Gerald Henderson: NBA, Injuries & Retirement

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Jerome McKinley Gerald Henderson Sr. is a former American basketball player but is still remembered on the court for his excellent game skills and techniques.

Henderson played for eight seasons in NBA as a basketball player before retirement. 

Gerald Henderson
Gerald Henderson (Source: AttheHive.com)

Henderson was drafted into NBA with the 12th overall pick in 2009 by the Charlotte Bobcats.

Read the full article to know more about the player’s life, basketball career, family, and more.

Now let’s look into some quick facts.

Quick Facts

Full Name Jerome McKinley Gerald Henderson Jr.
Birth Date December 9, 1987
Birth Place Caldwell, New Jersey
Age 36 years old
Known As Gerald Henderson
Religion Christian
Nationality American
Education
  • Episcopal Academy
  • Duke University
Horoscope Sagittarius
Father’s Name Gerald Henderson Sr.
Mother’s Name Marie Henderson
Siblings Jade Henderson
Height 6’5″ (1.96 m)
Weight 215 lb (98 kg)
Build Athletic
Shoe Size N/A
Hair Color Black
Eye Color Black
League NBA
Active Years 2009-2017
Marital Status Married
Spouse Nilou
Children Roya and Zara
Profession Basketball Player
Position Shooting Guard
Currently Playing For Retired
Net Worth $16 million
Salary $8.802 million
NBA Draft 2009 Round: 1 / Pick: 12th overall
Awards and achievements
  • 2009- Third-team All-American 
  • 2009- First-team All-ACC 
  • 2006- Second-team Parade All-American 
  • 2006- McDonald’s All-American
Social Media Instagram, Twitter
Merch  Cards
Last Update November 2024

Early Life, Family & Education

On December 9, 1987, Henderson was born to Gerald Henderson Sr. and Marie Henderson in Caldwell, New Jersey. He has a sibling, Jade Henderson.

Henderson’s father, Gerald, is also a former professional basketball player. His father played 13 seasons in NBA and won three championships. 

Growing up, Henderson was always surrounded by sports which may have ignited his spirit of playing basketball like his father. We can say that the playing heart is in the blood of the Henderson family. 

Henderson with his father
Henderson with his father (Source: sportstalkphilly.com)

When Henderson was four years old, his father retired from sports. He always looked up to his father as every kid does while growing up. Hence he started playing basketball from a very young age.

Henderson was interested in golf while growing up and was a junior golfer from age 11 to 14.

He also played high jump and other sports in high school, but later, he decided to play basketball professionally. Gerald used to play golf with his father and had a great time playing matches.

Henderson grew up in a stable family as both his parents were economically sound, his father being a professional basketball player and his mother a real state agent.

Education

Henderson went to  Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania. Gerald played basketball on the high school team.

After graduating from high school, he joined Duke University for his college studies. He was in college for three years and played college basketball.

Gerald Henderson: Age, Height & Weight

Henderson is 36 years old.

Gerald has a height of 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) and weighs around 215 lb (98 kg). He has maintained his physique with a healthy diet and intense workouts.

An athlete needs to maintain a fabulous body and a healthy lifestyle to excel on the court. 

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Gerald Henderson: Career

Henderson was drafted into NBA with the 12th overall pick in 2009 by the Charlotte Bobcats. He signed a contract with the Bobcats on July 8, 2009.

In the 2011-2012 season, Henderson was able to showcase his excellent skills and performance for the team. He proved himself to be the leading player for the team in that season.

On March 12, 2013, Henderson scored career-high points in the match against the Boston Celtics and won. Seventeen days later, he scored the same points in the game against the New York Knicks. 

On June 28, 2013, Henderson got an offer from the Bobcats to be a restricted free agent. Just a month later, on July 30, 2013, Henderson was resigned from the Bobcats. 

Henderson recorded brilliantly with a season-high 31 points against the Toronto Raptors and led the fourth consecutive victory for his team on January 8, 2015.  

He was exchanged to the Portland Trail Blazers on June 24, 2015. 

Henderson with the Blazers
Henderson with the Blazers (Source: HoopsRumors.com)

On December 15, Henderson recorded 19-points, with career-high four three-point shots against the New Orleans Pelicans.

On July 9, 2016, Henderson entered a contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. After one year, on June 30, 2017, he was released from the contract by the 76ers.

Henderson retired from the NBA because of the injury, and his professional career as a basketball ended in 2017.

Gerald Henderson: Injuries & Retirement

Injuries are prevalent in the sports sector. Many players have to face such situations during the matches, practice matches, and some time off the court. Henderson also has a history of injuries in his professional basketball career.

Henderson has been open about his injuries and the treatment process. He told one news portal that he had six surgeries from 2008 to 2017 and had a history of many incidents in court.

The significant surgery that he had were wrist surgery, hip surgery, and achilles surgery.

Those surgeries piled up with other minor injuries, and it became challenging for him to continue as a basketball player. 

On August 2, 2017, Henderson had hip surgery, and he missed the whole 2017-2018 season. As it was a severe injury, it took a long time to recover, and it was his third hip surgery.

Henderson was planning to return in the 2018 off-season. Unfortunately, he suffered from an Achilles tendon during the practice match. 

Retirement

After the hip surgery, he had planned to try out one last time, but the tendon injury broke his spirit. The whole process of surgery and recovery was excruciating, both mentally and physically, so he had made up his mind by the time the injury happened.

Henderson joined the broadcast team of the Hornets in January 2019 as he somehow wanted to be around the game. But after such injuries and the surgeries, he finally thought of retiring and announced his retirement from NBA on April 30, 2019.

Henderson chose to leave rather than play with all the pain and anxiety. He had to retire at such a young age, but he believes that basketball is a part of his life, not his whole life, and we should appreciate his courage and willpower in making such a difficult decision.

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Gerald Henderson: Charities

Henderson has been active in charity events and tournaments from his childhood days. He played in many celebrity charity tournaments. 

He has had a charity program running for a long time: the Gerald Henderson Charity Golf Invitational.

It benefits young men and empowers them in basketball, mentorship, and academics. The charity from the program supports Community Partnership School’s, Scholarship Fund.

In March 2012, he received the NBA’s Kia Community Assist Award for his outstanding efforts in the community and constant philanthropic and charitable work.

Gerald Henderson: Net Worth

Henderson’s net worth is around $16 million. The 76ers signed him with an annual salary of $8.802 million in 2016. His earnings include his deals with different clubs as a professional basketball player. 

Besides being a professional basketball player, Henderson also has other sources of income. He is a co-owner of a company called Active Dreamers.

The company is an NBA-licensed bedding and pillow company. As he is the co-owner indeed, he gets a share of the enormous profit of the company.

Gerald Henderson: Wife & Kids

Henderson is married to Nilou Henderson, a real estate agent. The couple has two daughters, Roya and Zara, together.

The couple was in a two-year relationship before finally tying the knot in 2019. Henderson often shares pictures of his wife and kids on his social media handles, showing his love and affection for them.

Henderson with his wife & Kids
Henderson with his wife & Kids (Source: CloseUp360.com)

After retiring from NBA, Henderson has been spending a lot of time with his family. He is back to his duties as a father, which is missed in the hectic schedules during his professional career. It shows that he is a family man and respects values and love.

Gerald Henderson: Controversy

Recently Henderson got caught up in controversy while defending coach assistant Chris Carrawell of Duke University. On March 5, 2022, Chris Carrawell declined to shake the hand of head coach Hubert Davis of North Carolina at the end of the game.

Carrawell told the news that Davis did not shake his hand before the game, and he responded.

Seth Greenberg called out on the behavior of Duke’s staff on Twitter. Henderson came in support of Chris and wrote that the coach just returned the favor of Davis.

Wayne Ellington, who was on the North Carolina team in his previous days, responded to Henderson on Twitter and said that the behavior of Duke’s coach would have been if they had won the match.

Henderson did not have a logical explanation to defend the matter as there was no evidence of Davis’s behavior towards Chris before the game. Instead, Henderson childishly replied to Ellington.

The rivalry between UNC and Duke is seen again in this, and the players are loyal to their team.

Gerald Henderson: Awards & Achievements

Henderson retired from professional basketball at a very young age, but he is successful in carving some awards and achievements under his name. The recognition and triumphs he received during his basketball career are below.

  • 2009- Third-team All-American 
  • 2009- First-team All-ACC 
  • 2006- Second-team Parade All-American 
  • 2006- McDonald’s All-American

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Gerald Henderson: Social Media Presence

Henderson has verified Instagram and Twitter accounts.

In the social media accounts, Henderson has a huge fan following worldwide. He likes to engage with fans and supporters worldwide by sharing his personal and professional moments.

By looking into the posts and pictures, people can get a particular glimpse of his personal life. He likes to share his family moments as he is very close to his family members.

FAQs

Where is Gerald Henderson now?

According to sources, former NBA player Gerald Henderson will join the Charlotte Hornets’ TV broadcast team for FOX Sports Southeast for the rest of the season.

Does Henderson play golf?

Henderson was interested in golf while growing up and was a junior golfer from age 11 to 14.

Nishta
Nishta
Interested in content writing and always enthusiastic about new creative platforms. As a freelance content writer, I am dedicated to continuously expand my knowledge and skills, staying up to date with the latest industry trends and best practices.

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