BIO: Bakari Hendrix was born in Portland, Oregon (USA).

NBL EXPERIENCE

Bakari Hendrix made his NBL debut with the South Dragons at 30 years of age. He scored six points in his first game.

With Shane Heal now in place as player-coach, the South Dragons entered their second season having made several roster changes. Frank Drmic, Kavossy Franklin, and Rosell Ellis departed, replaced by Cortez Groves (via Wollongong), Nick Horvath (via Adelaide), and Luke Martin (via Cairns)

On April 11, 2007, Nick Horvath signed a two-year deal with the South Dragons. With Horvath applying for New Zealand citizenship, the Dragons planned to have him become a naturalised player mid-season—allowing them to add an additional import once his status changed

Horvath (12.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) performed well across the first six games, but despite his solid play, the Dragons stumbled out of the gate, dropping their first six contests—including a one-point loss to Brisbane and a three-point heartbreaker against Melbourne

Horvath was then deactivated from the roster to make way for new import Bakari Hendrix. He continued to train with the team daily and remained under contract, with the expectation he would become naturalised and re-join the squad—but delays in the citizenship process meant he never returned to the active lineup

Hendrix arrived and, although relatively quiet in his debut, helped spark the team’s best stretch of the season. His first game was also the team’s first win—a 102-90 victory over New Zealand. He followed that up with 19 points and 7 rebounds in a 115-108 win over Wollongong, a 34-point outing in a narrow 103-97 loss to Townsville, and 24 points and 7 rebounds in a 106-95 win over Townsville. After starting the season 0-6, the Dragons produced a 4-3 record during Hendrix’s first seven games

That brief resurgence proved to be the team’s peak. The Dragons soon crashed back to earth, closing the season with 14 consecutive losses

The team’s poor form and internal instability quickly took a toll. In January, assistant coach Michelle Timms left the club, and by early February, player-coach Shane Heal was sacked after a 4-22 start to the season. Assistant Guy Molloy took over coaching duties for the remainder of the year

Hendrix (18.9 points and 6.8 rebounds) led the team in scoring. Cortez Groves (18.3 points, 2.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.2 steals) anchored the backcourt attack, alongside player-coach Shane Heal (15.8 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 3.9 assists). Second-year star Joe Ingles (15.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) continued his development with a strong all-around campaign. The only other bright spot came from Matthew Burston, who enjoyed a breakout year—boosting his numbers from 4.3 points and 3.1 rebounds to 11.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game

The Dragons finished dead last in the league with a 5-25 record, including a dismal 1–14 mark on the road

Bakari Hendrix played one season in the NBL. He averaged 18.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 23 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (836 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.