Chris Anstey

Christopher John "Chris" Anstey (born 1 January 1975) is an Australian former professional basketball player. At 7'0" (213 cm), his career included stints in the NBA, Russia and Spain. Anstey was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the first round (18th pick overall) of the 1997 NBA draft. He also played for the Melbourne Tigers, South East Melbourne Magic and Victoria Titans in the NBL. He retired at the end of the 2009–10 season while with the Tigers and later became the team's head coach in 2012.

Professional career

Early NBL years

Anstey took up basketball at the relatively late age of 17. Before that he was a promising tennis player, peaking at being ranked number 2 amongst Australia's 15-year-old players and regularly playing doubles with Mark Philippoussis. In 1994 he joined the Melbourne Tigers and was team mates with some of the most recognisable names in Australian basketball, such as Andrew Gaze, Mark Bradtke, and Lanard Copeland, as well as head coach Lindsay Gaze. After one season with the Tigers, Anstey was signed by South East Melbourne Magic coach Brian Goorjian. He played for the Magic from 1995–1997, earning NBL's Most Improved Player award in 1996 as well as the 1996 NBL Championship, before going to the NBA.