Nekeshia Henderson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nekeshia Henderson

No. 6
Guard
Personal information
Born	(1973-02-28) February 28, 1973 (age 52) Dallas, Texas, U.S.
High school	South Oak Cliff (Dallas, Texas)
Listed height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight	144 lb (65 kg)
Career information
College	Texas (1991–1995)
Career history
?	San Jose Lasers
?	Colorado Xplosion
1998	BK Klosterneuburg
1999	Elitzur Holon
2001	Houston Comets
Medals Representing  United States Jones Cup Bronze 1993 Taipei Team Competition

Nekeshia Shiondrail Henderson (born February 28, 1973) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. She played as a guard, a position where players handle the ball and help set up plays. Nekeshia played for the Houston Comets in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Before that, she played college basketball at the University of Texas. She also played for teams like the San Jose Lasers and Colorado Xplosion in the American Basketball League (ABL).

Early Life and College Basketball

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. This was at the University of Texas from 1991 to 1995. She played in 96 games and started 64 of them. During her college career, she scored about 12 points per game. She also grabbed almost 4 rebounds and made nearly 5 assists per game.

In 1992, she was named the Freshman of the Year in the Southwest Conference. She also earned First Team All-Southwest Conference honors. In 1995, she was recognized again as Second Team All-SWC. For the 1994–95 season, her team named her the Most Valuable Player (MVP). Nekeshia earned a college degree in applied learning and development.

Professional Basketball Career

Nekeshia Henderson played for several professional teams. She started her career in the ABL before joining the WNBA.

Playing for the San Jose Lasers and Colorado Xplosion

Nekeshia began her professional journey in the ABL. She played for the San Jose Lasers. Later, she joined the Colorado Xplosion. She signed with the Colorado Xplosion in December 1996.

Time with the Houston Comets

In 1997, Nekeshia joined the Houston Comets of 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 after the 1997 season ended.

After playing basketball overseas for a few years, Nekeshia planned to return to the WNBA. But she suffered a serious knee injury. She tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) before the 2000 season began. Even with the injury, the Comets signed her on May 1, 2000. She spent that entire season on the injured list.

Nekeshia finally made her WNBA debut on May 28, 2001. In her first game, the Comets lost to the Los Angeles Sparks by a close score of 63-66. Nekeshia recorded 4 rebounds and 3 assists in that game. After that first loss, the Comets went on an amazing 9-game winning streak. They had a great start with 9 wins and only 1 loss in their first 10 games. The second half of the season was tougher for the team. They lost 12 of their last 22 games. They finished the season with 19 wins and 13 losses.

Nekeshia played in 23 games for the Comets in 2001. Her team won 14 of those 23 games. On average, she scored 1.1 points, grabbed 0.9 rebounds, and made 1.0 assists per game. The Comets made it to the playoffs that year. However, they were swept by the Los Angeles Sparks in the first round.

The Comets waived Nekeshia on May 22, 2002. This was just five days before the 2002 season started. She did not play in the WNBA again after that. Her final game was on August 20, 2001. This was Game 2 of the 2001 playoff series against the Sparks. The Comets lost that game 58-70. Nekeshia played for only 1 minute and did not record any stats.

Playing Overseas

After her first time with the Houston Comets in 1997, Nekeshia played basketball overseas. She played in the 1997–98 Ronchetti Cup. This was with BK Klosterneuburg, a team from Austria. She also played in the 1998–99 Ronchetti Cup. For this, she joined Elitzur Holon, a team from the Israeli Female Basketball Premier League.

National Team Experience

Nekeshia Henderson also played for USA Basketball. She was a member of the 1993 Jones Cup Team. This team won the Bronze medal in Taipei.

Career Statistics

WNBA Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

College Statistics