KYLE F. ANDERSON

Kyle F. Anderson (born September 20, 1993) is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. After earning All-American honors as a sophomore in 2013–14, he declared for the 2014 NBA draft and was selected in the first round with the 30th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs.

Anderson developed the ball-handling skills of a point guard at an early age, but his height provided him the versatility to play as a forward. As a high school player in New Jersey, Anderson led his teams to two consecutive state titles, and was named state player of the year during his senior year. One of the top recruits out of high school, Anderson was named second-team all-conference in the Pac-12 as a freshman at UCLA while playing mostly at forward. The following season, he moved to point guard, and was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Pac-12 Tournament as the Bruins won their first conference tournament title in six years. He played four seasons with San Antonio before signing with Memphis.

FUN FACTS

Anderson was born in New York City, and grew up in New Jersey in North Bergen before moving to Fairview while in high school. He started playing basketball the day he started walking, which was three days before his first birthday. He attended his first basketball camp at the age of three. Anderson's father, a longtime high school basketball coach in New Jersey, groomed him to be a point guard. Although Anderson was tall, his father did not want him to be "pigeonholed" as a post player. He had his son play with older players on Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams; usually the smallest player on the court, Anderson developed point guard skills early while passing to his larger teammates.