11David Emil Andersen is a retired Australian professional basketball player who played centre and power forward. Born in Melbourne on 23 June 1980, he developed through the Frankston Blues and Australian Institute of Sport pathways before building a highly successful European career with Virtus Bologna, Montepaschi Siena, CSKA Moscow, FC Barcelona, Fenerbahçe and other clubs. He also played 103 NBA games for the Houston Rockets, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Hornets. Andersen represented Austr…
David Andersen was born in Melbourne, Victoria, and began playing basketball with the Frankston Blues before entering the Australian Institute of Sport development programme. He spent one NBL season with the Wollongong Hawks before moving to Europe as a teenager, where he established himself as a skilled, mobile big man capable of playing both centre and power forward. His game was built around size, shooting touch, interior scoring and passing rather than explosive athleticism. Andersen became one of Australia’s most successful European-based players, winning major domestic and EuroLeague honours in Italy, Russia and Spain. His first NBA opportunity arrived after the Atlanta Hawks traded his draft rights to Houston in July 2009. He signed with the Rockets and made his NBA debut on 27 October 2009, eventually appearing in 103 regular-season games across two seasons. After further NBA stops with Toronto and New Orleans, he returned to Europe before finishing his career in Australia with Melbourne United, the Illawarra Hawks and the Frankston Blues. Internationally, Andersen was a four-time Olympian for the Australian Boomers, competing at Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016. Australia reached the Rio semi-finals and finished fourth. Andersen recorded 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in Rio. His provider record lists Houston Rockets and inactive status; this reflects his historical NBA association rather than a current playing roster. His last verified professional playing contexts were in Australian club basketball, with Melbourne United and Frankston Blues in 2021.
Andersen’s first major break came through the Australian Institute of Sport basketball programme after his junior development with the Frankston Blues. He then moved from the Wollongong Hawks to Virtus Bologna in Italy in 1999, beginning the European career that led to multiple domestic and EuroLeague championships.
NBA career: 103 games, averaging 4.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. His 2009–10 Houston season comprised 63 games, averaging 5.8 points and 3.3 rebounds. Internationally, he played at four Olympic Games and averaged 8.8 points and 4.8 rebounds for Australia at Rio 2016. Major honours reported include three EuroLeague titles, multiple Italian, Russian, Spanish and French league championships, the 2004 LBA Finals MVP award, the 2012 Italian Cup MVP award and the 2013 Turkish Cup Final MVP award.
Andersen’s defining moments include helping CSKA Moscow win the EuroLeague in 2006 and 2008, winning the Liga ACB with FC Barcelona in 2009, making his NBA debut with Houston in October 2009, and reaching the Olympic semi-finals with Australia at Rio 2016. He also won NBL championships with Melbourne United in 2018 and 2021.