10-year-old basketball prodigy authors book to inspire youth

A young basketball player from Calgary is sharing his daily routine in a book he penned himself for the purpose of inspiring other kids.

Amarion Henry’s passion is basketball.

His young life is focused on becoming an NBA icon, and to do that, he follows a strict daily routine that he’s outlined in his book called Amarion’s Routine for Success.

“It’s for kids,” he says.

“So they can have the proper routines and good habits and do whatever sport they want, just so they can have the right foundation, and make sure you always have a routine if you are going to start a sport, so you already know what you’re going to do every single day.

“It’s working for me, and it’s been working for me for the past three years.”

The 10-year-old has put in 4,000 hours honing his craft, and he’s done that by going to the gym every day since he was 7.

Arnold Henry, Amarion’s dad, produced a video of his son’s regimen and posted it on social media, where it has received more than six million views.

“Some people liked it, and they said it was inspiring,” said Amarion.

“So, one day, my dad was like, ‘How about we make this into a book?’ And then we made it into a book, and yeah, I think it really inspired people and younger kids to have proper habits and good routines.”

Arnold grew up in St. Lucia and was the first basketball player from his country to play Division 1 NCAA basketball as a freshman.

He received a full scholarship from the University of Vermont.

He wrote a book about his basketball journey and also penned three children’s books.

He used his experience to teach Amarion how to write his own book.

“I’m extremely proud of my son,” he said.

“Everything that he has accomplished so far, it’s all earned, right? He understands order: for you to go far in life, you have to put in the work yourself … in order for you to accomplish your dreams, you have to put in the work.”

The father and son duo spend countless hours at RISE Sports Complex in northeast Calgary.

Arnold says his son is not only passionate about basketball but also about helping others succeed.

“I told him, ‘You could become a really good basketball player, but you can also inspire kids around the world without even meeting them,’” he said.

“Once the kids read the book, I’m pretty sure that they’ll be really inspired to work even harder.”

Kelvin Dela Pena is the founder and CEO of RISE Sports Complex, which has close to 1,000 members and focuses on strength and conditioning for basketball players.

He says Amarion is a special athlete.

“I’ve never seen a young U10 talent like that, just to be so in love with the game,” he said.

“He has this sense of urgency that not many adults even have; the book itself is one of those tools to just kind of propel his career.”

Dela Pena says every time Amarion walks into the gym, players of all ages know who he is, and says the youngster likely doesn’t know he’s inspiring the next generation of basketball players.

“A lot of people might look at it as, like, ‘Oh, he’s too young,’” he said.

“But when you’ve got a 10-year-old who has a sense of urgency and knows what he wants at such a young age while adults are sitting around and don’t know what they want to do, it’s something truly special.”

Early in 2025, Amarion made the news after he and his father drove 22 hours to San Francisco to watch a Warriors NBA game with a goal of seeing star player Stephen Curry.

Curry didn’t play, and when he learned of the family’s heartbreak, he flew Amarion and his dad to Toronto, all expenses paid, to watch him play.

Amarion says he may write another book in a few years, but for now is focused on his basketball career.

“Just watching all the NBA greats and the legends, and I’m like, ‘One day, I want to be like them and be an icon known by the whole world,’” he said.

The book is available here.