Tag: Gerald Henderson

How Henderson stole the ball, told by the players themselves

Hear how the iconic moment unfolded from the players who were there at the time.

The Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics have perhaps the premier rivalry in the NBA if not of all sports, and a fair amount of that legacy stems from both teams being in the title hunt for much of the 1980s.

Countless classic moments were had between the two battling franchises during that decade, and perhaps none of them were more so than when former Celtic guard Gerald Henderson stole a particular ball on a particular play in the 1984 NBA Finals. This iconic moment was the topic of a recent discussion had between Henderson himself and fellow Boston legends Cedric Maxwell and M.L. Carr.

We also hear from Laker luminaries Bob McAdoo and Michael Cooper on the game where Henderson stole the ball.

Watch the video embedded above produced by our friends at CLNS to hear the inside scoop on that historic play.

If you enjoy this pod, check out the “How Bout Them Celtics,” “First to the Floor,” “Celtics Lab,” and the many other New England sports podcasts available on the CLNS Media network.

Listen to the “Celtics Lab” podcast on:

Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/3zBKQY6

Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3GfUPFi

YouTube: https://bit.ly/3F9DvjQ

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On this day: Celtic Gerald Henderson born; Knight-Robey trade

On this day in Celtics history, champion point guard Gerald Henderson was born, and Boston traded Billy Knight for Rick Robey.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics small forward Billy Knight was traded to the Indiana Pacers for big man Rick Robey back in 1979. Robey had come to the storied franchise from the (then) San Diego (now Los Angeles) Clippers in the deal that sent Tiny Archibald, Marvin Barnes with him to Boston in exchange for Kevin Kunnert, Kermit Washington, Sidney Wicks, and Freeman Williams.

It was not an especially long stay with the Celtics for the Pennsylvania native, with Knight playing for the team for just 40 games before he would be swapped for Robey. Knight averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game during that stint.

He would play with the Celtics for four seasons — winning a title with the team in a reserve role in 1981 — before he would later be dealt to the Phoenix Suns in 1983.

On this day: Gerald Henderson traded; Mel Counts born: Bob Cousy, Ed Macauley jersey ‘retirement’

On this day, Boston traded Gerald Henderson to the Supersonics, Mel Counts was born, and Bob Cousy technically had his jersey retired.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, point guard Jerome McKinley “Gerald” Henderson Sr. — better known to Celtics fans as Gerald Henderson — was traded to the Seattle Supersonics for the draft pick that would be used to select forward Len Bias in 1986.

Henderson was an alum of Virginia Commonwealth University who was selected 64th overall in the 1978 NBA draft (there were several more rounds in that era) by the San Antonio Spurs but did not make the team, cut before the start of the season. He would play a stint with the Tucson Gunners of the Western Basketball Association (WBA) before joining the Celtics as a free agent in 1979.

He would play for the team for parts of five seasons.

Every player in Boston Celtics history who wore No. 43

Today’s installment focuses on the 14 players who wore No. 43 over the years as of Aug. 2023.

The Boston Celtics have more retired jerseys than any other team in the NBA, but that doesn’t mean the rest of their jerseys have little history of interest tied to them.

In fact, with 17 titles to their name and decades of competitive basketball played in them, their unretired jersey numbers pack in some of the most history not hanging from the rafters of any team in the league. To that end, we have launched our accounting of that history, with every player in every jersey worn by more than one Celtics player in the storied franchise’s history accounted for.

Today’s installment focuses on the 14 players who wore No. 43 over the years as of Aug. 2023.

On this day: Rozier, Billups, Mercer, Kreklow, Hunter, Mickey drafted

On this day, the Boston Celtics drafted several players in multiple drafts, including Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Ron Mercer, and Wayne Kreklow.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, the storied franchise took just one player of note in the 1979 NBA draft, held in New York City at the Plaza Hotel, after having traded away their first-round draft pick. The sole player selected by the Celtics that year was 6-foot-4 shooting guard Wayne Kreklow, taken with the 53rd overall pick in the draft’s third round (drafts went on much longer then than they do today).

A native of Neenah, Wisconsin, Kreklow had been playing college ball at Drake before being drafted by Boston. He did not initially make the team, not unusual for a prospect drafted so late. But, instead of being waived, he would play a season with the Maine Lumberjacks of the Continental Basketball Association (the equivalent of the G League in that era), where he averaged 9.6 points per game.

Kreklow would join the team for the 1980-81 season, helping to win a championship in a reserve role that saw him average 1.2 points over 25 games with the Celtics in his sole season with the franchise.

On this day: Henderson stole the ball; Russell, Bonham, Robinson born

On this day, point guard Gerald Henderson stole the ball to secure a critical Game 2 win vs. the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion Boston point guard Gerald Henderson stole a pass lobbed across the court by forward James Worthy of the Los Angeles Lakers.

With 13 seconds left on the clock in Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals and the Celtics down, 113-111, Henderson stole a pass and ended up scoring on a layup. The basket ultimately sent the game into overtime when legendary forward Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled out the game’s final seconds. The historic steal ignited the Celtics’ critical, 124-121, win after they had dropped Game 1 of the series at home.

Forward Larry Bird later said the team might have been swept by Los Angeles if not for the timely steal. While Boston lost Game 3 of the series, it won the series in seven games to secure its 15th banner, then the most in league history.

On this day: Celtic Gerald Henderson born; Knight-Robey trade

On this day in Celtics history, champion point guard Gerald Henderson was born, and Boston traded Billy Knight for Rick Robey.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, former Celtics small forward Billy Knight was traded to the Indiana Pacers for big man Rick Robey back in 1979. Robey had come to the storied franchise from the (then) San Diego (now Los Angeles) Clippers in the deal that sent Tiny Archibald, Marvin Barnes with him to Boston in exchange for Kevin Kunnert, Kermit Washington, Sidney Wicks, and Freeman Williams.

It was not an especially long stay with the Celtics for the Pennsylvania native, with Knight playing for the team for just 40 games before he would be swapped for Robey, having averaged 13.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game during that stint.

He would play with the Celtics for four seasons — winning a title with the team in a reserve role in 1981 — before he would later be dealt to the Phoenix Suns in 1983.

Every player in Philadelphia 76ers history who has worn No. 12

Here is a list of all 30 players who have worn the No. 12 uniform in the history of the Philadelphia 76ers.

It’s summertime in the NBA, so it’s time to learn some history. The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the older franchises in the NBA. Their history dates to the 1949-50 season.

With that longevity, the team has had hundreds of players come through the City of Brotherly Love. Sixers Wire looks at the No. 13, which has been worn by 30 of those players in the history of the franchise.

This running series will go through all of the uniform numbers worn in franchise history. The previous edition of this series was a list compiling the five players who have worn the No. 13.

Here is the list of the 30 who have worn No. 12 in Sixers history:

Every Boston Celtics player who never lost an NBA Finals series

Let’s take a look at all the Boston players who never lost a Finals series with more than two appearances.

Which Boston Celtics never lost a game in the NBA Finals?

While the Celtics have a large number of players who can say they never have, it might surprise you that the greatest winner of all time is not on that list. The Celtics’ loss to the Atlanta Hawks in the 1958 NBA Finals is to blame for 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell missing the list.

But many of his teammates appear on the list as do a few other former Celtics from later years when Boston was a regular visitor to the finals.

Let’s take a look at all the Boston players who never lost a finals series with more than two appearances.

On this day: Henderson stole the ball; Russell, Bonham, Robinson born

On this day, point guard Gerald Henderson stole the ball to secure a critical Game 2 win vs. the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1984 NBA Finals.

On this day in Boston Celtics history, champion Boston point guard Gerald Henderson stole a pass lobbed across the court by forward James Worthy of the Los Angeles Lakers.

With just 13 seconds left on the clock in Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals and the Celtics down, 113-111, Henderson stole a pass and ended up scoring on a layup. The basket ultimately sent the game into overtime when legendary forward Magic Johnson inexplicably dribbled out the game’s final seconds. The historic steal ignited the Celtics’ critical 124-121 win after they had dropped Game 1 of the series at home.

Forward Larry Bird later said the team might have been swept by Los Angeles if not for the timely steal. While Boston lost Game 3 of the series, it won the series in seven games to secure its 15th banner, then the most in league history.