all about the dunk scene. Obviously, there was no dunk scene in the UK at all. It was all over American and Europe.
“Nike held tournaments around the world where they tried to find the best 16 players for each position. When it came to London, there was a three-on-three tournament which I came second in but stood out.
“I was invited to Barcelona for the Nike World Basketball festival, and Kyrie Irving picked me as the starting point guard to play on his team against Anthony Davis. Nike individually gave each person a nickname - so because I’m from the UK and a guard, my nickname was the Royal Guard as a play on those who protect Buckingham Palace. It was a surreal moment.”
Barcelona proved to be an incredible experience for Henry - and it inspired him to keep pushing for more after playing alongside NBA champion Kyrie Irving. He added: “I was the only one from Great Britain on this team playing against these phenomenal athletes. I couldn’t believe I was there. It made me want it even more. I had the opportunity to talk to Kyrie and pick his brain. I wanted to imitate his high-level skillset and add it to my game.”
Now, Henry is flying both figuratively and literally. He is sponsored by Jordan, while he tours the world showing off his incredible dunk ability. He recently attended an event in Saudi Arabia where he sensationally dunked over a camel, so how does Henry prepare for each unique contest and opportunity?
“I go through training according to how far away a contest is,” Henry said. “It’s similar to a professional boxer in terms of strategy. I put myself in a space where I have nothing and the only way I’m going to have anything is if I train hard and win. I’ll study my opponents - what will their go to dunk be? What points did they get for it in the past? At the contest, I might cancel their dunk out.
“I also make sure I have enough vertical to punch the specific dunks I need, so my eating regime will change - if I need power, my diet will reflect that. I’ve been vegan for nearly seven years now so I will eat to replenish myself effectively. Once I’m hitting the dunks I want to do in the contest in training, I cannot wait to show the world.
“When you dunk in front of 4,000 people, the crowd can either make your legs weak or charge you up. I like to build the crowd up, get everyone pumped and clapping in unison, and then show them something they have never seen before. It just makes me want to jump higher than ever and punch it in a way I know no other dogs can punch it. It’s what I live for.”
Henry is a charismatic man who emanates creativity, which is evident in the dunks he performs. He has jumped over two people as well as someone on another person’s shoulders, which Henry holds in high regard as - rather remarkably - he is terrified of heights. He recently created a contest-winning dunk that saw take him gold at the FIBA 3x3 event in Switzerland.
“It was a lob reverse-540 between the legs,” Henry excitedly said. “I had only made it twice before I attempted it in the contest! Dunking is all about those fight or flight moments to succeed. You narrow all the training into one jump while the cameras are on.”
Basketball, let alone dunking, is a hugely under-funded and under-utilised sport in the UK. When asked if he feels like a trailblazer by bringing dunking into British sporting consciousness, Henry laughed: “It didn’t really hit me for a long time. I was just doing everything I needed to do to build this dream for myself, and then I reflected on where I was. I was being flown out by the NBA to go to the All-Star Game and shoot content with comedians like Yung Filly - and it was all because of dunking.
“I just want to build a blueprint for others because there’s a lot of young kids who are uncomfortable or don’t get the opportunity to play basketball, but this is another avenue where you can still be a professional athlete with ties to the NBA without being a coach or a referee. I definitely do feel like a trailblazer, but there needs to be more opportunities on grassroots levels all the way up to professional - that’s the goal..”
With a vertical leap of well over 50 inches, it will be a trail few can truly follow - but regardless, The Royal Guard is here to preserve the career path for future generations.
