Kyle Anderson (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Kyle Anderson

Anderson with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021
No. 2 – Utah Jazz
Power forward / small forward
Personal information
Born	(1993-09-20) September 20, 1993 (age 31) New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American / Chinese
High school	Paterson Catholic (Paterson, New Jersey) St. Anthony (Jersey City, New Jersey)
Listed height	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)
Listed weight	230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
College	UCLA (2012–2014)
NBA Draft	2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 30th overall
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Pro career	2014–present
League	NBA
Career history
2014–2018	San Antonio Spurs
2014–2015	→Austin Spurs
2018–2022	Memphis Grizzlies
2022–2024	Minnesota Timberwolves
2024–2025	Golden State Warriors
2025	Miami Heat
2025–present	Utah Jazz
Career highlights and awards
Third-team All-American – AP, SN (2014) First-team All-Pac-12 (2014) Second-team All-Pac-12 (2013) Pac-12 tournament MOP (2014) McDonald's All-American (2012) First-team Parade All-American (2012)

Kyle Forman Anderson, born on September 20, 1993, is a professional basketball player. He plays for the Utah Jazz in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Kyle is also known by his Chinese name, Li Kai'er (李凯尔).

He was born in the United States and played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. After being recognized as an All-American in his second year of college (2013–14), he joined the 2014 NBA draft. The San Antonio Spurs picked him in the first round as the 30th overall player.

Kyle is nicknamed "Slow Mo" because of his calm and thoughtful playing style. He learned to handle the ball like a point guard when he was young. But his height also allowed him to play as a forward. In high school, Kyle led his teams to win two state championships in New Jersey. He was named the state's best player in his senior year.

As a college freshman at UCLA, he was named to the second-team all-conference in the Pac-12. He mostly played as a forward. The next season, he switched to point guard. He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Pac-12 tournament. This helped the Bruins win their first conference tournament title in six years.

Kyle played four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs. Then he joined the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018. After four seasons with the Grizzlies, he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2023, Kyle became a Chinese citizen. He played for the Chinese national team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Kyle's Early Life and Basketball Start

Kyle Anderson was born on September 20, 1993, in New York City. He grew up in New Jersey, first in North Bergen and then in Fairview. He went to his first basketball camp when he was only three years old.

Kyle's father played basketball in college and coached high school teams for many years. He trained Kyle to be a point guard. Even though Kyle was tall, his father didn't want him to only play close to the basket. He wanted Kyle to be a versatile player. Kyle played with older kids on Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams. He was often the smallest player, which helped him develop great point guard skills early on. He learned to pass to his taller teammates.

High School Basketball Success

Kyle started his high school basketball career at Paterson Catholic High School. He had the skills of a point guard, but because he was 6-foot-5-inch (1.96 m) tall, coaches often played him on the side or near the basket. After two years, Paterson Catholic High School closed. Kyle then moved to St. Anthony High School.

Overall, Kyle had an amazing high school record of 119 wins and only 6 losses as a four-year starter. At St. Anthony, his team had a perfect record of 65 wins and 0 losses in his two years there. When St. Anthony won its second straight New Jersey Tournament of champions title, Kyle was the team's third-highest scorer with 14 points.

His coach, Bob Hurley, said Kyle was the team's "heart and soul." For that season, Kyle led his team in scoring (14.7 points per game), rebounding (6.5 per game), assists (3.9 per game), and blocked shots (2.0 per game). The Star-Ledger newspaper named him their state boys basketball Player of the Year.

Kyle also received national awards. He was a Parade All-American and a McDonald's All-American. He was also invited to play in special games like the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit. Even with all this praise, his coach said Kyle was "unassuming," meaning he stayed humble. His family helped him stay balanced.

Kyle, who was 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) tall, was often listed as a small forward. But he still thought of himself as a point guard. Experts ranked him as one of the top recruits in 2012. Coach Hurley said Kyle's best skill was his passing.

College Basketball Journey at UCLA

Anderson dunks against Oregon during the 2014 Pac-12 tournament

On September 19, 2011, Kyle decided to go to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He wanted to play Division I basketball for the Bruins. He chose UCLA partly because their coach, Ben Howland, was known for helping point guards succeed in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Kyle and another top player, Shabazz Muhammad, were the best players in UCLA's new group of recruits. Coach Howland mostly had Kyle play away from the ball, while Larry Drew II was the main ball handler. Kyle played mostly as a power forward. In his first season (2012–13), he averaged 9.7 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 3.5 assists. He led the team in rebounding. He was also the only player in the Pac-12 conference to be in the top 10 for both rebounds and assists. He was the first Pac-12 player since Bill Walton in 1973–74 to have at least 300 rebounds and 100 assists in one season. Kyle was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.

Kyle decided to return to UCLA for his second season (2013–14), which he and his family thought would be his last in college. He worked on improving his shooting during the break. The new Bruins coach, Steve Alford, moved Kyle back to his natural position as a point guard. Under Coach Alford's new offense, Kyle played with more confidence and showed a better jump shot.

On November 22, 2013, Kyle had an amazing game with 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. This was UCLA's first triple-double since 1995. On November 29, UCLA won the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational tournament. Kyle was named the tournament's MVP.

Anderson in 2014

Kyle averaged 14.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game that season. He was called "the nation's top triple-double threat." He led his team in both rebounds and assists and was voted the team's most valuable player (MVP). He was also third in the Pac-12 in rebounds and steals (1.8) per game. Kyle was the first player in Pac-12 history to get 200 rebounds and 200 assists in a season. His shooting improved a lot from his freshman year.

The Associated Press and Sporting News named Kyle a third-team All-American. He was also voted to the All-Pac-12 first team.

Professional Basketball Career

San Antonio Spurs (2014–2018)

Anderson with the San Antonio Spurs in 2017

On April 16, 2014, Kyle Anderson announced he would leave college early to join the 2014 NBA draft. Some people thought his playing style might not work well in the NBA because he wasn't super fast. Many teams thought he would play as a power forward.

Kyle was picked in the first round as the 30th overall player by the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs had just won the NBA championship. On July 12, 2014, he signed with the Spurs. He joined them for the Las Vegas Summer League.

In his first NBA season (2014–15), Kyle was the only new player on the Spurs team. The Spurs often rested their main players, which gave Kyle a chance to play. He made his NBA debut in the fourth game of the season. He played 31 minutes and showed his skills with eight rebounds, four assists, and two steals. On December 10, Kyle made his first NBA start and scored nine points. He continued to get playing time when starting small forward Kawhi Leonard was injured.

During his first year, he also played many games for the Austin Spurs in the NBA Development League. He was named the D-League Performer of the Week in February. He also won the NBA Development League Player of the Month for February.

Kyle played for the Spurs in the 2015 NBA Summer League again. He averaged 21.0 points and 6.0 rebounds and was named the league's MVP. He became a regular player for San Antonio in the 2015–16 season, playing in 78 games. On March 28, 2016, he had 13 points, seven assists, and four steals. He also had a career-high 11 rebounds in another game. In the last game of the regular season, he got his first double-double in the NBA with 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Kyle played 72 games in the 2016–17 season. The Spurs were eliminated from the playoffs. Kyle scored a season-high 20 points in the last game. That summer, he worked on his shooting and getting in shape. He wanted to be light enough to play guard or small forward, but also strong enough for power forward.

When Kawhi Leonard was injured, Kyle started the 2017–18 season as a starter. On November 20, 2017, he had 13 points and a career-high 10 assists. On December 3, Kyle injured his left knee. He missed eight games but returned to action. In March 2018, he moved to power forward as the Spurs used a smaller lineup. Kyle made 67 starts that season. He ended the season with career highs in minutes (26.7 per game), points (7.9), rebounds (5.4), assists (2.7), and steals (1.6).

Memphis Grizzlies (2018–2022)

After the 2017–18 season, Kyle became a free agent. He signed a four-year deal with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spurs decided not to match the offer. The Grizzlies were very interested in Kyle because of his ball-handling and playmaking skills.

On November 10, 2018, Kyle had eight points and a career-high 13 rebounds in a win against the Philadelphia 76ers. He had another game with 13 rebounds right after that. In January 2019, he missed two weeks with an ankle injury. He then had shoulder surgery in April. Doctors removed his top rib to help nerves in his right hand. This meant he had to learn to shoot again.

Kyle was still recovering from shoulder surgery at the start of the 2019–20 season. But his recovery went well. Under the new Grizzlies coach, Taylor Jenkins, Kyle played as both a starter and a reserve. He played as a small forward, power forward, and even center.

In the 2020–21 season, Kyle started strong with double-digit rebounds in his first two games. He had a career-high 14 rebounds and tied his personal best with 20 points against Atlanta. In the next game, he had career highs of 28 points and four 3-pointers in a win against the Brooklyn Nets. This was the first time he scored at least 20 points in two games in a row. On May 10, 2021, he had a career-high four blocks. This helped Memphis secure a spot in the play-in tournament. Kyle started a team-high 69 games that season, mostly at power forward. He also greatly improved his 3-point shooting. In the Grizzlies' first play-in game, he tied his career high with four blocks. In their first playoff game, he set a Memphis team record with six steals.

Kyle moved to the bench in the 2021–22 season. On March 3, 2022, he had a career-high six steals against the Boston Celtics. In the first round of the 2022 playoffs, he started Game 3 against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was the main defender against Karl-Anthony Towns.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2022–2024)

On July 8, 2022, Kyle Anderson signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. On December 9, he scored 15 points and had a season-high 12 assists in a win against the Utah Jazz.

On April 9, 2023, during a game against the New Orleans Pelicans, Kyle had a disagreement with his teammate, Rudy Gobert. Gobert hit Kyle after they talked, and Gobert was sent off the court. In his first season with the Timberwolves, Kyle averaged 9.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game.

Golden State Warriors (2024–2025)

On July 6, 2024, Kyle was traded to the Golden State Warriors. This was part of a big six-team trade, which was the first of its kind in the NBA.

Miami Heat (2025)

On February 6, 2025, Kyle was traded to the Miami Heat. This was part of a five-team trade that also involved Jimmy Butler going to the Warriors.

Utah Jazz (2025–present)

On July 7, 2025, Kyle Anderson was traded to the Utah Jazz. This was a three-team trade that also included the Los Angeles Clippers.

Playing for the National Team

Kyle Anderson participated in training camps for USA Basketball when he was younger. In 2012, he played for the USA Basketball Junior National Select Team. This team featured the best American high school seniors playing against international players.

In 2023, Kyle said he would think about playing for the Chinese national team. On July 24, 2023, the Chinese Basketball Association announced that he had become a Chinese citizen. He then played for China in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Kyle's Unique Playing Style

Anderson is nicknamed "Slow Mo" after his deliberate style.

When Kyle left high school, people thought he could play almost any position on the court, from point guard to power forward. Some even compared him to basketball legend Magic Johnson. Kyle's high school coach, Bob Hurley, said, "I think he's a modern-day Magic Johnson." He believed Kyle should play point guard because he helps everyone get shots.

The Seattle Times called Kyle the "Most versatile player in years in the Pac-12." In 2014, SI.com said he "Might be the most versatile player in the country." It's rare for a player as tall as Kyle (6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m)) with such a long wingspan (7 feet 3 inches (2.21 m)) to be trusted to lead a college team's offense. He is a special talent because he can play close to the basket against smaller defenders. He also has the ball-handling skills to run the offense from the top of the court. He can play both inside and outside, and direct the offense as a point guard or a point forward.

Kyle is one of the best rebounding guards in college basketball. He is a rare point guard who can grab the ball and start a fast break all by himself. Opponents often find him very difficult to guard.

Kyle plays at a calm and steady pace. He is not as fast as some other very athletic players. His coach, Gregg Popovich, said he is "not what you’d call a typical NBA athlete." However, Kyle is praised for his high basketball IQ, meaning he is very smart about the game. He can change his speed and fake out opponents to keep them guessing. His calm style earned him the nickname "Slow Mo" when he was in eighth grade, and the name has stayed with him.

His defense used to be seen as a weakness. In college, his teams often played zone because he struggled to guard smaller, faster players in man-to-man. But his defense improved with the Spurs in 2017–18. He used his long arms and good instincts to guard both forward positions. When guarding faster small forwards, he uses his strength to keep them off balance.

Career Statistics

NBA Regular Season

NBA Playoffs

College Statistics

Awards and Achievements

NBA

• Las Vegas Summer League MVP (2015)
• All-NBA Las Vegas Summer League First Team (2015)

Anderson holding the 2014 Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player award

College

• Associated Press third-team All-American (2014)
• Sporting News third-team All-American (2014)
• First-team All-Pac-12 (2014)
• NABC first-team All-District 20 (2014)
• USBWA first-team All-District IX (2014)
• UCLA Most Valuable Player (2014)
• Pac-12 tournament Most Outstanding Player (2014)
• Las Vegas Invitational Most Valuable Player (2014)
• Second-team All-Pac-12 (2013)
• Pac-12 All-Freshman team (2013)

Anderson with St. Anthony in 2011

High School

• The Star-Ledger New Jersey Player of the Year (2012)
• 2× New Jersey Tournament of champions (2011–2012)
• 2× New Jersey Non-Public B state title (2011–2012)
• First-team Parade All-American (2012)
• McDonald's All-American (2012)
• Jordan Brand Classic (2012)

Personal Life and Family History

Kyle Anderson is the son of Kyle Sr. and Suzanne Anderson. His grandfather, Clifton Anderson, played college football at Indiana. He also played professionally in the National Football League (NFL) for two years.

Kyle's maternal grandmother grew up in Jamaica. Her father was Chinese and married a Jamaican woman. They lived in Jamaica among the Chinese Jamaicans. After learning about his family history, Kyle visited China in 2018. He met distant relatives in Shenzhen.

See also

In Spanish: Kyle Anderson para niños