Gerald Henderson

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Lore & Background

Henderson is best known for his steal of a James Worthy pass to score a game-tying layup in Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Celtics eventually prevailed in overtime. In a post-game interview, Henderson said that "For a minute I could hear Johnny Most going, 'Henderson steals the ball!'", in reference to Most's famous call of John Havlicek's steal in the 1965 Eastern Conference finals. Most's actual words were "It goes quickly in now to Magic, back over to Worthy, and it's picked off! Goes to Henderson, he lays it up and in! It's all tied up! A great play by Henderson!" In the fall of 1984, Henderson was traded to Seattle for the Sonics' first-round pick in 1986, which the Celtics would use to draft Len Bias. He then played for the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks in a three-year span before joining the Detroit Pistons before the 1989–90 season. In Game 4 of that year's NBA Finals, with the Pistons holding a one-point lead over the Trail Blazers, Henderson made a fast-break layup with just over a second to play to push the lead to three points instead of dribbling out the clock. The decision nearly backfired when Portland's Danny Young appeared to make a game-tying desperation three-pointer, but the officials correctly ruled that Young's shot was released just after the buzzer. The Pistons took a 3–1 series lead and won the next game to give Henderson his third NBA championship. As of 2006, he and his wife run a real estate business in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Their son, Gerald Henderson Jr. was selected by the Charlotte Bobcats of the National Basketball Association in the 2009 NBA draft. Gerald Jr. played eight NBA seasons for the Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, and Philadelphia 76ers. In 2012, Henderson was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame.

In Their Own Story

The narrative of Henderson's career shifted significantly in December 2015 while playing for the Portland Trail Blazers. After arriving in a trade that sent Nicolas Batum to Charlotte, Henderson contributed to a 105–101 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on December 15. He scored 19 points in that contest, hitting a career-high-tying four three-point shots. However, his time in Portland was brief. On July 9, 2016, he signed with the Philadelphia 76ers before being waived exactly one year later on June 30, 2017. His final attempt to return to the game ended in tragedy during the 2018 off-season. After undergoing a third surgical procedure on his hip to recover from earlier issues, Henderson worked out for teams in September 2018 but tore his Achilles tendon during a pickup game in Golden State. Unable to continue, he joined the Charlotte Hornets' broadcast team at Fox Sports Southeast for the second half of the 2018–19 season before retiring.

Reader's Guide

Henderson was born in Richmond, Virginia and attended Virginia Commonwealth University. He played 13 NBA seasons for seven teams, winning three championships (two with the Celtics, one with the Pistons). His son Gerald Henderson Jr. played eight NBA seasons.

Did You Know?

• Henderson's steal and game-tying layup in Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals is one of the most famous plays in Celtics history.
• The Celtics used the draft pick from Henderson's trade to select Len Bias in 1986.
• Henderson and his wife ran a real estate business in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania as of 2006.