Former NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson has suffered a stroke.
According to the New York Daily News, Anderson suffered the stroke over the weekend but has been released from the hospital.
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“We would like to thank everyone for reaching out on behalf of Kenny,” Anderson’s wife, Natasha, said in a statement Tuesday. “Our family is extremely grateful for all the prayers and love that we have received over the last few days. We appreciate you continuing to respect our privacy as Kenny heals.”
The New York Times’ Adam Zagoria reports that Anderson’s condition has improved.
“The former Archbishop Molloy High School and Georgia Tech star suffered the stroke Saturday night and was in intensive care until Monday night,” Zagoria’s report said. “He lost some vision in his right eye. Anderson suffers from high cholesterol and high blood pressure and was not taking any medication for the conditions, sources said.
“Sources said he’s alert and talking a bit, and will head to a rehabilitation facility for seven days, possibly beginning Wednesday. His wife, Natasha, has been with him in the hospital.”
Anderson, 48, was a New York City high school legend. He was a four-time Parade magazine All-American in addition to Parade’s Player of the Year and New York’s Mr. Basketball in 1989.
Anderson played collegiately at Georgia Tech. He (along with future NBA players Dennis Scott, Brian Oliver, and Malcolm Mackey) helped lead the Yellow Jackets to an appearance in the 1990 Final Four. Anderson was also the 1990 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Rookie of the Year. He was a First-team All-ACC selection in 1990 and 1991.
He was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the No. 2 pick in the 1991 NBA Draft. In 14 seasons with the Nets, Boston Celtics, Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Seattle SuperSonics, New Orleans Hornets, and Los Angeles Clippers, Anderson averaged 12.6 points, 6.1 assists, and 3.1 rebounds.
The 6-foot Anderson averaged career highs in points (18.8), assists (9.6), and rebounds (3.9) in the 1993-94 season for the Nets, making his only NBA All-Star appearance. He also played professionally in Lithuania after the end of his NBA career.
Anderson is currently the head coach at Fisk University, a private, Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in Nashville that competes in the Division I level of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He was the boys’ basketball coach at the David Posnack Jewish Day School in Davie, Fla. before he was fired after a 2013 DUI arrest.
Anderson also made headlines in 2014 when he was selected (along former NBAers Vin Baker, Cliff Robinson, Craig Hodges, Charles Smith, Doug Christie, and Eric “Sleepy” Floyd) by Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman to play in a game against the North Korean Senior National Team to celebrate the birthday of leader Kim Jong-un.
– Curtis Rawls is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage. Please like and follow on Facebook and Twitter. Curtis can be followed on Twitter @CuRawls203.
