His supposed final game was a hard-fought 88-80 loss for Leicester Riders to the London Lions in which Nelson-Henry posted 13 points and claimed eight rebounds in front of nearly 15,000 fans at the country's premier indoor venue.
"I had the full intention of hanging them up," the 30-year-old said. “I just wanted to play in the local league and stay in shape."
As he moved from Leicester to London to begin a new life, basketball remained part of the weekly routine, albeit at a more relaxed pace.
Playing for Hoxton in a minor, sociable league in Hackney was something he thoroughly enjoyed as he settled into a new role working in business development, specifically in diversity and inclusion.
"They're awesome guys who made me feel at home," Nelson-Henry said with a smile.
"The games were tough, but most importantly for me, they were fun. They were guys just passionate about basketball, and they always played with smiles on their faces.
"I have a sociology background as an undergrad with an international business master from Loughborough; this was my time to use that to my advantage [in an office job], so playing [full time] never came into it."
When Hemel came along, Nelson-Henry made a career-defining U-turn. He felt he could continue quench his thirst for playing at a high level and everything just fell into place.
So much so, that while he retained his off-court job, he moved closer to Hemel Hempstead in September to put his heart and soul into playing in NBL1.
"I came to Hemel and felt right at home," Nelson-Henry admitted.
"It was something where I felt I could scratch the itch and the club has been incredibly accommodating with my schedule; off-court life.
"Coming into NBL1 was just one of those things that panned out and worked to my advantage, and I don't regret it at all. Everyone has been great and I can't speak highly enough about the team."
Graduating from of the University of Pennsylvania, Nelson-Henry joined the Riders in 2019, however, his first professional season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But he went on to complete four seasons with the Riders, leading them to back-to-back league titles as well as a BBL Trophy and Cup treble.
He was also named to the BBL Team of the Year in consecutive seasons under perhaps the most decorated head coach in British basketball, Rob Paternostro.
"I can't speak highly of Rob," Nelson-Henry admitted.
"Sometimes I reflect on playing with that amazing team that we had in the 22/23 season, with Geno (Crandell), Pat Whelan, Marc Loving, Zach Jackson, Conner Washington, Mo Walker; we were a dominant force in the BBL that year.
"Under Rob and Pablo [Vazquez’s] tutelage; they were amazing. Sometimes I look back on it, and I felt spoiled as it was a really awesome team that I got to play with, and reflecting on it, it was really cool."
Nelson-Henry believes that the differences between the top flight - now reincarnated as Super League Basketball - and NBL1 are minimal except for the volume of games.
It has also been good for him to get to know the Storm's other American talents, most notably Taylor Johnson, his team-mate at Hemel last season, who has become a close friend because of that homeland connection.
"It's always great to play with another American who was also an Ivy-Leaguer - he went to Dartmouth - and has played over here almost as long as I have," Nelson-Henry said.
"It's cool because you share similar values as you've been away from home for so long, and you both have a similar background, so we got along pretty well, and it was really fun to just compare stories and catch up; we're pretty close."
However, personal bonds aside, Nelson-Henry's goals lie on the court with aims for trophies galore with the Storm.
"We want to win as much as possible and get as many trophies as possible," he said confidently.
"I don't do anything by half; I always give it 110%. With the job I had at Riders, I felt that we accomplished that. Obviously, I got to Hemel late last season, but we really turned it around, finished with a win in the Playoff final, and got the result that we wanted.
"We were disappointed not to beat Milton Keynes and progress to the KitKing Trophy final, but we're turning the corner as an organisation and we will be competing for these remaining titles that are available for us. We want to win them all.”
Words: John Hobbs
Pictures: Nicola C Creative
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