Tragedy strikes the baseball world! The Man, The Myth, The Legend, who everyone knew as MLB’s Stolen Base King, Rickey Henderson, passed away on Friday. Well, he took his last breath in Oakland, California, at the age of 65. The cause? A hard-fought battle with pneumonia. He would’ve turned 66 this Christmas. Sure enough, even the NBA community was left heartbroken following the passing of the Bay Area legend as an emotional Steve Kerr paid homage to Henderson, even comparing him to LeBron James.

Addressing Henderson’s passing, Kerr said during today’s presser, “I want to offer our condolences from the Warriors to Rickey Henderson’s family. Shocking news today. Rickey – Bay Area legend, Oakland Tech, obviously, 14 years with the A’s, World Series champ. One of the all-time great baseball players. I think one of the all-time great athletes in the history of our country.” Yes, Rickey was a legend of the game, who stole a record 1,406 bases during his Hall of Fame career and made ten All-Star teams.

Moreover, when he played, everyone left whatever they were doing and just watched, and Kerr revealed what it was like witnessing the Rickey Henderson experience: “Ah, one of a kind. It’s like watching Bo Jackson or LeBron (James) or you know just one of those guys who was not human. He didn’t look like the rest of us… Such a unique athlete, player, personality.” Although Rickey was born in Chicago, he moved to Oakland at a very early age. Little did anyone know that he would turn into a sporting legend of the area one day.

Well, he started his journey as a triple-sport athlete playing for the Oakland Technical High School. As fate would have it, Rickey Henderson was drafted by the A’s in the fourth round of the 1976 Major League Baseball draft. And the legend’s fondest memories came with the Oakland-based franchise as he spent 14 seasons with the team during four different times in his career.

“Gold standard” Rickey Henderson’s passing leaves Steve Kerr “sad” while wife Pamela makes a heartfelt statement

Obviously, Henderson made a lot of connections in the Bay Area, having spent most of his life there. And the Warriors’ HC even addressed how his passing has affected the people in the Warriors franchise as well: “Yeah, we are all very sad today. We got people in our organization who were close with him, with Rickey, and yeah, it’s very surprising news and very sad at such a young age.”

Henderson had one of the most exuberant personalities the sport had ever seen. Not only was he a great player, but he was also oozing with aura as he loved referring to himself in the third person! “Nothing is impossible for Rickey… You don’t have enough fingers and toes to count out Rickey.” That’s why people loved him.

Commissioner Rob Manfred crowned him with the ‘most accomplished’ athlete of all time title, while also penning, “For multiple generations of baseball fans, Rickey Henderson was the gold standard of base stealing and leadoff hitting.” Henderson hung his boots and bat with a career .820 OPS, which included 297 homers, and lifetime .279 batting average, and a .401 on-base percentage.

Moreover, he had unlimited passion for the game, as his wife Pamela highlighted in her statement after Rickey’s passing, “A legend on and off the field, Rickey was a devoted son, dad, friend, grandfather, brother, uncle, and a truly humble soul. Rickey lived his life with integrity, and his love for baseball was paramount. Now, Rickey is at peace with the Lord, cherishing the extraordinary moments and achievements he leaves behind.”

The sporting world lost a beloved legend this week. But Rickey will always be remembered for the legacy he left and the impact he had not only in baseball but across sports. Rest in Peace, Man of Steal.