How Hannes Steinbach, Christian Anderson hit the ground running for Hornets
Standing side-by-side and not bleary-eyed despite the whirlwind that’s engulfed them over the past 24 hours-plus, Hannes Steinbach and Christian Anderson probably still needed a pinch or two.
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The duo was reunited yet again, all thanks to being selected by the Charlotte Hornets in the first round of the NBA Draft. Steinbach is a native of Germany, hailing from the same town as 14-time All-Star and 2011 NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki.
Anderson, who’s from Atlanta, holds dual citizenship in Germany because of his father, and he has joined Steinbach on the German national basketball team, suiting up in various international youth tournaments. And here they were, basking in the aftermath of not only realizing their dreams of playing professionally, but doing it as teammates.
“We’ve played with each other the past three years,” Anderson said Wednesday, “and obviously we would have loved to have him at Texas Tech. But he went to Washington. But it’s super fun. You only think you can play together on the national team and getting the chance to come to the NBA and be on the same team, it’s something that I couldn’t ask for any better situation for sure.”
Ditto for the other half of the Hornets’ new combination.
“I never really thought that, but it was so great when I saw that the Hornets picked him up as well,” Steinbach said. “So, I was excited for that, just knowing that we played the last three years and the connection we have is really fun.”
That was on full display immediately. They hit the ground running in Charlotte.
Fresh off their flight from New York, Steinbach and Anderson were whisked to the Hornets Hoops Camp at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Dilworth, where they chatted it up with some youth.
Steinbach and Anderson even took questions from the eager campers, evoking memories and quickly allowing for reflection on their various paths to this point.
“The whole environment was super nice,” Anderson said. “You can tell they really love the team. I was once in their position, in their shoes, and had guys in the NBA come to camps and I wanted to be around them, too. So, I get that feeling, it was a super nice thing to do.”
Said Steinbach: “It’s really cool just to see the energy and how much fun they have playing basketball.”
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Charlotte’s newest tandem will get a little downtime before formally being introduced during a press conference at Spectrum Center on Thursday afternoon. Both have plenty of family members in tow, thrilled to tag along for the ride these first few days.
They won’t have much of an opportunity for a breather, though.
Preparations for Las Vegas Summer League are on the horizon — the Hornets are the defending champions after winning the title for the first time in 2025 — and their first action takes place in the desert in just over two weeks.
Adjustments are going to be a necessity, but some of the veterans are already lending a helping hand in a sense.
“Most of the team reached out to me and they are just welcoming me on the team,” Anderson said “I thought that was a nice thing to do.”
That’s also what made it all the more exciting when they finally touched down at Charlotte Douglas International Airport after a slight delay leaving New York. No more guesswork or sifting for clues.
That’s over with now and they can focus on their craft.
“It felt amazing,” Anderson said. “Being at a place where I can call home, it’s something that I was wanting. And during the combine, you have no idea where you are going to go. It finally feels nice to kind of be somewhere.”
Especially alongside Steinbach.
“As Christian said, finally having somewhere you can call home, it’s kind of exciting and having a feel for what is going to happen for the next few years,” Steinbach said. “So, it was great.”
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