Chris Andersen (born July 7 1978 in Long Beach, California) is an American professional basketball player, currently for the New Orleans Hornets. His swooping dunks, shot-blocking skills and rare athleticism for his size earned him the nickname "The Birdman". Andersen is also the owner of a number of large tattoos, mainly on his arms. He received a two year ban from the NBA in 2006 for violating the league's drug policy, but was reinstated on Tuesday, March 4, 2008, and was re-signed by the Hornets the next day.

Andersen grew up in Iola, Texas and was undrafted in 1999 following a career at Blinn College (he originally dropped out of the University of Houston). He began his professional career in the NBDL, going on to play for the Denver Nuggets and the New Orleans Hornets.

The 6'10", 228 lb power forward showcased his athleticism in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest during NBA All-Star Weekend in 2004 and 2005. Infamously, in the 2005 contest, he missed his first eight attempts on his first dunk and his first five attempts on his second, drawing open laughter from the players on the sidelines and even ridicule from the TNT commentators.

In 253 career games (including 8 starts), Andersen averaged 5.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.36 blocks in 16.6 minutes per game. His trademark had been his "Birdman" celebration, wherein he would cross his arms and flap his hands like the wings of a bird. This was usually done after scoring on an emphatic dunk.