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 (appro ...

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 The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, spending two years in the league between 2009 and 2011. In 2018 and 2021, he won championships with Melbourne United in the National Basketball League (NBL).

Early life

Andersen was born to parents Mary and Danny in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

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 the ...

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 m ...

(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) are an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketbal ...

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 Coppa Italia () is the annual domestic cup of Italian football. The knockout competition was organized by the DDS and the Lega Calcio until the 2009–10 season and by Lega Serie A ever since. Juventus is the competition's most successf ...

, the LBA championship, and the

EuroLeague The EuroLeague is a European men's professional basketball club competition. The league is widely recognised as the top-tier and the most prestigious men's basketball league in Europe. The league consists of 20 teams, of which 16 are given lon ...

2000–01 season championship. On 26 June 2002, Andersen was selected with the 37th overall pick in the

2002 NBA draft The 2002 NBA draft was held on June 26, 2002, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. In this draft, National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting 57 amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, ...

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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. 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 Basketball Siena, also known as simply Mens Sana, 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 spon ...

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 The EuroLeague Final Four is the final four format championship of the European-wide top-tier level EuroLeague professional club basketball competition. The Euroleague Basketball Company used the final four format for the first time in 2002, fo ...

, for the first time as well.

Russia (2004–2008)

In 2004, Andersen signed a two-year deal with

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow () 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 Union, Soviet era, it was the central part of the Armed Forces (sports ...

, then of the

Russian Basketball Super League The Russian Basketball Super League 1, or Super Liga 1, (), formerly known as the Russian Basketball Super League A or the Russian Basketball Super Liga A, is a men's professional basketball league that was the pre-eminent league of Russian profe ...

. 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 known as FC Barcelona and colloquially as Barça (), is a professional Football club (association football), football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of ...

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. Administered by the Asociación de Clubs de Baloncesto (ACB), Liga ACB is contested by 18 teams, w ...

. Barcelona went on to win the 2008–09 ACB season 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 of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

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 27, 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 Northwest Division (N ...

. 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), E ...

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

Marcus Banks Arthur Lemarcus Banks III (born November 19, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball, UNLV Runnin' Rebels, where he was Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a ...

, to the

New Orleans Hornets New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

in exchange for Jerryd Bayless and

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

. 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

. Andersen's final NBA game was on April 1, 2011, in an 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 Southwest Division of the ...

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.

Turkey (2012–2013)

In August 2012, Andersen and Montepaschi agreed on an €800,000 buyout, and he subsequently signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahçe of the

Turkish Super League Turkish may refer to: * Something related to Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities in the former Ottoman Empire * The ...

(BSL). On 12 June 2013, he parted ways with Fenerbahçe.

France and Australia (2014–2021)

On 22 January 2014, Andersen signed with SIG Strasbourg of the French

LNB Pro A LNB may refer to: Sport * Liga Nacional de Baloncesto, a professional basketball league in the Dominican Republic * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol, an Argentine basketball league * Liga Nacional de Básquetbol (Paraguay), Liga Nacional de Básquetb ...

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

ASVEL Basket ASVEL Basket, currently known as LDLC ASVEL for sponsorship reasons, is a French professional basketball team located in the commune of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon, France. The club, which is the basketball section of the ASVEL multi-sports ...

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 Melbourne United, 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 or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

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. In the 2017–18 NBL season, Andersen helped United win the championship with a 3–2 grand final series win over the

Adelaide 36ers The Adelaide 36ers 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 the state's capital of Adela ...

. 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, 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, 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 NBL1 South is a semi-professional basketball league in Victoria (state), Victoria and Tasmania, Australia, comprising both a men's and women's competition. In 2019, Basketball Victoria partnered with the National Basketball League (Australia), ...

season. On 8 May 2021, Andersen signed with Melbourne United as an injury replacement for

Jack White John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...

. 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 country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

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

Albert Schweitzer Tournament The DBB Albert Schweitzer Tournament (, abbreviated as AST), full name DBB Albert Schweitzer World Under-18 Tournament (), is an international basketball competition that is played between national teams of the Under-18 men's age category. It 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 The FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup (formerly FIBA Under-19 World Championship) is the under-19 men's world basketball championship organised by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA). From its inauguration in 1979, until 2007, it was ...

for Junior Men, and then to Japan in 2001, for the

FIBA Under-21 World Championship The FIBA Under-21 World Championship was a men's under-21-only basketball competition organized by the International Basketball Federation The International Basketball Federation (FIBA ; French: ) is an association of national organizat ...

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. It was also the qualifying tournament for the Basketball World Cups and Olympic Games. The first editio ...

against

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

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

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

. 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 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

and 2007 FIBA Oceania Championships. He also represented Australia at both the

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

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 List of men's national basketball teams, men's national teams. The tournament ran from 28 August to 12 Septem ...

in Turkey. With

Andrew Bogut Andrew Michael Bogut (born 28 November 1984) is an Australian professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League (NBL). Bogut spent the majority of his career in t ...

missing the

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

. He was the Boomers' third-leading scorer, behind Patty Mills and Joe Ingles, 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 The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

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

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Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, 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 (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, 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;" rowspan="3",

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, 22 , , 7 , , 18.1 , , .550 , , .250 , , .828 , , 3.7 , , .5 , , .5 , , .5 , , 7.3 , , 8.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2001–02 , 22 , , 11 , , 21.5 , , .483 , , .000 , , .671 , , 4.3 , , .4 , , .9 , , .2 , , 8.7 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2002–03 , 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;", Mens Sana , 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;" rowspan="4",

, 23 , , 20 , , 24.1 , , .573 , , .000 , , .828 , , 7.0 , , .8 , , .8 , , .5 , , 12.4 , , 17.7 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;", 2005–06† , 12 , , 12 , , 28.1 , , .512 , , .500 , , .917 , , 7.7 , , 1.1 , , .8 , , .2 , , 14.8 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , 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="background:#CFECEC;", 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 northeastern coast of 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 ...

, style="background:#CFECEC;", 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;", Mens Sana , 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 A Danish passport () is an identity document issued to citizens of the Kingdom of Denmark The Danish Realm, officially the Kingdom of Denmark, or simply Denmark, is a sovereign state consisting of a collection of constituent territories ...