For Kenny Anderson, “easy come, easy go” means more than it does to others. Kenny Anderson retired from the NBA after playing for 14 years and earning about $ 60 million. The $ 60 million was gone and he couldn’t even get a paycheck loan. It isn’t news that one more professional athlete is broke. Kenny Anderson is hitting headlines because he went back to school. He will graduate on Saturday with a degree in Organizational leadership.
Kenny Anderson’s legend
Kenny Anderson left school after his sophomore season at Georgia Tech to make millions with the NBA. Yahoo Sports reports that growing up in NYC Anderson happened a basketball legend. He was the only player ever to be names all-city all four years of high school in New York. Kenny Anderson is nevertheless called “the best high school player I’ve ever seen” by scouts who have been 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 leaving school for the NBA, Kenny Anderson promised his mother he would go back one day. The New York Times reports that Anderson bought his mother a home on Long Island after signing with the New Jersey Nets. Kenny Anderson then bounced around the NBA. USA Today reports that the top salary in Kenny Anderson’s career was $ 9.1 million when he was with Seattle in 2002-03. Anderson had seven kids with five women along the way. When he was released by the LA Clippers in 2005 he retired from the NBA broke, with no job and no college degree.
Kenny Anderson keeps his promise
Although Kenny Anderson burned through 60 billion dollars, he saved 37 credits earned at Georgia Tech. From St. Thomas University in Miami, Kenny Anderson should graduate on Saturday. He enrolled in the online program at the Institute for Professional Studies at St. Thomas. When not studying, Anderson took care of a nine year old son. Lately he’s been giving private basketball lessons to aspiring young players. At age 39, on Saturday, he could be looking for a job for the first time in his life.
Sources
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
