Derek Anderson likely isn’t the first name that comes to mind when folks think of the Miami Heat team that won the NBA Finals in 2006. After all, he appeared in only eight games for Miami during the 2006 NBA Playoffs after coming over in a midseason trade.
But Anderson was still incredibly emotional after the Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to secure their first title in franchise history. According to him, he cried in the bathroom and saw winning a ring as a culmination of all the trials and tribulations he had faced during his NBA career and life.
“When I won the NBA championship with Miami, it was surreal,” Anderson said. “In the locker room, everyone was celebrating, throwing champagne. I’d never tasted it before, so when I got some in my mouth, I was like, ‘What is this?’ I went to the bathroom, looked in the mirror, and thought about everything I’d been through — my mom leaving, raising my son at 14, tearing two ACLs. It all hit me at once. I started crying, thinking, ‘Man, I’ve made it a long damn way.’ That moment wasn’t just about the championship — it was about survival and overcoming every obstacle life threw at me.”
As mentioned, Anderson didn’t start out the 2005-06 campaign as a member of the Heat. In February of 2006, he was traded from the Houston Rockets to Miami in exchange for guard Gerald Fitch.
Anderson played 23 games for Miami in the regular season and served primarily as a reserve guard. He averaged 5.8 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.
Ultimately, he didn’t stick around in Miami after he won the only NBA title of his pro career, as he was waived before the following season. He later signed with the Charlotte Bobcats and spent the last two seasons of his career with them.
The 50-year-old was in the NBA for just 11 years, and his prime didn’t last incredibly long. But at his peak, he was a very solid player with the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs.
Maybe the zenith of Anderson’s time in the NBA came in the 1999-00 season, which marked his only season playing for the Clippers. He appeared in 64 of Los Angeles’ 82 games and averaged 16.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.4 steals per game.
The Heat have added to their collection of NBA championships since Miami won it all in 2006. With a Big 3 of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, Miami won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Additionally, the team has come close to winning another ring in recent years. Miami reached the championship series in the years 2020 and 2023.
The Heat are gunning for their fourth title in franchise history in 2025, but the squad isn’t exactly off to a blistering start to the 2024-25 campaign. Miami is below the .500 mark on the season at 6-7 and ranks as the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference.