The mindset and motivations of Justin Anderson

An article by P. Tyler Sinclair

Take a look into the mind of Justin Anderson, a starting forward for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Justin opened up about his mindsets, motivations, and experiences throughout his time in both the NBA G League and the NBA itself. Justin is the archetypal example of good character and shows this through both his words, and more importantly, through his actions. Giving insight into his own leadership style, his future business endeavors, mental health, and more, Justin Anderson gives us a behind-the-scenes exclusive look into the thought processes and growth that he has experienced throughout his career as a professional athlete.

Justin began by talking about his early life in basketball and gave insight into where his spark and passion for the sport comes from. Growing up always reaching for more, from a young age he would often practice with kids nearly six years older than him. Justin found motivation early from the challenges of playing up with kids that were bigger and stronger than him; he used this motivation to fire the passion that he still plays with to this day.

Coming out of Montrose Christian High School as a highly ranked basketball player, Justin was able to select his university of choice. Staying close home to “put [his] city on the map,” Justin chose the University of Virginia, which was just two hours from Montross, Virginia where he was born. After three seasons at Virginia, including being named a NABC All-American as a senior, Justin eventually garnered enough attention to get drafted by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2015 NBA Draft.

In his time with the Mavericks, Justin was lucky enough to play alongside NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki. Justin spoke very highly of Dirk and gave us some perspective on Dirk’s leadership style and how that helped Justin to find himself as veteran in the league today.

“Dirk was one of the first in the gym, last to leave you know? His work ethic showed," Justin says.

Justin touched on how Dirk made you realize things about leadership through his determination and passion for the game. Justin learned to adopt this transformational style of leadership as he evolved in his career and has since begun implementing it as leader on the Mad Ants.

“From an older player perspective, sometimes you have to go through and experience a lot of things in order to be able to give true wisdom to some of the younger guys," Justin points out.

Last season, Justin was able to translate his leadership skills and athletic talent into becoming just the third Mad Ant to ever be named All-NBA G League First Team and also six starts with the Indiana Pacers during one of three different NBA call ups, alongside the likes of Buddy Hield, and Tyrese Haliburton. Justin also had the opportunity on this stretch to guard prolific NBA stars like Aaron Gordon and Pascal Siakam.

When asked what it is like working with and against these stars, do you draw comparisons? Are you looking to prove yourself? Justin explained that it's not so much about comparisons and expectations, as he feels that no two journeys are alike and that everyone has their own story to write and eventually tell the world.

“Embrace your grind. Embrace your journey and put yourself in a position to be available for when that time and that opportunity comes, so you can maximize it," Justin says.

An opportunity to be on an NBA roster is something that is always special to Justin as it shows him firsthand how his hard work will always pay off. His three NBA call ups (two with Indiana and one with Cleveland) last season matched a Mad Ants franchise record; no other Mad Ant had received three different call ups in the same season since Jeremy Richardson in the 2007-2008 inaugural season of the franchise. Justin plays with the same heart and pride he did back at Montrose Christian even through the ups and downs of his career. Justin says he simply feels blessed to be healthy and to still be so heavily involved in the basketball community.

“You know, you just got to kind of take the good with the bad and, and allow yourself to realize that hey, look, I'm just glad that I get to wake up every day, be able to take another breath, and be able to play the game that I love," he says.

Although Justin is very involved in the athletic side of professional basketball, he understands that there is more to the NBA than simply putting a ball in a hoop. The NBA is a multi-million-dollar industry that has thousands of employees from California to New York, that put food on their tables by managing the business side of professional basketball. Justin touched on some of his ongoing endeavors and his aspirations for his career after he hangs up his jersey. Justin touched on his foundation that he has back in Virginia that helps underprivileged youth and a small media company that he is a part of. Justin also talked about how his free time during Covid allowed him to formulate ideas of how to sell his network and experience as a viable product.

“Business is myself; I think, I think I am the business," he says, alluding to how he hopes to utilize his persona and professional connections to grow once his athletic career has come to an end.

Business inclination and athletic prowess are two huge pillars on which Justin Anderson stands.

Even with the fact that Justin is a well-rounded guy, with the modern world’s new-found inclination for mental health awareness, it felt necessary to get his opinion on mental health and the nuances of psychology that come with being a professional athlete.

Justin promptly states: “First of all, mental health is real…” shooting down any person who dismays the notion of psychological issues and lending support to those who struggle with finding peace of mind in their everyday life. Justin says he find mental balance by understanding that everything good in life is fleeting, and you must soak up every moment of enjoyment that you can before you wake up one day and its all gone.

Justin explained to us that as an NBA or G League player, you must enjoy the little things, enjoy spending time with your teammates, enjoy the bus rides and hotel trips. He says, treat your teammates as your brothers so that one day you can look back at your time in the league and reminisce on the connections you made.

“The one thing that you can always lean on is your character, who you are, what you stand for. Are you a great teammate? Are you a great friend? Are you a great leader? That's all that really matters.”

In talking to Justin Anderson, it is clear to see the standout character he possesses and the infectious goodwill he looks to spread everywhere he goes.

As a leader or simply as a friend, Justin takes multiple steps in his everyday life to make sure everyone around him feels his positive aura of influence. Justin is far from being finished with his professional career as he knows that to this day, he still has that same fire and passion he’s had in his heart since he was nine years old playing in U15 basketball practices.

“Life is an experience; you have to learn your lessons and you have to continue to grow from everything that you see,” he says.

Justin continues to grow with every passing day, and those in the organization can’t wait to see where his positive attitude and good character will take him next.