Alan Anderson's quiet giveback to his Minnesota roots

It was buried in a story about the 20th annual Inner City Classic in Minneapolis, a game that originated when a former "Mr. Basketball" for the state noticed that no blacks were selected for the All-State team even thought two predominantly black schools had battled for the state championship that year.

There was a discussion of the game's history, who's playing this year and then this note...

There is no fee for the players thanks to sponsorship from former participants such as NBA players Kris Humphries and Alan Anderson. The latter, a member of the Brooklyn Nets and graduate of DeLaSalle, has provided uniforms and shoes to game participants for the past seven years.

That's interesting for a number of reasons, including that Anderson hasn't publicized his generosity but also there's this: In four of those past seven years, Anderson didn't play in the NBA, but in Italy, Croatia, Israel and Spain. And he's never made more than the minimum in the NBA, sometimes making only a fraction of the minimum because he was cut early or joined the team late. While Kris Humphries contributions are also notable, Hump has made nearly $50 million in his career.

Good to see a good guy getting some recognition.

• Inner City All-Star Classic: Reid Travis, JP Macura head talented field - Jared Nelson - St. Paul Pioneer-Press