David Emil Andersen (born 23 June 1980) is an Australian-Danish former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player. One of Australia's most experienced and successful players, Andersen won 12 league championships (9 European national domestic league championships and 3 EuroLeague championships) abroad and played in Italy, Russia, Spain, Turkey and France. He also played in the NBA, spending two years in the league between 2009 and 2011. In 2018 and 2021, he won championships with

Melbourne United Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena. The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 a ...

in the National Basketball League (NBL).

Early life

Andersen was born to parents Mary and Danny in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

where he started playing basketball at Frankston East Primary School. His mother coached him and his brother, Stuart, at Frankston East and because there was only one team at the school, Andersen always played a year above his age. At the age of 11, Andersen joined his local basketball association, the Frankston Blues, and in his first year at the club, the under 12 team he played in, won the championship. He played with the Frankston Blues Junior Program until he was 15 years old and then joined the Frankston Blues men's team, going on to play in the 1995 CBA Grand Final. After a successful Under 16 Australian Junior Championships with Victoria, Andersen was selected to join the

Australian Institute of Sport The Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) is a high performance sports training institution in Australia. The Institute's headquarters were opened in 1981 and are situated in the northern suburb of Bruce, Canberra. The AIS is a division of th ...

Basketball Development Program. He subsequently moved to Canberra and in conjunction with the AIS, he attended Lake Ginninderra Secondary College. A three-year scholarship holder, Andersen played for the AIS in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball mi ...

(CBA) from 1996 to 1998 where he was named the Australian Junior Male Basketballer of the Year in 1998.

Professional career

Australia and Italy (1998–2004)

Following the conclusion of his time at the Australian Institute of Sport, Andersen signed a two-year deal with the

Wollongong Hawks The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...

of the Australian National Basketball League. In 1998–99, he played 25 games while averaging 6.2 points and 4.0 rebounds per game. In 1999, Andersen left Wollongong and signed a multi-year deal with Kinder Bologna of the Italian LBA. In the 2000–01 season, he helped Kinder Bologna win the

Italian Cup Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional It ...

, the LBA championship, and the EuroLeague 2000–01 season championship. On 26 June 2002, Andersen was selected with the 37th overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft by the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays its home games at ...

. He returned to Kinder Bologna for the 2002–03 season, where he was named to the LBA All-Star Game for the first time. In 2003, Andersen was forced to leave Bologna, after the club went into bankruptcy. He subsequently signed with

Montepaschi Siena Mens Sana 1871 Basket is an Italian professional basketball club based in Siena. It is a section of the sports club Polisportiva Mens Sana, founded in 1871. Under the name Montepaschi Siena, derived from sponsor Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena, t ...

for the 2003–04 season, and went on to win the LBA Finals MVP award, after helping Montepaschi Siena win their first title. He also helped the club reach the EuroLeague Final Four, for the first time as well.

Russia (2004–2008)

In 2004, Andersen signed a two-year deal with

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet era, it was a central piece of the big So ...

, then of the

Russian Basketball Super League The Russian Basketball Super League 1, or Super Liga 1, (russian: Баскетбольная Cуперлига 1), formerly known as the Russian Basketball Super League A or the Russian Basketball Super Liga A, is a men's professional basketball ...

. In his first season with CSKA, the team were crowned Russian League champions and Russian National Cup champions, along with also making the 2005 Final Four of the EuroLeague. Andersen was also named to the All-EuroLeague First Team of the 2004–05 season. In January of the 2005–06 season, Andersen dislocated his ankle and fractured his fibula, forcing him to return to Australia for surgery, specialist treatment and rehabilitation, before heading back to Russia to continue rehab and to support his team for their 2006 EuroLeague Final Four campaign. Andersen went on to re-sign with CSKA Moscow, and subsequently helped them win the 2007 and 2008 Russian Super League championships, as well as the 2008 EuroLeague championship.

Spain (2008–2009)

In June 2008, Andersen signed a three-year deal with

FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...

of the Spanish

Liga ACB The Liga ACB, known as Liga Endesa for sponsorship reasons, is the top professional basketball division of the Spanish basketball league system. Administrated by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, ...

. Barcelona went on to win the

2008–09 ACB season The 2008–09 ACB season is the 26th season of the Liga ACB. The 272-game regular season (16 home games for each of the 17 teams) began on Saturday, October 4, 2008, and ended on Sunday, May 10, 2009. The top four teams earned berths in the Eurol ...

championship.

NBA (2009–2011)

On 14 July 2009, the Atlanta Hawks traded Andersen's rights to the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its ho ...

in exchange for cash and future draft considerations. On 11 August 2009, he signed a multi-year deal with the Rockets. Although being drafted in 2002, Andersen did not play in an NBA game until October 27th, 2009 where he recorded 11 points and 5 rebounds in his debut against the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. On 15 November 2009, he scored a career-high 19 points in a 101–91 win over the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...

. On 28 July 2010, Andersen was traded, along with cash considerations, to the

Toronto Raptors The Toronto Raptors are a Canadian professional basketball team based in Toronto. The Raptors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. They play their home games a ...

in exchange for a 2015 protected second-round pick. On 20 November 2010, he was traded, along with

Jarrett Jack Jarrett Matthew Jack (born October 28, 1983) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is currently an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He attended four high schools in ...

and Marcus Banks, to the

New Orleans Hornets New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

in exchange for Jerryd Bayless and

Peja Stojaković Predrag Stojaković ( sr-cyr, Предраг Стојаковић, ; born June 9, 1977), known by his nickname Peja (''Peđa'', Пеђа, ), is a Serbian professional basketball executive and former player who was most recently the assistant gen ...

. On 2 February 2011, he scored a season-high 13 points in a 104–93 loss to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. Andersen's final NBA game was on April 1st, 2011 in a 81 - 93 loss to the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

where he recorded 2 rebounds and 1 assist.

Return to Italy (2011–2012)

On 28 June 2011, Andersen signed a three-year deal with Montepaschi Siena, returning to the club for a second stint. On 19 December 2011, he was formally waived by the New Orleans Hornets following the conclusion of the

NBA lockout The NBA lockout may refer to any of the four lockouts in the history of the National Basketball Association: *The 1995 NBA lockout, which lasted for three months before the 1995–96 season. *The 1996 NBA lockout, which lasted for a couple of ho ...

Turkey (2012–2013)

In August 2012, Andersen and Montepaschi agreed on a €800,000 buyout, and he subsequently signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League (BSL). On 12 June 2013, he parted ways with Fenerbahçe.

France and Australia (2014–2021)

On 22 January 2014, Andersen signed with

SIG Strasbourg Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League, and ...

of the French

LNB Pro A The LNB Pro A, currently known for sponsorship reasons as Betclic Élite, is the top-tier men's professional basketball league in France. The competition has existed since 1921. Since 1987, the Ligue Nationale de Basket has governed the league. ...

for the rest of the 2013–14 season. On 11 September 2014, Andersen signed a two-year deal with

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, commonly known as ASVEL or sometimes as ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne, and also known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team that is located in the city of Villeurbanne, which is a suburb of Lyon, ...

of the LNB Pro A. He helped ASVEL win the championship for the 2015–16 season. On 16 July 2016, Andersen signed a two-year deal with

, returning to the NBL for the first time since 1999. For his return season in the NBL, he was named

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of United. In December and January of the 2016–17 season, he was sidelined for roughly six weeks with a knee injury. Following the NBL season, he returned to ASVEL Basket for the rest of the

2016–17 Pro A season The 2016–17 Pro A season was the 95th season of the Pro A, the top basketball league in France organised by the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB). The season started on 24 September 2016 and ended on 24 June 2017. A total of 330 games were play ...

. In the

2017–18 NBL season The 2017–18 NBL season was the 40th season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between October 2017 and February 2018, followed by a post ...

, Andersen helped United win the championship with a 3–2 grand final series win over the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...

. At 37 years old, he became the oldest player to win his first NBL championship. On 4 June 2018, Andersen signed with the Illawarra Hawks for the

2018–19 NBL season The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed ...

, returning to the franchise for a second stint, a full twenty years after his first. Following the NBL season, he joined SIG Strasbourg for the rest of the

2018–19 Pro A season The 2018–19 Pro A season, for sponsorships reasons the Jeep Élite, was the 97th season of the Pro A, the top basketball league in France organised by the Ligue Nationale de Basket (LNB). It was the second season with Jeep as main sponsor. The ...

, returning to the team for a second stint. On 15 July 2019, Andersen re-signed with the Hawks for the 2019–20 season. In April 2021, Andersen joined the Frankston Blues for the NBL1 South season. On 8 May 2021, Andersen signed with Melbourne United as an injury replacement for

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...

. The following month, he won his second NBL championship after United defeated the Perth Wildcats 3–0 in the grand final series. On 27 October 2021, Andersen announced his retirement from basketball after 23 professional seasons and 22 league/cup championships.

National team career

Andersen has represented the national teams of

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

on many occasions. As a junior national team member in 1996 and in 1998, he played at the

Albert Schweitzer Tournament The Albert Schweitzer Tournament (AST) is an international basketball competition that is played between national basketball teams of the Under-18 men age category. It takes place every two years in Mannheim, Germany, and is contested between t ...

, where he was voted the tournament MVP. In 1999, he travelled to Portugal with the Australian men's Under-19 team to play in the FIBA Under-19 World Championship for Junior Men, and then to Japan in 2001, for the FIBA Under-21 World Championship for Junior Men. In the 2003 off-season, Andersen was selected to play for the Australian Boomers in the Olympic Qualifying

FIBA Oceania Championship FIBA Oceania Championship was the Oceania basketball championships that took place every two years between national teams of the continent. Through the 2015 edition, the Oceania Championship was also a qualifying tournament for the Basketball ...

against

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. The Boomers won the series, and secured a place in the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. He went on to play for Australia in Athens, where the Boomers finished in ninth place. Andersen went on to win gold at the

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; " Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discover ...

and

2007 FIBA Oceania Championship The FIBA Oceania Championship for Men 2007 was the qualifying tournament of FIBA Oceania for the men's basketball tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics at Beijing. The tournament, a best-of-three series between Australia and New Zealand, was ...

s. He also represented Australia at both the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

and the

2010 FIBA World Championship The 2010 FIBA World Championship was the 16th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship contested by the men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 September 2010. It was co-organised by the Inte ...

in Turkey. With Andrew Bogut missing the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

due to injury, Andersen became the Boomers' starting

centre Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...

. He was the Boomers' third-leading scorer, behind

Patty Mills Patrick Sammy Mills (born 11 August 1988) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Mills was born and raised in Canberra, and is of Torres Strait Islander and Aborigin ...

and

Joe Ingles Joseph Howarth Ingles (born 2 October 1987) is an Australian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also represents the Australian national team. He primarily plays at the small ...

, and in six games, he had averages of 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game, and an impressive 40% three-point field goal percentage. As a member of the Boomers' 2014 FIBA World Cup squad, Andersen averaged 6.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in six games. In 2016, Andersen made the Boomers Olympic team for the fourth straight time and he played at the

2016 Summer Olympics ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro de ...

Post-playing career

After announcing his retirement as a basketball player in October 2021, Andersen starting working for the NBL, taking care of Player Liaison and Special Projects.

Career statistics

NBA

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, 63 , , 0 , , 14.1 , , .432 , , .346 , , .687 , , 3.3 , , .7 , , .2 , , .2 , , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

, 11 , , 0 , , 13.6 , , .489 , , .300 , , 1.000 , , 3.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , .3 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, 29 , , 0 , , 7.7 , , .446 , , .385 , , .467 , , 1.7 , , .2 , , .1 , , .2 , , 2.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 103 , , 0 , , 12.3 , , .440 , , .347 , , .674 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , .2 , , 4.9

EuroLeague

, - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2000–01† , style="text-align:left;", Kinder Bologna , 22 , , 7 , , 18.1 , , .550 , , .250 , , .828 , , 3.7 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.3 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , style="text-align:left;", Kinder Bologna , 22 , , 11 , , 21.5 , , .483 , , .000 , , .671 , , 4.3 , , .4 , , .9 , , .2 , , 8.7 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , style="text-align:left;", Kinder Bologna , 8 , , 5 , , 24.4 , , .415 , , .000 , , .842 , , 4.8 , , .6 , , .5 , , .9 , , 8.8 , , 10.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2003–04 , style="text-align:left;", Montepaschi , 21 , , 8 , , 20.0 , , .503 , , .000 , , .641 , , 4.6 , , .7 , , .6 , , .3 , , 9.1 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2004–05 , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 20 , , 24.1 , , .573 , , .000 , , .828 , , 7.0 , , .8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 12.4 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2005–06† , style="text-align:left;", CSKA Moscow , 12 , , 12 , , 28.1 , , .512 , , .500 , , .917 , , 7.7 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .2 , , 14.8 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;", CSKA Moscow , 25 , , 6 , , 22.4 , , .463 , , .486 , , .776 , , 5.0 , , .9 , , .5 , , .4 , , 9.8 , , 11.0 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2007–08† , style="text-align:left;", CSKA Moscow , 25 , , 20 , , 24.5 , , .463 , , .510 , , .847 , , 5.8 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .4 , , 12.8 , , 14.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2008–09 , style="text-align:left;",

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

, 23 , , 9 , , 21.0 , , .508 , , .404 , , .800 , , 4.1 , , .8 , , .4 , , .6 , , 11.1 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2011–12 , style="text-align:left;", Montepaschi , 20 , , 19 , , 25.7 , , .433 , , .333 , , .738 , , 6.2 , , .9 , , .4 , , .4 , , 11.7 , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2012–13 , style="text-align:left;", Fenerbahçe , 23 , , 15 , , 20.2 , , .429 , , .342 , , .800 , , 4.0 , , .4 , , .4 , , .1 , , 7.3 , , 6.6 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 224 , , 132 , , 22.4 , , .491 , , .413 , , .788 , , 5.1 , , .8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 10.3 , , 11.5

Domestic leagues

Personal life

Andersen is of European heritage, with his father being Danish and his mother being English. He has dual Australian-Danish citizenship and holds a

Danish passport Danish passports are issued to citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark to facilitate international travel. Besides serving as proof of Danish citizenship, they facilitate the process of securing assistance from Danish consular officials abroad (or ...

References

2012 Australian Olympic Team Australia competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, from 27 July to 12 August 2012. Australian athletes have competed in every Summer Olympic Games of the modern era. The Australian Olympic Committee sent a total of 410 athletes to the Gam ...