Jul 2, 2024; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers NBA Larry O'Brien Championship trophies at the UCLA Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Former Heat Player Details Experience Winning the 2006 NBA Finals

Originally posted on Miami Heat on SI | By Sean Jordan | Last updated Nov 20, 2024 12:17 PM ET

Derek Anderson may not have been a member of the Miami Heat for long, but he certainly made an impact.

The 1997 first-round draft pick played in the NBA for 11 seasons, yet none seemed more memorable than his championship season with the Miami Heat in 2006. Anderson was traded to the Heat midway through the 2005-06 NBA season from the Houston Rockets for Gerald Fitch.

Derek Anderson discussed his personal experience that season during an appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, hosted by former NBA players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles on The Players' Tribune.

Anderson said, "When I first got there [Miami], I hit a game-tying shot and then hit a rebound-pass and we won the game. First time I ever played for them, that happened and I was like 'I'm loving this.'"

When asked what it was like to achieve the accomplishment and celebrate the moment of winning a title at the NBA level, Anderson had this to say:

"I'm thinking, 'Man, this is crazy. I have made it all the way to this spot.'"

He later added, "It was just different. It was surreal so I didn't even get to enjoy the full celebration because I was so caught up in trying to realize that my mother and father never got to see me play. They never bought a pair of shoes for me, they never stepped in the gym with me."

Anderson remains as one of several players to win a championship at both the collegiate and NBA level. He won the NCAA championship as a member of the Kentucky Wildcats alongside the likes of Antoine Walker and Tony Delk under Rick Pitino in 1996.

"College was more of a team and a fun feel so that meant more but that NBA championship was full circle because it told me to retire. I still had game but I was just like 'I don't need nothing else, this is like a complete circle.'"

Sean Jordan is a contributor to Miami Heat On Sports Illustrated. He can be reached at sjorda06@syr.edu.

Follow our coverage on Facebook

X: @SeanKJordan

This article first appeared on Miami Heat on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: