Justin Anderson, 22, is still a kid by NBA standards. But to local children at Jubilee Park in Dallas, where the second-year wing and the Mavs Foundation dedicated a new basketball court Thursday afternoon, Anderson is all grown-up, an influential professional athlete to which they’ll listen, clinging to every word.
Still the Mavs’ youngest player and an easy-going jokester on most days, Anderson takes public speaking opportunities very seriously. He understands the impact he can make as an NBA player on the lives of kids around the country, but especially those in Dallas.
“You always hear so much about it being a first-class organization. Obviously in 2011 it just popped off out here, but even before that you hear so many things about the Mavs being in the community,” Anderson said before speaking to the community at the park. “That’s one of the teams that when you see the NBA commercials you always see someone affiliated with the Mavs. Obviously Mark (Cuban) and Donnie (Nelson), the way that they run this ship is they want to make sure that we’re involved with the community, that we’re bringing smiles to faces, and we’re not just being people that you see on TV. We’re being people that you can meet live, and we’re just normal people just like everybody else.”
Indeed, one phrase you’ll hear all the time around the Mavs’ facility, particularly from those in charge of personnel decisions, is the team wants “the right kind of guys” within the organization: players who will compete hard on the floor while acting as ambassadors off of it, guys who are good in the community and embrace the numerous responsibilities that come along with being a professional athlete.
That hasn’t been an issue whatsoever for Anderson, who last year visited the State Fair of Texas before ever having worn a Mavs uniform. He ate way too much food because vendors kept offering him tastes of this and bites of that. He played every game and signed every autograph. Anderson always says being a kid from small-town Virginia helps him keep everything in perspective, especially through the tough times. But while Virginia might be his birthplace, Dallas is now his home.
“It felt like home as soon as I got here,” he said. “I was welcomed with open arms and I got to know the layout of the city pretty fast. It’s been pretty easy for me, and living here now, I got my apartment more set up and everything. It feels good to have a pad, but it’s important not to get too comfortable. Whenever you get too comfortable, you tend to relax.
“I don’t want to relax. I want to keep trying to be the best that I can be every year here.”
“Relax” is certainly the key word in his quote, as that was the most significant element of the speech he gave at Jubilee Park. Being a professional athlete is a 24/7/365 job these days. There’s time for fun, of course, but not the same kind of fun kids can enjoy, leaving house at dawn and returning at dusk after a day at the playground. Anderson encouraged the kids to enjoy the sport of basketball — and, more importantly, the time they can spend with their friends and family while playing the game — because those moments unfortunately won’t last forever.
“Keep the game fun. Don’t over-complicate something that’s so easy,” he said. “What I mean by that is a lot of people look at me and say, ‘Yeah, you’re tall, you work at it every single day.’ Well, that’s what it takes to be in this profession. There was a time when I’d (play) for fun, go inside and play video games, go eat whatever I want. I’m in a place now where it’s become a job. I have to be cautious of everything that I do, whether it’s what I eat, how much time I spend on the court, off the court. I kind of miss the days where you could just do what you want with the game and just play it however you want.”
What Anderson means is there’s a heck of a lot of demand in his line of work. That’s part of being a professional, of course, which goes back to “the right kind of guy” line decision-makers around the Mavs’ office repeat constantly. Justin Anderson is one of those guys. And, ironically, one place he learned to be that kind of guy was on the basketball floor.
“When it comes to outdoor court, I remember being young, and it’s almost like everything else that’s been going on in that day, that week, it’s all erased, and you’re just out there and you’re just soaking up each moment,” he said. “I’m so excited to be able to see the smiles on their faces once again and be able to shoot hoops with them, because I know how much as a child it meant to me of the older kids to let me shoot around and play with them.
“It was a huge part of my development and my growth, not just as a basketball player, but as a person: meeting new friends, meeting new people, learning how to carry yourself and handle yourself.”
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