Birdman! Birdman! Birdman!
Chris Andersen was considered one of a form.
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His look was probably the most iconic and recognizable in NBA historical past.
The acrobatic high-flyer with the 7-foot-2 wingspan, lined in ink from head to toe, with spiked hair, earned him the nickname Birdman when he performed for the Denver Nuggets within the early 2000s.
Birdman rapidly turned a family title within the Affiliation, however his path was on no account linear.
Andersen initially went undrafted out of highschool earlier than catching on with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ summer season league squad in 2001.
After briefly signing with the Phoenix Suns, Andersen was then chosen with the primary general decide by the Fayetteville Patriots within the NBA Improvement League‘s inaugural draft, often called the D-League on the time.
He turned the primary D-League participant in league historical past to be referred to as up by an NBA crew, when he signed with the Denver Nuggets later that 12 months.
Andersen would go on to have a 15-year profession within the NBA, with seven of these coming in Denver, throughout two totally different stints.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t clean crusing for Andersen.
He was suspended in the course of his NBA profession from 2006-2008 for violating the league’s anti-drug coverage.
Andersen’s suspension risked expulsion from the league underneath the NBA’s collective bargaining settlement as a result of his actions fell underneath the “medicine of abuse” class.
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He appealed the ruling for over two years, earlier than the NBA Gamers Affiliation lastly granted his request to be reinstated.
Birdman would go on to play 10 extra years within the league after his two-year absence.
Together with turning into an NBA champion as a member of the Miami Warmth in 2013 alongside LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Nonetheless, he’s most generally remembered for his time within the Mile Excessive Metropolis.
He was Denver’s enforcer. Bully. Excessive-flyer.
Birdman backed down from nobody.
The times of Birdman roaming the paint within the Mile Excessive metropolis are lengthy gone.
The present iteration of the Denver Nuggets is led by probably the most proficient gamers the sport has ever seen in Nikola Jokic.
The three-time MVP introduced town its first championship and stays the very best participant within the recreation at this time.
Jokic is main the Nuggets into battle in opposition to the top-seeded Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder within the second spherical of the postseason.
Denver was in a position to steal Sport 1 in OKC, and can look to do the identical on Wednesday night time for Sport 2.