Chris Andersen
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| No. 11 – Denver Nuggets | |
|---|---|
| Power forward / Center | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 7, 1978 Long Beach, California |
| Nationality | American |
| High school | Iola (Iola, Texas) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Listed weight | 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Blinn College |
| NBA Draft | 1999 / Undrafted |
| Pro career | 1999–present |
| Career history | |
| 1999–2000 | Jiangsu Nangang (China) |
| 2000–2001 | Fargo-Moorhead Beez (IBA) |
| 2001 | Fayetteville Patriots (D-League) |
| 2001–2004 | Denver Nuggets |
| 2004–2006, 2008 | New Orleans / Oklahoma City Hornets |
| 2008–present | Denver Nuggets |
Chris Andersen (born July 7, 1978) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association. Nicknamed "Birdman",[1] the 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), 228 lb (103 kg; 16.3 st) center/power forward received a two year ban from the NBA in 2006 for violating the league's drug policy,[2] but was reinstated on March 4, 2008, and re-signed by the Hornets the next day.
Andersen was born in Long Beach, California, grew up in Iola, Texas, and played one year at Blinn College. He went undrafted in the 1999 NBA Draft and began his professional career in the Chinese Basketball League, and has played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Hornets.
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[edit] NBA Development League
Andersen was the first overall pick in the 2001 NBDL Draft and played one season with the Fayetteville Patriots.
[edit] NBA
[edit] Slam Dunk Contest
Andersen appeared in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2004 and 2005, finishing 2nd and 4th (out of 4), respectively.[3]
[edit] Expulsion and reinstatement
On January 25, 2006, Andersen was disqualified from the NBA for violating the league's anti-drug policy by testing positive for a banned substance.[4] Andersen's suspension fell under the league's category of "drugs of abuse," violation of which is possible grounds for expulsion from the NBA under the league's collective bargaining agreement.[5] Andersen attempted to appeal the ruling through arbitration, but the arbitrator ruled to uphold his dismissal in March 2006.[5] He was eligible for reinstatement effective January 25, 2008.[6]
On March 4, 2008, the NBA and NBA Players Association granted Andersen's request to be reinstated as an NBA player.[7] The reinstatement was effective immediately, and the rights to his services belonged to his former team, the New Orleans Hornets, who signed him to a contract on March 5, 2008. On March 25, 2008, in a game against the Indiana Pacers, he played for the first time in an NBA game since being banned.
[edit] Return to Denver
Following the 2007–08 NBA season, Andersen was released by the Hornets. Andersen signed a one-year contract with the Nuggets on July 24, 2008.[8] Andersen finished the season 2nd in the league in blocks per game at 2.42 per contest, despite a mere 20.5 minutes of playtime per game. His 5.68 blocks per 48 minutes played was the best in the NBA.
On July 8, 2009, Andersen and the Nuggets agreed on a five-year contract that could be worth up to $26 million. In order to help the Nuggets financially, the deal is backloaded and will pay Andersen $3.7 million in 2010–11.
[edit] Personal
His trademark has been his "Birdman" celebration, wherein he would cross his arms and flap his hands like the wings of a bird after scoring on an emphatic dunk or blocking a shot. He is known for brightly colored tattoos on his arms, chest, neck, back, hands and legs. He showed off those tattoos in PETA's "Ink Not Mink" ad campaign, appearing naked to protest the fur industry.[9]
[edit] NBA career statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
[edit] Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Denver | 24 | 1 | 10.9 | .338 | .000 | .786 | 3.2 | .3 | .3 | 1.2 | 3.0 |
| 2002–03 | Denver | 59 | 3 | 15.4 | .400 | .000 | .550 | 4.6 | .5 | .5 | 1.0 | 5.2 |
| 2003–04 | Denver | 71 | 0 | 14.5 | .443 | .000 | .589 | 4.2 | .5 | .5 | 1.6 | 3.4 |
| 2004–05 | New Orleans | 67 | 2 | 21.3 | .534 | .000 | .689 | 6.1 | 1.1 | .2 | 1.5 | 7.7 |
| 2005–06 | NO/Oklahoma City | 32 | 2 | 17.8 | .571 | .000 | .476 | 4.8 | .2 | .2 | 1.3 | 5.0 |
| 2007–08 | New Orleans | 5 | 0 | 6.8 | .286 | .000 | .500 | 1.8 | .0 | .0 | .8 | 1.2 |
| 2008–09 | Denver | 71 | 1 | 20.6 | .548 | .200 | .718 | 6.2 | .4 | .6 | 2.5 | 6.4 |
| 2009–10 | Denver | 76 | 0 | 22.3 | .566 | .000 | .695 | 6.4 | .4 | .6 | 1.9 | 5.9 |
| 2010–11 | Denver | 45 | 0 | 16.3 | .599 | .000 | .637 | 4.9 | .4 | .5 | 1.3 | 5.6 |
| Career | 450 | 9 | 18.0 | .506 | .087 | .644 | 5.3 | .5 | .4 | 1.6 | 5.4 |
[edit] Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Denver | 5 | 0 | 6.8 | .333 | .000 | .000 | 2.8 | .4 | .2 | .4 | 1.2 |
| 2008–09 | Denver | 15 | 0 | 21.9 | .630 | .000 | .659 | 6.3 | .6 | .3 | 2.1 | 6.5 |
| 2009–10 | Denver | 6 | 0 | 19.3 | .529 | .000 | .643 | 4.5 | .2 | .2 | 1.0 | 4.5 |
| 2010–11 | Denver | 5 | 0 | 14.6 | .636 | .000 | .714 | 2.8 | .6 | .6 | 1.4 | 4.8 |
| Career | 31 | 0 | 17.8 | .582 | .000 | .667 | 4.8 | .5 | .3 | 1.5 | 5.0 |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ NBA.com: Chris Andersen Bio Page
- ^ - "Hornets' Andersen kicked out of NBA for drug use"
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/080415
- ^ Hornets' Andersen kicked out of NBA for drug use, ESPN.com, January 27, 2006.
- ^ a b Associated Press, [1], ESPN.com, January 25, 2008.
- ^ Tim Kuhls, The "Birdman" Should Get a Second Chance, The Cornell Daily Sun, February 22, 2007.
- ^ NBA and Players Association Reinstate Chris Andersen, NBA.com, March 4, 2008.
- ^ Nuggets Sign Andersen
- ^ "Nuggets Center Chris Andersen Stands Tall for PETA," The Denver Post 30 November 2011.
[edit] External links
- Chris Andersen at NBA.com
- Chris Andersen at Basketball-Reference.com
- Chris Andersen's Career Story – ESPN.com
- Chris Andersen's Birdman Basketball Camp
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- 1978 births
- Living people
- American expatriate basketball people in China
- American sportspeople in doping cases
- Basketball players from California
- Basketball players from Texas
- Blinn College alumni
- Centers (basketball)
- Denver Nuggets players
- Doping cases in basketball
- Junior college men's basketball players in the United States
- New Orleans Hornets players
- People from Long Beach, California
- People from Grimes County, Texas
- Power forwards (basketball)
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
- Fayetteville Patriots players
