James Anderson (basketball) facts for kids
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Anderson with Khimki in 2018
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| No. 23 – Al-Ula | ||||||||||||||
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| Small forward / shooting guard | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Born | March 25, 1989 El Dorado, Arkansas, U.S. |
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| High school | Junction City (Junction City, Arkansas) |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | |||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | |||||||||||||
| Career information | ||||||||||||||
| College | Oklahoma State (2007–2010) | |||||||||||||
| NBA Draft | 2010 / Round: 1 / Pick: 20th overall | |||||||||||||
| Selected by the San Antonio Spurs | ||||||||||||||
| Pro career | 2010–present | |||||||||||||
| League | SBL | |||||||||||||
| Career history | ||||||||||||||
| 2010–2012 | San Antonio Spurs | |||||||||||||
| 2011 | →Austin Toros | |||||||||||||
| 2013 | Houston Rockets | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2014 | Philadelphia 76ers | |||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Žalgiris Kaunas | |||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Sacramento Kings | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2017 | Darüşşafaka | |||||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | Khimki Moscow | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | Anadolu Efes | |||||||||||||
| 2022–2023 | Murcia | |||||||||||||
| 2023–2024 | Manisa BB | |||||||||||||
| 2024–present | Al-Ula | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | ||||||||||||||
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Medals
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James Lee Anderson (born March 25, 1989) is an American professional basketball player. He currently plays for Al-Ula in the Saudi Basketball League (SBL). James is known for his time playing college basketball at Oklahoma State University. In 2010, he was named the Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year and a top college player in America. He was chosen by the San Antonio Spurs as the 20th pick in the 2010 NBA draft.
Contents
Early Life and High School Career
James Anderson grew up in Junction City, Arkansas. He went to Junction City High School. In his senior year (2006–07), James led his team, the Dragons, to win the Arkansas Class 2A state championship. He scored an amazing 43 points in that final game!
Because of his great skills, James was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Arkansas. He was also picked for the famous McDonald's All-American and Parade All-American teams. Experts at Rivals.com thought he was a top player, ranking him as the 10th best small forward in the country in 2007.
College Basketball Journey
James decided to play college basketball at Oklahoma State University. He made a big splash right away, scoring 29 points in his very first game. This was a huge win for his team, 104–48, against Prairie View. He kept playing well, averaging 13.3 points per game. He was recognized as an honorable mention All-Big 12 player and was part of the Big 12 All-Rookie team.
As a sophomore, James got even better. His scoring average went up to 18.2 points per game. He even reached 1,000 career points in just his second year! He was also good in school, earning a spot on the Academic All-Big 12 team. He was chosen as a second-team All-Conference player.
After his second year, James got to represent the United States at the 2009 World University Games in Belgrade, Serbia. His team won the Bronze medal, which is a great achievement!
In his junior year, James became one of the best players in the Big 12 Conference. He led the conference in scoring, averaging over 24 points per game during league play. He helped his team, the Cowboys, get a good record of 9–7 in the league. At the end of the Big 12 regular season, James Anderson was named the Big 12 Player of the Year. The Sporting News also named him a first-team All-American.
Professional Basketball Career
James Anderson was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2010 NBA draft. He was the 20th player chosen overall.
NBA Experience
James played for the Spurs for a couple of seasons. He also spent some time with their minor league team, the Austin Toros, to help him recover from a foot injury and get more playing time. After leaving the Spurs, he played for the Houston Rockets and then the Philadelphia 76ers. With the 76ers, he had his best scoring game, getting 36 points in a thrilling overtime win against the Houston Rockets on November 13, 2013. He even hit a crucial three-pointer to send that game into overtime! After his time with the 76ers, he also played for the Sacramento Kings.
Playing in Europe and Beyond
After his time in the NBA, James moved to Europe to continue his professional career. He signed with Žalgiris Kaunas in Lithuania in 2014. He helped Žalgiris win the LKL championship for the fifth year in a row!
Later, he played for Darüşşafaka in Turkey (2016–2017) and Khimki in Russia (2017–2018).
One of his most successful periods was with the Turkish club Anadolu Efes. He joined them in 2018 and stayed for four seasons. During this time, he helped the team win two EuroLeague titles (in 2021 and 2022), which is one of the biggest basketball competitions in Europe. He also won two Turkish championships with them.
After Anadolu Efes, James played for UCAM Murcia in Spain (2022–2023) and Manisa BB in Turkey (2023–2024).
Most recently, in August 2024, James Anderson signed with Al-Ula in the Saudi Basketball League (SBL), continuing his long and successful professional basketball journey.
Images for kids
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Anderson with Khimki in 2018
See also
In Spanish: James Anderson (baloncestista) para niños
- 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball All-Americans
