Gerald Henderson Jr.


Jerome McKinley "Gerald" Henderson Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association. He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Henderson was drafted with the 12th overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft by the Charlotte Bobcats. He is the son of former NBA player Gerald Henderson.

High school career

Henderson attended high school at Episcopal Academy in Merion, Pennsylvania, where he teamed up with future UNC basketball player Wayne Ellington. He also lettered and earned all-conference honors in golf as a freshman and scratch golfer, and was two-time league champion in the high jump and triple jump in track and field. Henderson was ranked as the 18th-best high school senior by The Recruiting Services Consensus Index.

College career

After seeing limited playing time off the bench during his freshman year, Henderson moved into the starting lineup as a sophomore and averaged 12.7 points per game. During his junior year, Henderson led the team in scoring 16.5 points per game on the way to a First-Team All-ACC award and ACC tournament championship. Duke earned a 2nd seed in the NCAA tournament.

Professional career

Charlotte Bobcats / Hornets (2009–2015)

Henderson decided to forgo his senior season and enter the 2009 NBA draft where he was drafted 12th overall by the Charlotte Bobcats. On July 8, 2009, Henderson signed a multi-year deal with the Bobcats.
On October 29, 2010, Bobcats picked up the third-year option on Henderson's contract.
The 2011–12 season would be something of a breakout year for Henderson with the Bobcats. Despite finishing with the worst record in the history of the NBA, Henderson proved to be an effective scorer and was one of the lone bright spots on the team. Henderson saw career numbers in minutes per game, field goal percentage, rebounds per game, assists per game, and points per game. He would prove to be the main offensive weapon for the Bobcats, particularly late in the season.
On March 12, 2013, Henderson had a career high in points scored in a win over the Boston Celtics when he scored 35 points. He matched that total against the New York Knicks on March 29, 2013.
On June 28, 2013, the Bobcats extended a qualifying offer to Henderson, thus making him a restricted free agent. On July 30, 2013, the team officially re-signed Henderson.
On January 8, 2015, Henderson scored a season-high 31 points to help the Hornets win the fourth straight game with a 103-95 victory over the Toronto Raptors.
On June 17, 2015, Henderson exercised his player option with the Hornets for the 2015–16 season.

Portland Trail Blazers (2015–2016)

On June 24, 2015, Henderson was traded, along with Noah Vonleh, to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for Nicolas Batum.

Philadelphia 76ers (2016–2017)

On July 9, 2016, Henderson signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. On June 30, 2017, he was waived by the 76ers.

Retirement (career-ending injuries)

On August 2, 2017, Henderson opted to undergo an operation on his troublesome hip and missed the entire 2017–18 NBA season to fully recover. During the 2018 off-season, Henderson attempted to make a comeback to the NBA after undergoing a third surgical procedure on his hip. He worked out for teams in September 2018, but tore his Achilles tendon during a pickup game in Golden State. In January 2019, he joined the Charlotte Hornets' broadcast team at Fox Sports Southeast for the second half of the 2018–19 season. On April 30, 2019, he officially retired from the NBA.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs