NBDL's No. 1 pick, Chris Andersen goes from Fayetteville to Denver

First NBDL Player "Called Up" to NBA

Chris Andersen, a 6-foot-10, power forward for the Fayetteville (N.C.) Patriots has signed a contract with the Denver Nuggets, making him the first player "called up" to the NBA from the National Basketball Development League, the NBA's new minor league.

Andersen, the NBDL's No. 1 overall selection in the league's Inaugural Draft, played in two regular season games with the Patriots averaging 6.0 points per game, 5.0 rebounds per game and 2.50 blocks per game over 20.0 minutes per game. In his first game with the Patriots, Andersen scored 11 points on 3-4 FGA and 5-6 FTA to go along with eight rebounds and five blocks over 31 minutes off the bench vs. the Mobile Revelers.

"This is a significant day for our new league and for Chris," said Karl Hicks, Executive Director, NBDL. "The NBDL has put a new group of talented players on the radar screen for NBA scouts. We not only can offer players tremendous exposure to the NBA's scouts, but can also help them develop their skills with first-class coaching and training."

Andersen's basketball experience includes stints with the Cleveland Cavaliers 2001 Summer League team, the Fargo-Moorhead Beez of the International Basketball Association (IBA) during the 2000-01 season, and one season in China. After being named First Team All-State at Iola High School in Texas as a senior, Andersen played at Blinn Community College (Texas) in 1998-99 averaging 10.1 ppg, 7.7 rpg and 4.7 bpg over 29 games.

The National Basketball Development League tipped off its inaugural season on Nov. 16. The Fayetteville Patriots (N.C.), North Charleston Lowgators (S.C.), Huntsville Flight (Ala.), Mobile Revelers (Ala.), Roanoke Dazzle (Va.), Columbus Riverdragons (Ga.), Greenville Groove (S.C.), and Asheville Altitude (N.C.) will compete in a 56-game regular season schedule that runs from mid-November through March, followed by playoffs. A total of 24 games will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and ESPN, and 19 games will be broadcast regionally on FOX Sports Net South.

Designed to help grow the sport of basketball both domestically and internationally, the NBDL offers players the opportunity to develop their talent in a highly competitive atmosphere under the NBA's umbrella. In addition to being a source of on-court talent for the NBA's 29 teams, the NBDL will also serve as a diverse human resources pool for the NBA and its teams by training employees in management, operations, public relations, sales and marketing positions in each NBDL city.

NBDL players must be 20 years of age or older to play in the league. NBDL teams do not have a direct affiliation with specific NBA teams. Development league players are eligible to play for any NBA team.