:Tom Henderson (basketball)

{{Short description|American basketball player}}

{{other people|Tom Henderson}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}

{{Infobox basketball biography

| name = Tom Henderson

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 3

| weight_lb = 190

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1952|01|26}}

| birth_place = Newberry, South Carolina, U.S.

| high_school = DeWitt Clinton (Bronx, New York)

| college =

• San Jacinto (1970–1972)
• Hawaii (1972–1974)

| draft_round = 1

| draft_pick = 7

| draft_year = 1974

| draft_team = Atlanta Hawks

| career_start = 1974

| career_end = 1983

| career_number = 14, 6

| career_position = Point guard

| years1 = {{nbay|1974|start}}–{{nbay|1976|end}}

| team1 = Atlanta Hawks

| years2 = {{nbay|1976|end}}–{{nbay|1978|end}}

| team2 = Washington Bullets

| years3 = {{nbay|1979|start}}–{{nbay|1982|end}}

| team3 = Houston Rockets

| highlights =

• NBA champion (1978)
• Third-team All-American – AP (1974)

| stats_league = NBA

| stat1label = Points

| stat1value = 6,088 (9.4 ppg)

| stat2label = Rebounds

| stat2value = 1,494 (2.3 rpg)

| stat3label = Assists

| stat3value = 3,136 (4.8 apg)

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport | Men's basketball }}

{{MedalCountry | {{flagu|United States}} }}

{{MedalCompetition | Olympic Games }}

{{MedalSilver | 1972 Munich | Team }}

}}

Thomas Edward Henderson (born January 26, 1952) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was born in Newberry, South Carolina.

A tough-minded 6'4" guard from the University of Hawaii, Henderson was first selected by the San Antonio Spurs in the 1973 American Basketball Association undergraduate draft before being selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft.{{Cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140716135612/http://databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1973&lg=A |url=http://databasebasketball.com/draft/draftyear.htm?yr=1973&lg=A |archive-date=July 16, 2014 |url-status=usurped |title=1973 ABA Draft |website=DatabaseBasketball.com |accessdate=Dec 23, 2024}} He went on to have a productive nine-year (1974–1983) professional career in the NBA, playing for the Hawks, the Washington Bullets, and the Houston Rockets. Henderson accumulated 6,088 career points and 3,136 career assists, and he reached the NBA Finals three times, winning with the Bullets in 1978.{{cite web|url=https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/h/hendeto01.html|title=Tom Henderson career statistics|website=Basketball Reference|publisher=Sports Reference LLC|accessdate=9 March 2025}}

Since retiring from basketball, Henderson has worked as an administrator at a Houston-area juvenile facility.{{Cite web |date=2006-02-04 |title=ROCKETS: Where Are They Now? |website=NBA.com |url=http://www.nba.com/rockets/history/Where_Are_They_Now-49082-34.html |access-date=2025-01-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060204214903/http://www.nba.com/rockets/history/Where_Are_They_Now-49082-34.html |archive-date=February 4, 2006 }}

While still an amateur as a college student, Henderson was on the United States basketball team at the 1972 Summer Olympics and was part of the controversial 1972 Olympic Men's Basketball Final.

{{blockquote|The game ended, and we won. Then it ended again, and we won again.|Tom Henderson}}

{{blockquote| "They were going to keep going until they got the outcome they wanted: the Russians winning.|Jim Forbeshttp://www.sportsonearth.com/article/37265016 {{Dead link|date=March 2022}}}}

Henderson and the rest of the team have never accepted the silver medal.