Anderson is giving back to Louisville
Rick Bozich, The Courier Journal, Saturday, January 20, 2001

Don't get Derek Anderson started on the idea of a National Basketball Association franchise moving to Louisville. For as long as he can remember, Anderson has heard about this great thing or that great thing about to happen in his hometown. "Everybody talks about what they re going to do in Louisville to clean up the city and liven it up," he  said. "But it doesn't seem like anybody wants to spend money doing anything. 

"I'm  not talking about the NBA. I'm talking about everything.  We need to find things for young people to do so they don't just hang out and cause chaos. There's always been more talkin' than doin'."

THAT is why before Anderson talks about the wonderful things he is doing in his first season with the San Antonio Spurs, he prefers to discuss the projects he is working on in his hometown.

There is the Louisville Loyalty Summer Basketball League that he plans to upgrade with more teams and better players next summer. Not only does he want more local college players to stay in town, he wants more of the local pros to play where the folks who cheered for them in college can cheer for them again. 

There is the charity softball game featuring NBA stars and entertainers that Anderson intends to bring to town next summer.

There is the reading program folks at the Derek Anderson Foundation are trying to establish with the Jefferson County Public Schools. Anderson is a product of Doss High School and the University of Kentucky.

There are the summer camps he will operate at three locations in Jefferson County next summer.

There are the 300 turkeys he donated to several local churches on Thanksgiving.

There are the jobs being generated by his investment in the local PizzaMagia chain.

"When the season ends, Derek comes home to Louisville," said DaJuan Bibb, senior vice president of the Derek Anderson Foundation. "When he quits playing, this is where he plans to live. Derek may be living in San Antonio now, but he will stay involved in this community."

ANDERSON has so many concepts percolating that you almost forget he finally is playing on a team with a chance to win an NBA title — the San Antonio Spurs, league champs in 1999.

If you’re looking for more evidence of Anderson's attention to detail at the bargaining table, know this: When he was a free agent last summer, he turned down more money from at least two other teams to accept a $2.25 million, one-year deal with the Spurs.

Huh? Leaving money on the table was brilliant?

Indeed.  Anderson figured that in a free-agent class that included Tim Duncan, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Glen Rice, Eddie Jones, Ron Mercer and others, he would get less than he will get this summer in a shallower free-agent pool.

 So he took the one-year deal, with a one-year player option, on a team certain to sharpen his visibility and keep him playing deep into the playoffs.

NEARLY halfway through the season, Anderson has replaced David Robinson as the Spurs' second-leading scorer. Anderson’s averages of 15 points and four assists a game fail to reflect the fact that he has scored in double figures in 19 straight games or that he has averaged nearly 20 points, five rebounds and four assists in January.

"It's a learning process," he said. "But I enjoy learning."

Almost as much as he enjoys the challenge of finding ways to energize his hometown.