Cedric Henderson (October 3, 1965 – April 1, 2023) was an American professional basketball player who briefly played in the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA).

Career

Henderson went to school in

Lithia Springs, Georgia Lithia Springs () is an unincorporated community and census-designated place, formerly incorporated as a city, located in northeastern Douglas County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the community had a population of 16,644. The ...

, then played basketball in Jefferson City, Tennessee, before transferring to Marietta High School. In 1984, he ranked among the nation's top high school basketball prospects. He verbally committed himself to play college basketball at

Louisville Louisville is the most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeast, and the 27th-most-populous city in the United States. By land area, it is the country's 24th-largest city; however, by populatio ...

, but then went to Carson-Newman College, before it was found out that he had not graduated from high school. He attended an international-studies program in Jamaica and finally graduated from an alternative high school in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

. A 6'8" forward, Henderson then joined the

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

, making his debut in December 1984. In the 1984–85 season, he led the Bulldogs in scoring (15.5 points per game), rebounding (7.1 per game) and blocks (1.1 per game). Henderson kicked off his professional career in Italy, playing for

Olimpia Milano Pallacanestro Olimpia Milano, commonly known as Olimpia Milano or as EA7 Emporio Armani Milan after its title sponsor, is an LBA Italian professional basketball team, based in Milan, Italy. Its colors are white and red, and the team is sometimes ...

. He won the Italian championship as well as the Italian cup competition with Milano. He was selected by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

in the second round of the 1986 NBA draft. He split the 1986-87 NBA season with the Hawks and

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, averaging 1.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 8 games. In 1986–87, he played for CBA's

Albany Patroons The Albany Patroons are a professional basketball team that plays in The Basketball League (TBL). Previously, the team competed in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) and in the United States Basketball League (USBL). The Patroons won ...

before moving to France, where he inked a deal with

Olympique Antibes Olympique Antibes, in full ''Olympique d'Antibes Juan-les-Pins'' and branded as Antibes Sharks, is a basketball club from the city of Antibes, France. Established in 1933, the club's men's senior team currently plays in LNB Pro B, the French seco ...

. In the same season, Henderson saw action 24 games for CBA's Quad City Thunder. In 1988, he was a member of the Jacksonville Hooters in the

United States Basketball League The United States Basketball League (USBL) was a professional men's spring basketball league. The league was formed in 1985 and ceased operations in 2008. The USBL started in 1985 as one of the first basketball leagues to play a late-spring to ...

. In 1990, he started a three-year stint with

Chorale Roanne Basket Chorale Roanne Basket is a professional basketball club that is based in Roanne, France. The club plays in the first division LNB Pro A. Their home arena is Halle André Vacheresse. The club was founded in 1937 and the team's colors are blue and w ...

of France. After returning to the US, he rejoined the Quad City Thunder. In 1993–94, he was a member of the Thunder squad that won the CBA championship under coach Dan Panaggio. Henderson died on April 1, 2023, at the age of 57.

References

External links

NBA career stats
1965 births 2023 deaths Albany Patroons players American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Italy American men's basketball players Atlanta Hawks draft picks Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from Marietta, Georgia Georgia Bulldogs basketball players Milwaukee Bucks players Olimpia Milano players Power forwards Quad City Thunder players 20th-century American sportsmen {{1960s-US-basketball-bio-stub