Anthony Anderson appears on FanSided's SportFire podcast courtesy of Charmin, in conjunction with the launch of Charmin's reinvention of the square -- Ultra-Soft Smooth Tear.
Black-ish star Anthony Anderson is no stranger to the hardwood. When he's not setting up his television teammates with layup punchlines, he's probably found in the NBA All-Star Weekend's celebrity game, which he has both emceed and starred in.
Ask him about his participation there, and he'll weave a tale about how Kevin Hart's ballhogging failed to taint the overall experience. But if you really want to know about Anderson's time spent rubbing elbows with basketball's elite, look no further than Hang Time.
That's the mid-90s high school basketball sitcom Anderson broke out in that featured Coach Reggie Theus, eventually Dick Butkus, and a rotating cast of the pro game's brightest stars in cameo roles. Perhaps most special of all was the week Kobe Bryant joined a young Anderson on the court -- because Anderson, himself, facilitated a spot for the breakout rookie.
Anthony Anderson hooked Lakers rookie Kobe Bryant for "Hang Time" cameo
"We had basketball stars, track and field stars, FloJo ... the list goes on and on about the players that we had, but Kobe was a special one," Anderson shared.
While the show thrived on its relationship with stars or soon-to-be star athletes, Bryant's appearance came with just a bit of serendipity.
"I just happened to be in the writers' room one day, and they said, 'Man, we would love to have Kobe on' -- this was his rookie season," the comedian continued. "I was like, 'Oh, word?'. I had befriended Kobe's sister and met the family, and I was like, 'Well, Kobe's on the backlot right now with Derek Fisher'. They were doing something on 'In The House' with LL Cool J and Debbie Allen."
Anderson then walked over to a separate soundstage, floated the idea to Bryant (who said he watched the show), and wrangled him for an immediate meeting with the producers. When asked who they should get in touch with to finalize the details, Bryant replied, "Call my mom." Within a week, the budding star was back on set, providing Anderson with a memory to last a lifetime -- both in his consciousness and quite literally.
"I got his game shoes that he wore on our show. He gave me the shoes and signed them for me," Anderson revealed.
