Kyle Anderson

He was the first Pac-12 player since UCLA's Bill Walton as a senior in 1973–74 to have at least 300 rebounds and 100 assists in the same season.

Anderson was named to the All-Pac-12 second team and the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.

Kyle Forman Anderson (born September 20, 1993), also known as Li Kaier, is an American-Chinese professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Born in the United States, he played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins.

Anderson was born on September 20, 1993, in New York City, and grew up in New Jersey in North Bergen before moving to Fairview while in high school.

He attended his first basketball camp at the age of three.

Anderson's father, who played basketball at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and became a longtime high school coach in New Jersey, groomed him to be a point guard.

Although Anderson was tall, his father did not want him to be "pigeonholed" as a post player.

He had his son play with older players on Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) teams; usually the smallest player on the court, Anderson developed point guard skills early while passing to his larger teammates.

He began his high school career at Paterson Catholic High School.

Although he possessed the skills of a point guard, his 6 ft height led coaches to play him on the wing or in the post.

After two years at Paterson Catholic, the school closed, and Anderson moved to St. Anthony High School.

Overall, he compiled 119–6 record as a four-year starter, including 65–0 in his two years at St. Anthony.

When St. Anthony captured its second straight New Jersey Tournament of champions title and concluded its second straight undefeated season with a 66–62 victory over Plainfield, Anderson was the team's third-leading scorer with 14 points.

Still, St. Anthony coach Bob Hurley said Anderson was the team's "heart and soul and he was the reason we won the game.’’ For the season, Anderson led the team in scoring (14.7 points per game), rebounding (6.5 per game), assists (3.9 per game), blocked shots (2.0 per game) and deflections. The Star-Ledger named him their state boys basketball Player of the Year. He received national recognition as a Parade All-American, McDonald's All-American, and he was invited to play in the Jordan Brand Classic and Nike Hoop Summit. In spite of all the praise he had received in his career, Anderson was described by Hurley as "unassuming", which the coach credited to Anderson's family doing a "great job keeping him balanced."

The 6 ft Anderson was often listed as a small forward, but still considered himself a point guard.

Anderson committed on September 19, 2011, to attending University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) to play Division I basketball for the Bruins.

He had also considered Seton Hall, Georgetown, Florida and St. John's. A major factor in his decision was UCLA coach Ben Howland's record of grooming successful point guards in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Anderson and Muhammad were the top players in the Bruins' recruiting class, which was considered the best in the nation.

Howland had Anderson mostly playing off the ball, while Larry Drew II was the Bruins' primary ball handler.

Playing primarily as a power forward, Anderson finished the season with averages of 9.7 points, 8.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

Though he struggled at times under Howland's strict offense, he led the team in rebounding and was the only player ranked in the top 10 in the Pac-12 in both rebounds and assists.

Among 2012 recruits, he was ranked the No. 1 small forward by Rivals.com, and No. 2 by ESPN.com and Scout.com behind Shabazz Muhammad.

Hurley called Anderson's passing "his best asset."

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.

Projected by NBA executives to be chosen in the first half of the second round of the 2013 NBA draft if he declared himself eligible, Anderson gave major consideration to leaving college.

Anderson decided to return to UCLA in 2013–14, which he and his family figured would be his final season in college.

With a field goal percentage of just 41.6% during the previous season, he worked on improving his shooting from midrange and beyond during the offseason.

New Bruins coach Steve Alford, who replaced the fired Howland, moved Anderson back to his natural position at point guard.

Under Alford's new wide-open offense, he played more confidently and displayed an improved jump shot.

On November 22, 2013, he had 13 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in an 81–70 win over Morehead State; it was the school's first triple-double since Toby Bailey in 1995.

On November 29, UCLA was co-champion of the Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational with Missouri, and Anderson was named the tournament's MVP, as the Bruins started the season with a 7–0 record.

On February 27, Anderson and Jordan Adams missed one game after being suspended for a violation of team rules.

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 Timberwolves.

In 2023, Anderson became a naturalized Chinese citizen ahead of the FIBA Basketball World Cup.