# Kenny Anderson (basketball)
**Kenny Anderson** (born 1970) is an American former professional basketball player, a 6-foot-1 point guard who played 14 NBA seasons from 1991-92 through 2004-05, made the 1994 [NBA All-Star Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-all-star-game), and was best known for his years with the New Jersey Nets.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / physical | 1970; 6'1" (1.85 m), 168 lb (76 kg)[1](https://www.nba.com/player/72/kenny-anderson) |
| Draft | 1991 NBA Draft, first round, 2nd overall, by the New Jersey Nets[1](https://www.nba.com/player/72/kenny-anderson) |
| NBA career | 14 seasons, 1991-92 through 2004-05[2](https://husseyquation.com/players/kenny-anderson) |
| Career averages | 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists per game[1](https://www.nba.com/player/72/kenny-anderson) |
| Peak season | 1993-94: career highs of 18.8 points and 9.6 assists per game; 1994 NBA All-Star[3](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/08/16/nets-all-time-top-25-no-18-kenny-anderson) |
| Teams | Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, New Orleans Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers[4](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/what-teams-kenny-anderson-play-for) |
| Career earnings | At least $63,425,200 in professional basketball salary[5](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/anderke01.html) |
## New York City roots and Georgia Tech
Anderson became a New York City basketball legend at [Archbishop Molloy High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/archbishop-molloy-high-school) in Queens, the last of the wave of 1980s city point guards that included Pearl Washington, Kenny Smith, and [Mark Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-jackson)[3](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/08/16/nets-all-time-top-25-no-18-kenny-anderson). His family was evicted from their Queens home when he was a high school junior; he stayed with a cousin and visited his mother each morning before school until the family found a new place[6](https://apnews.com/article/9708f3c5dba652dadc9b08073cfe3319).
At [Georgia Tech](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgia-tech) he led the Yellow Jackets to the 1990 ACC title and the program's sole Final Four[7](https://repository.gatech.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e5295051-6f74-47a7-bf27-9fc3b49e248a/content). In the 1990-91 season he averaged 25.9 points per game[8](https://www.si.com/nba/nets/old-school/kenny-andersons-overlooked-stint-as-a-nets-guard), and on December 5, 1990 he scored 45 points in a single game[9](https://ramblinwreck.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-26-GTMBB-Media-Guide.pdf). Georgia Tech inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2002[7](https://repository.gatech.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e5295051-6f74-47a7-bf27-9fc3b49e248a/content).
## NBA career
The Nets, a year after taking [Derrick Coleman](https://www.edgepedia.org/derrick-coleman) first overall, selected Anderson with the second pick in 1991[3](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/08/16/nets-all-time-top-25-no-18-kenny-anderson). His rookie contract talks stalled that fall, and he had little chance of playing in the season opener as negotiations hit snags[10](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/1991-11-01_v24_044.pdf).
**Nets years.** Over four-plus seasons in New Jersey, Anderson played 304 games and averaged 15.3 points, 7.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game[3](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/08/16/nets-all-time-top-25-no-18-kenny-anderson). His finest year as a pro came in 1993-94, with career highs of 18.8 points and 9.6 assists per game and a selection to the 1994 NBA All-Star Game; his 9.6 assists that season and 9.4 the next are the fourth- and fifth-highest single-season assist averages in Nets history[3](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/08/16/nets-all-time-top-25-no-18-kenny-anderson).
**Journeys afterward.** Anderson was traded during the 1995-96 season to the [Charlotte Hornets](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlotte-hornets), then moved to the [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.edgepedia.org/portland-trail-blazers) (1996-97 to 1997-98), the [Boston Celtics](https://www.edgepedia.org/boston-celtics) (1997-98 to 2001-02), the Seattle SuperSonics and Hornets in 2002-03, the Indiana Pacers in 2003-04, and finished with the Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Clippers in 2004-05[4](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/what-teams-kenny-anderson-play-for). His career averages across 14 seasons were 12.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.1 assists per game[1](https://www.nba.com/player/72/kenny-anderson) • [2](https://husseyquation.com/players/kenny-anderson). He also played abroad, finishing his playing career with Žalgiris in Lithuania[11](https://hoopsmatic.com/career-maps/player/kenny-anderson.html).
## Later life
Anderson went into coaching. As of 2023 he was the coach at [Fisk University](https://www.edgepedia.org/fisk-university) in Nashville, where he mentored forward Jeremiah Armstead; Anderson said helping a player who had lived through housing instability like his own was personally satisfying[6](https://apnews.com/article/9708f3c5dba652dadc9b08073cfe3319).
## Assessment
The [Brooklyn Nets](https://www.edgepedia.org/brooklyn-nets) ranked him 18th on their all-time list, and his two 9-plus assist seasons remain among the best single-season assist marks in franchise history[3](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/08/16/nets-all-time-top-25-no-18-kenny-anderson).
## References
1. [Kenny Anderson, Guard, NBA.com player profile](https://www.nba.com/player/72/kenny-anderson)
2. [Kenny Anderson Stats, Height, Teams & Career Impact, hussEyquation](https://husseyquation.com/players/kenny-anderson)
3. [Nets All-Time Top 25: No. 18 Kenny Anderson, Brooklyn Nets (2018)](https://www.nba.com/nets/news/2018/08/16/nets-all-time-top-25-no-18-kenny-anderson)
4. [What Teams Kenny Anderson Play For, StatMuse](https://www.statmuse.com/nba/ask/what-teams-kenny-anderson-play-for)
5. [Kenny Anderson Stats, Basketball-Reference.com](https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/a/anderke01.html)
6. [From homeless to Final Four history, Fisk forward being honored for his courage, AP News (2023)](https://apnews.com/article/9708f3c5dba652dadc9b08073cfe3319)
7. [Georgia Tech basketball media guide (Kenny Anderson section)](https://repository.gatech.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/e5295051-6f74-47a7-bf27-9fc3b49e248a/content)
8. [Kenny Anderson's Overlooked Stint as a Nets Guard, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nba/nets/old-school/kenny-andersons-overlooked-stint-as-a-nets-guard)
9. [2025-26 Georgia Tech Basketball Information Guide](https://ramblinwreck.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/2025-26-GTMBB-Media-Guide.pdf)
10. [The Observer (Notre Dame), November 1, 1991, AP wire report on Anderson contract talks](https://archives.nd.edu/observer/1991-11-01_v24_044.pdf)
11. [Where Has Kenny Anderson Played? Every Team, City and Country, HoopsMatic](https://hoopsmatic.com/career-maps/player/kenny-anderson.html)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 1980–1995 › NBA guards, 1980–1995*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license