Nekeshia Henderson facts for kids
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| Born | February 28, 1973 Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
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| High school | South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas) | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 144 lb (65 kg) | ||||||||||
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| College | Texas (1991–1995) | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| ? | San Jose Lasers | ||||||||||
| ? | Colorado Xplosion | ||||||||||
| 1998 | BK Klosterneuburg | ||||||||||
| 1999 | Elitzur Holon | ||||||||||
| 2001 | Houston Comets | ||||||||||
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Nekeshia Shiondrail Henderson is a former American professional basketball player. She was born on February 28, 1973. Nekeshia was a talented guard who played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Houston Comets. Before joining the WNBA, she played college basketball at the University of Texas for the Texas Longhorns. She also played for teams in another league called the ABL.
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Nekeshia Henderson's Early Life and College Career
Nekeshia Henderson grew up in Dallas, Texas. She went to South Oak Cliff High School there.
After high school, Nekeshia played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns at the University of Texas. She played from 1991 to 1995. During her time in college, she played in 96 games and started 64 of them. She was a great player, averaging about 12 points, almost 4 rebounds, and nearly 5 assists per game.
Nekeshia received many awards in college. In 1992, she was named the Freshman of the Year in the Southwest Conference. She also earned First Team All-Southwest Conference honors that year. In 1995, she was recognized again with Second Team All-Southwest Conference honors. For the 1994–95 season, her team named her the Most Valuable Player (MVP). She earned a college degree in applied learning and development.
Nekeshia Henderson's Professional Basketball Journey
Playing for the San Jose Lasers and Colorado Xplosion
Nekeshia started her professional basketball career in the American Basketball League (ABL). She played for two teams: the San Jose Lasers and the Colorado Xplosion. She joined the Colorado Xplosion in December 1996.
Time with the Houston Comets
In 1997, Nekeshia joined the Houston Comets in the WNBA. She was part of their developmental squad as a shooting guard. However, she did not play in any official games that season. She was released from the team shortly after the 1997 season ended.
After playing basketball overseas for a few years, Nekeshia planned to return to the WNBA. Unfortunately, she suffered a serious knee injury, tearing her anterior cruciate ligament, before the 2000 season began. Even with the injury, the Comets signed her on May 1, 2000. She spent the entire 2000 season on the injured list, recovering from her injury.
Nekeshia finally made her WNBA debut on May 28, 2001. In her first game, the Comets played against the Los Angeles Sparks. It was a very close game, but the Comets lost 63-66. Nekeshia played and recorded 4 rebounds and 3 assists in that game.
Even though they lost their first game, the Comets went on an amazing winning streak. They won 9 games in a row from May 31 to June 27, giving them a strong 9-1 record early in the season. The second half of their season was a bit tougher, and they ended with a record of 19 wins and 13 losses. Nekeshia played in 23 games for the team that season.
The Comets made it to the playoffs in 2001. However, they were defeated by the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. Nekeshia played in the playoffs, but her team was swept, meaning they lost all their games in the series.
Nekeshia was released by the Comets on May 22, 2002, just five days before the 2002 season started. She did not play in the WNBA again after that. Her last professional game was on August 20, 2001, during the 2001 playoff series against the Sparks.
Playing Overseas: Austria and Israel
After her first time with the Houston Comets in 1997, Nekeshia played basketball in other countries. In the 1997–98 season, she played for BK Klosterneuburg, a team from Austria. She competed with them in a European tournament called the Ronchetti Cup.
The next season, 1998–99, she played for Elitzur Holon. This team is from the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League. She also played in the Ronchetti Cup with this team.
Representing Her Country: National Team Career
Nekeshia Henderson also played for USA Basketball, representing the United States. In 1993, she was part of the Jones Cup Team. This team won the Bronze medal in a competition held in Taipei.
