For Kenny Anderson, “easy come, easy go” means a lot more than it does to others. After playing in the NBA for 14 years and earning about $ 60 million, Kenny Anderson retired from the NBA broke in 2006. He couldn’t get a paycheck loan and the $ 60 million was gone. It isn’t news that one more professional athlete is broke. Because he went back to school, Kenny Anderson is within the headlines today. He graduates Saturday with a degree in Organizational Leadership.
The Kenny Anderson legend
Kenny Anderson left school for NBA millions after his sophomore season at Georgia Tech. Yahoo Sports reports that growing up in NYC Anderson was a basketball legend. He is the only player in New York history to be named all-city all four years of high school. Kenny Anderson is still considered “the best high school player I’ve ever seen” by scouts who are watching basketball for 50 years. After a Final Four appearance his first year at Georgia Tech, he stayed in school one more season until he entered the 1991 NBA draft as the second overall pick.
The career of Kenny Anderson
After Kenny Anderson left school for the NBA, he promised his mother he would go back to school someday. The New York Times reports that Anderson bought his mother a great home our on Long Island after signing with the New Jersey Nets. . USA Today reports the top salary in Kenny Anderson’s career was $ 9.1 million when he was with Seattle in 2002-03. But along the way, Anderson also had seven children with five women. He retired from the NBA broke, with no job, and no college degree, when he was released from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2005.
Kenny Anderson keeps his promise
Kenny Anderson burned through $ 60 million but he managed to salvage 37 credits earned at Georgia Tech. Kenny Anderson graduates Saturday from St. Thomas University in Miami. He was a part of the online program at the Institute for Professional Studies at St. Thomas. When he wasn’t studying, Anderson took care of his 9-year-old son. He also has been giving private basketball lessons to aspiring young players. Come Saturday he’ll be looking for a job at age 39, for the first time in his life.
Resources for the article
Yahoo Sports reports
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/Kenny-Anderson-graduates-this-weekend?urn=nba,240794
New York Times reports
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/13/sports/basketball/13vecsey.html?ref=sports
USA Today reports
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2010/05/kenny-anderson-to-graduate-after-wasting-63-million/1
