Derek Anderson

Derek L. Anderson Sr was born in Louisville in 1973. Abandoned by his parents at the age of 10, he would find himself sleeping in empty apartment buildings, old school buses, and even his high school gymnasium. He would become a single parent at age 15, work two jobs, but stayed focused enough to graduate with a 3.7GPA as Class President. Derek believed that living in poverty was just a mind set and even at a young age he believed that winning was a choice, as well as losing. He would earn a full scholarship to The Ohio State University and then transfer to the University of Kentucky, where he won the NCAA Championship in 1996. Derek was drafted as the 13th pick in the 1997 NBA draft and became the 1st player signed to the Michael Jordan Brand and was given his own signature shoe.  In 2006, Derek won a World Title with the Miami Heat, becoming 1 of 13 players to win an NCAA and NBA championship. After an eleven year NBA career he would retire in 2008. Learn more at https://createeveryopportunity.org/