Oakland – Thousands braved the rain to honor one of the world’s greatest Major League Baseball players, Rickey Henderson, who passed away December 20th, just five days before his birthday, Christmas Day. The Oakland A’s, along with his family, friends, and fans, gathered in Oakland—his birthplace and hometown—to celebrate his life and legacy.
On the first day of Black History Month, Henderson was honored with a celebration at Oracle Arena. Former A’s players and close friends Shooty Babitt and Leon “Bip” Roberts reflected on how Henderson inspired them both on and off the field. As Bay Area natives who shared a deep love for baseball, they followed in his footsteps and spoke of his lasting impact on the sport.
Hall of Famer and former MLB player Dave Winfield also shared his memories of Henderson, highlighting their time together in the game and the profound influence Henderson had on baseball.
“I remember watching him on the field down in the minors and I took my brother with me once to see him play,” said Windfield. “I told my brother that he was tearing it up down in the minors, and [Rickey] replied, ‘I’m going to tear it up here [Majors] too!’
He made his teammates better, his teams better, and he was an all-around great player who carved out his own space in this game of baseball.”
The celebration brought out some of baseball’s greatest legends, including former manager Dusty Baker, Barry Bonds, Henderson’s former teammate Dave Stewart, as well as Mike Norris, José Canseco, Dwayne Murphy, Dennis Eckersley, Mike Davis, Carney Lansford, and Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. Also in attendance were former manager Tony La Russa, MLB executive Joe Torre, NBA Hall of Famer Gary Payton, and Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr.
