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Chris Andersen

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Not to be confused with Chris Anderson.
Chris Andersen
No. 1 – Denver Nuggets
PositionCenter/Power forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1978-07-07) July 7, 1978 (age 46)
Long Beach, California
NationalityUSA
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
High schoolIola HS
(Iola, Texas)
CollegeHouston,
Blinn College
NBA draft1999: Undrafted
Playing career1999–2006, 2008–present
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Chris Andersen (born July 7, 1978 in Long Beach, California), nicknamed Birdman,[1] is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, currently of Denver Nuggets. 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, but was reinstated on March 4, 2008 and re-signed by the Hornets the next day.

Andersen grew up in Iola, Texas and played one year at Blinn College after dropping out of the University of Houston. 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.

NBA

As of the end of the 2007–08 season, Andersen has appeared in 258 career games, including 8 starts, averaging 5.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.34 blocks in 16.4 minutes per game.

Slam Dunk Contest

Andersen showcased his athleticism in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2004 and 2005. Infamously, he missed his first eight attempts on his first dunk and his first five attempts on his second in 2005, drawing open laughter from the players on the sidelines and even ridicule from the TNT commentators.

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.[2] The drug which he tested positive for was not disclosed, but Andersen's suspension fell under the category of "drugs of abuse", not performance-enhancing substances or marijuana.[3] Andersen attempted to appeal the ruling through arbitration, but the arbitrator ruled to uphold his dismissal in March 2006.[3] He was eligible for reinstatement effective January 25, 2008. A Denver Post journalist called him "the most disgraced NBA player since the drug-induced haze of the 1980s".[4]

On March 4, 2008, the NBA and NBA Players Association granted Andersen's request to be reinstated as an NBA player.[5] The reinstatement was immediately effective, 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.

Return to Denver

Following the 2007-08 NBA season, Chris Andersen was released from the Hornets to free agency. Andersen agreed to sign a one-year contract with the Nuggets on July 24, 2008[6].

Personal

  • His swooping dunks, shot-blocking skills and rare athleticism for his size earned him the nickname "Birdman". 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.
  • Andersen has a large number of tattoos, mainly on his arms.

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

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 New Orleans/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
Career 258 8 16.4 .466 .000 .601 4.7 .6 .4 1.3 5.0

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
Career 5 0 6.8 .333 .000 .000 2.8 .4 .2 .4 1.2

See also

References

  1. ^ NBA.com: Chris Andersen Bio Page
  2. ^ Hornets' Andersen kicked out of NBA for drug use, ESPN.com, January 27, 2006.
  3. ^ a b Chris Sheridan, Andersen to attempt comeback after drug suspension, ESPN.com, January 25, 2008.
  4. ^ Tim Kuhls, The "Birdman" Should Get a Second Chance, The Cornell Daily Sun, February 22, 2007.
  5. ^ NBA and Players Association Reinstate Chris Andersen, NBA.com, March 4, 2008.
  6. ^ Nuggets Sign Andersen
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