Chris Andersen

Chris Andersen
Player information
Full name	Christopher Claus Andersen
Nickname	Birdman
birthday	7th July 1978 (age 42)
place of birth	Long Beach , California , USA
size	208 cm
Weight	111 kg
position	Center / Power Forward
college	Blinn College
NBA draft	1999 , undrafted
Clubs as active
1999–2000 Jiangsu Nagang 2000 New Mexico Slam 2000–2001 Fargo-Moorhead Beez 2001 Fayetteville Patriots 2001–2004 Denver Nuggets 2004–2006 New Orleans Hornets 2008 New Orleans Hornets 2008–2012 Denver Nuggets 2013–2016 Miami Heat 2016 Memphis Grizzlies 2016–2017 Cleveland Cavaliers 00000 00000     00000 00000

Christopher Claus "Chris" Andersen (born July 7, 1978 in Long Beach , California ), also known by his nickname Birdman , is a former American basketball player who was active in the NBA from 2001 to 2017 . Most recently he was under contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers .

Youth and college

Chris Andersen was born in Long Beach on July 7, 1978, but grew up in Iola, a small town in Texas . He comes from a poor background and had to spend part of his youth in a residential group . At high school, Andersen was accepted into the basketball team, after which he devoted himself entirely to this sport in the hope of receiving a college scholarship through good performance.

After high school, he was admitted to Blinn College in Brenham , where he did well for the Blinn Buccaneers . After just a year, Andersen applied for the NBA draft .

Career

Early career in China and lower tier US leagues (1999-2001)

In the 1999 NBA draft , Andersen was not drawn. However, he accepted an offer from China and now played for Jiangsu Nangang. There he played for a season until he returned to the USA to play for New Mexico Slam, which he left after only ten games to play for the Fargo Moorhead Beez. Here, too, Andersen did not last long, and he finally got into the NBA Development League , where he acted for the Fayetteville Patriots from July 2001 . But Andersen should only keep it there for a short time ...

NBA career

“... because his performances with the then New York Knicks farm team were so strong that he was finally signed by the Denver Nuggets during the 2001/02 season . Andersen wrote history: He became the first professional in NBA history to work his way up as an undrafted player through the amateur leagues to the NBA ”(from Chris Andersen's biography).

In Denver, Andersen played regularly from the bank for four years before moving to the New Orleans Hornets in 2004 . Andersen played two years for the Hornets, who temporarily played in Oklahoma City from 2005 onwards due to the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans .

On January 25, 2006, the NBA announced that it would suspend Chris Andersen with immediate effect because of prolonged and intense drug use. Both the NBA and Andersen did not disclose the substance; however, Andersen was banned for two years. On March 4, 2008, Andersen was pardoned by the NBA and signed a new contract with the Hornets. From summer 2008 he played again for the Denver Nuggets for four years until 2012. At the side of players like Chauncey Billups , Carmelo Anthony or JR Smith , an old colleague from New Orleans, Andersen and the Nuggets managed to reach the playoffs every season.

In January 2013, after being a free agent for half a year , Andersen signed a contract with the Miami Heat until the end of the season . He quickly established himself as a substitute and had a large share in winning the championship with strong performances in the playoffs. In the summer of 2013, Andersen signed a new one-year contract in Miami. And although he had to admit defeat in the following season in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs , he signed another one-year contract with the Heat in the summer of 2014, since he has meanwhile also become a crowd-pleaser. In the 2014/15 season, the first year since the departure of the exceptional player LeBron James , the Heat played an average season and ultimately missed the playoffs. Andersen started 20 times, more than in his entire NBA career.

During the 2015/16 NBA season , Andersen was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies . There he was used as a replacement for the injured Marc Gasol on the starting grid. The Grizzlies, who have been compared to the "Detroit Bad Boys" of the 1980s due to their strong defensive and tough players like Zach Randolph , Lance Stephenson , Mike Conley , Matt Barnes and last but not least Andersen himself, reached the first playoff round, where you in San Antonio lost four games.

On July 22, 2016, Chris Andersen signed a contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, becoming LeBron James' teammate again. After the 2016/17 season , his contract with the Cavaliers expired, so Andersen is currently without a club.

Others

Andersen is known for his large and colorful tattoos on arms, legs, chest, neck, back and ears. According to his own statement, 75 percent of his body is tattooed.
In reference to his nickname "Birdman", which he received because of his arm span and his jumping ability, Andersen often swings his arms like a bird its wings after strong actions on his part. This is often imitated by his fans.

Web links

• Chris Andersen's Career - ESPN.com
• Chris Andersen - player profile on basketball-reference.com

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Palmer, Chris: Birdman's redemption bittersweet for his mother . In: ESPN the Magazine . May 12, 2008. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
2. ↑ A Timeline of Chris' Birdman! Birdman! ' Andersen's Bizarre NBA Career . Bleacher Report. May 31, 2013. Retrieved November 10, 2014.
3. ↑ NBA.com: Chris Andersen's Biography ( Memento of the original from September 25, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
4. ↑ Associated Press, [1] , ESPN.com , Jan. 25, 2008.
5. ↑ NBA and Players Association Reinstate Chris Andersen , NBA .com , March 4th of 2008.
6. ↑ HEAT'S 'BIRDMAN' GROUNDED FOR GAME 6 . In: NBA.com . May 31, 2013. Archived from the original on June 7, 2013. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 10, 2014. 
7. ↑ HEAT Signs Chris Andersen
8. ↑ Chris Andersen Stats
9. ^ Cavaliers Sign Center Chris Andersen. Retrieved August 5, 2016 . 
10. ↑ Chris Andersen's tattoos tell story of his life journey