Former Wahoos Anderson, Key earn All-NBA G League honors

By Scott Ratcliffe

A pair of former Virginia basketball standouts earned accolades Monday, as Justin Anderson was named to the All-NBA G League’s First Team and Braxton Key was named to both the Second Team and the All-Defensive Team.

Anderson, who played 22 games as a member of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, averaged 27.8 points per game along with 6.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.8 blocks.

Key, an Alabama transfer and member of the 2019 UVA national championship team, appeared in 24 games for the Delaware Blue Coats, averaging 19.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.6 blocks per contest. He also improved his 3-point shooting percentage from 29 percent in 2020-21 to 39 percent this past season.

Both Anderson and Key spent time in the NBA this season as well. Anderson had a pair of stints — one with the Cleveland Cavaliers (3 games) and one with the Indiana Pacers (three call-ups, 13 games). He averaged 6.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists in his 16 NBA contests.

Anderson, who spent three years in Charlottesville from 2012-15 before turning pro after his junior season, has now appeared in 242 NBA games (starting in 30 of them) with a career average of 5.3 points. He was selected 21st overall by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2015 NBA Draft and has also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Atlanta Hawks and Brooklyn Nets. Anderson has an NBA career high of 26 points.

Anderson posted this message on his Twitter account: “I am extremely honored and thankful to be selected to the All @nbagleague First-Team. This isn’t possible without my teammates and coaches this season in Fort Wayne.”

I am extremely honored and thankful to be selected to the All @nbagleague First-Team. This isn’t possible without my teammates and coaches this season in Fort Wayne. 🙏🏽

— Justin Anderson (@JusAnderson1) April 18, 2022

Key also was signed by a couple of NBA teams, the Blue Coats’ parent club, the 76ers, and the Detroit Pistons. Key, nephew of UVA legend Ralph Sampson, appeared in two games for Philadelphia in January on a 10-day contract, averaging just three minutes a game before rejoining the Blue Coats, but then was scooped up by Detroit on a 10-day deal in late March, where he finished out the regular season and impressed the organization enough to sign him to a two-way contract in early April.

In the Motor City, Key played in nine contests, averaging 21.2 minutes a night. He averaged 8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for the Pistons. Key’s career high in scoring came on April 6 against the Mavericks, when he registered 14 points.

“I love his defense,” Pistons coach Dwayne Casey said after Key’s performance against Dallas. “I thought his defense was spectacular. He put his chest into whoever came down there, got a couple of steals, finished around the lane. That young man is giving us everything he can give us defensively.”

Star rookie Pistons teammate Cade Cunningham said this about Key: “I’ve really liked playing with him and just watching him play. He’s always in the right spot, it feels like. He plays super hard. He just makes a lot of things happen for us. I really like watching him play and I’m excited for that contract he just got and to be around him more.”

Along with Anderson and Key, nine other UVA alums have played in at least one NBA contest this season: Malcolm Brogdon (Indiana Pacers), Joe Harris (Brooklyn Nets), Anthony Gill (Washington Wizards), De’Andre Hunter (Atlanta Hawks), Kyle Guy (Miami Heat), Ty Jerome (Oklahoma City Thunder), Mamadi Diakite (Oklahoma City Thunder), Trey Murphy III (New Orleans Pelicans), Jay Huff (Los Angeles Lakers) and Sam Hauser (Boston Celtics).

Additionally, there are unofficially 10 other former Hoos currently playing professionally: Darion Atkins (German BBL), Billy Baron (VTB United League), Devon Hall (Italian Lega Basket Serie A), Nigel Johnson (Hungarian NBIA), Akil Mitchell (German BBL), London Perrantes (Israeli BSL), Jack Salt (Australian NBL), Darius Thompson (VTB United League), Mike Tobey (Spanish ACB) and Tomas Woldetensae (Italian Lega Basket Serie A).

2021-22 ALL-NBA G LEAGUE TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Justin Anderson – Fort Wayne Mad Ants*
Mason Jones – South Bay Lakers*^
Justin Tillman – College Park Skyhawks*
Trevelin Queen – Rio Grande Valley Vipers*^
Moses Wright – Texas Legends*^

SECOND TEAM
Cat Barber – College Park Skyhawks*
Charles Bassey – Delaware Blue Coats#
Braxton Key – Delaware Blue Coats*^
Saben Lee – Motor City Cruise#
Reggie Perry – Raptors 905*

THIRD TEAM
Luka Garza – Motor City Cruise#
Jared Harper – Birmingham Squadron*
Justin Jackson – Texas Legends*
Carlik Jones – Texas Legends*
Anthony Lamb – Rio Grande Valley Vipers*^ 

2021-22 NBA G LEAGUE ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Charles Bassey – Delaware Blue Coats#
Luka Garza – Motor City Cruise#
Carlik Jones – Texas Legends*
Mac McClung – South Bay Lakers*^
Micah Potter – Sioux Falls Skyforce*

2021-22 NBA G LEAGUE ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Charles Bassey – Delaware Blue Coats#
Braxton Key – Delaware Blue Coats*^
Tacko Fall – Cleveland Charge
Shaquille Harrison – Delaware Blue Coats*
Trevelin Queen – Rio Grande Valley Vipers*^

*Earned GATORADE Call-Up during 2021-22 NBA season
^NBA Two-Way Player
#NBA Assignee