YouTube Gold: Gerald Henderson’s Immortal Moment
Gerald Sr., that is
Duke fans are of course familiar with Gerald Henderson; after all he played for Duke for three seasons, much of it spectacular. Who can forget his massive, angry dunk at Maryland?
Talk about emotional plays.
Yet when he came to Duke, he came as Gerald Jr.
His father, Gerald Sr., played at VCU and was a solid though not spectacular NBA guard.
He had to move up from the Tucson Gunners, catching on with the Boston Celtics just as the Larry Bird was about to begin.
In 1984, the team had been rebuilt around Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. But Henderson was a key player at guard and never more so than in the 1984 playoffs.
Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers were in Boston for Game 2.
The Lakers were in position to win with the score tied late when Henderson intercepted a James Worthy pass and hit a layup. He later said that he could hear Johnny Most saying “Henderson stole the ball! Henderson stole the ball!” - as he did when John Havlicek made a similar steal two decades earlier.
It’s a moment that will live forever in Celtics lore.