Background and career
Kyle Forman Anderson (born September 20, 1993), also known as Li Kai'er (simplified Chinese: 李凯尔; traditional Chinese: 李凱爾; pinyin: Lǐ Kǎi'ěr), is an American and Chinese professional basketball player for the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in the United States, he played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins. After earning All-American honors as a sophomore in 2013–14, he declared for the 2014 NBA draft and was selected in the first round with the 30th overall pick by the San Antonio Spurs.
Nicknamed "Slow Mo", Anderson developed the ball-handling skills of a point guard at an early age, but his height provided him the versatility to play as a forward. As a high school player in New Jersey, Anderson led his teams to two consecutive state titles, and was named state player of the year during his senior year. One of the top recruits out of high school, Anderson was named second-team all-conference in the Pac-12 as a freshman at UCLA while playing mostly at forward. The following season, he moved to point guard, and was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the Pac-12 tournament as the Bruins won their first conference tournament title in six years. He played four seasons with San Antonio before signing with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018. After four seasons with the Grizzlies, he signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Anderson has also played for the Golden State Warriors, Utah Jazz, and Miami Heat.
In 2023, Anderson became a naturalized Chinese citizen and played for their national team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.
