Nick Anderson (basketball) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Nick Anderson

Anderson in 2012
Personal information
Born	(1968-01-20) January 20, 1968 (age 57) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
High school	Simeon Career Academy (Chicago, Illinois)
Listed height	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight	228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
College	Illinois (1987–1989)
NBA Draft	1989 / Round: 1 / Pick: 11th overall
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Pro career	1989–2002
Career history
1989–1999	Orlando Magic
1999–2001	Sacramento Kings
2001–2002	Memphis Grizzlies
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big Ten (1989) Second-team Parade All-American (1986) McDonald's All-American (1986) Illinois Mr. Basketball (1986) Orlando Magic Hall of Fame
Career NBA statistics
Points	11,529 (14.4 ppg)
Rebounds	4,064 (5.1 rpg)
Steals	1,114 (1.4 spg)

Nelison "Nick" Anderson (born January 20, 1968) is a former professional basketball player from the United States. He played for teams like the Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, and Memphis Grizzlies in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Nick Anderson grew up in Chicago, Illinois. He played high school basketball at Simeon Career Academy. In 1986, he was named "Illinois Mr. Basketball" after leading his team to a city championship. His team was even ranked as one of the best in the country by USA Today.

After high school, Anderson played college basketball for three years at the University of Illinois. The Orlando Magic then chose him in the 1989 NBA draft. Today, Nick works for the Orlando Magic in different roles off the court. He was also chosen for the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team" in 2004.

Nick Anderson's College Basketball Journey

Nick Anderson went to the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign for three years. He played on the team that made it to the NCAA Final Four in 1989. This team was known as the "Flyin' Illini" by famous sports announcer Dick Vitale.

Some of Anderson's teammates included Kendall Gill, Stephen Bardo, Kenny Battle, Lowell Hamilton, and Marcus Liberty. Most of these players, except Lowell Hamilton, also went on to play in the NBA.

Nick Anderson's NBA Career Highlights

Starting with the Orlando Magic

Nick Anderson left college early to join the NBA draft in 1989. He was picked 11th overall in the first round by the Orlando Magic. The Magic was a brand new team that season, so Anderson became their very first player ever chosen in the draft.

Like many new teams, the Magic started out young. Nick Anderson was one of their best players. Because they were a new team, the Magic got to pick high in the draft for several years. This helped them get amazing players like Dennis Scott in 1990, Shaquille O'Neal in 1992, and Penny Hardaway in 1993.

In his first few seasons, Anderson was the main scorer for the Magic. He led the team in points per game during the 1991–92 season. As the team got more talented players, Anderson's role changed. He still played a lot and was usually in the starting lineup. One special game was on April 23, 1993, against New Jersey. He scored a career-high 50 points, even though he came off the bench. In the 1994–95 season, Anderson made 179 three-pointers, which was the most on the team. He averaged 15.9 points per game. The Magic won 57 games that year, had the best record in the Eastern Conference, and won their first ever Atlantic Division title.

Facing Michael Jordan and the Finals

In the 1995 playoffs, the Magic played against the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan. Jordan had recently returned to basketball after trying to play baseball. He was wearing number 45 instead of his famous number 23. At the end of Game One, Anderson famously stole the ball from Jordan. This led to the game-winning basket for the Magic. After the game, Anderson said Jordan "didn't look like the old Michael Jordan." He also said "No. 45 doesn't explode like No. 23 used to." Jordan then went back to wearing his old number 23 in the next game. He scored 38 points in a Bulls win. But the Magic still won the series and made it to their first NBA Finals.

Game One of the NBA Finals was against the Houston Rockets. The Magic were ahead by three points late in the game. Anderson, who usually made about 70% of his free throws, missed four in a row. These shots could have won the game for Orlando. Soon after, Kenny Smith of the Rockets made a three-pointer, tying the game and sending it into overtime. The Rockets ended up winning that game in overtime. They eventually swept the Magic, winning their second straight NBA Championship. Because of those missed free throws, some Orlando fans started calling Anderson "Nick the Brick."

Later Career and Free Throw Struggles

After the 1995 Finals, Nick Anderson had another strong season in 1995–96. However, his season ended early due to a wrist injury in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals. After that, Anderson's career changed a lot. He suddenly had trouble shooting free throws. During the 1996–97 season, his free throw percentage dropped to a very low 40.4%. His scoring average also went down to 12.0 points per game. Because he was not reliable at the free throw line, Anderson sometimes had to sit out the end of close games.

His struggles continued into the first half of the 1997–98 season. By January 27, he was only averaging 6.5 points per game and shooting just 36.3% from the free throw line. But in the second half of that season, Anderson made a big comeback. His scoring average jumped to 22.6 points per game. His free throw percentage also improved to 67.6%, which was close to his usual average. He finished that season averaging 15.3 points per game.

Anderson played for the Magic through the 1998–99 season. After that, he was traded to the Sacramento Kings. He left Orlando as the team's all-time leading scorer. He was also the last player remaining from the Magic's original team, having played for them for ten seasons.

He played two seasons with the Sacramento Kings. He then played 21 games the next season, and 15 games in his final season with the Memphis Grizzlies.

Today, Nick Anderson works for the Orlando Magic in their community relations department. He also works as a commentator for Fox Sports Florida. He appears on the Magic's pre-game, halftime, and post-game shows.

Nick Anderson's Awards and Recognition

High School Honors

• 1986 – IHSA 1st Team All-State
• 1986 – Parade Magazine 2nd Team All-American
• 1986 – McDonald's All-American (a top high school player)
• 1986 – Illinois Mr. Basketball
• 2013 – Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame as a player.

College Honors

• 1988 – Illini Co-MVP (Most Valuable Player)
• 1988 – 2nd Team All-Big Ten
• 1988 – Honorable Mention All American
• 1989 – Illini MVP
• 1989 – 1st Team All-Big Ten
• 1989 – NCAA All-Regional Team (MOP - Most Outstanding Player)
• 1989 – Honorable Mention All American
• 1989 – First player ever drafted by the Orlando Magic.
• 2004 – Elected to the "Illini Men's Basketball All-Century Team".
• 2008 – Honored as one of the 33 honored jerseys that hang in the State Farm Center. This shows he is one of the most celebrated basketball players in the University of Illinois' history.
• 2017 – Inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame

College Statistics

University of Illinois

NBA Career Statistics

Regular Season

Playoffs

See also

In Spanish: Nick Anderson para niños