Willie Anderson played basketball at the University of Georgia, after which he was selected in the first round of the 1988 NBA Draft by the San Antonio Spurs. Anderson played for nine years in the NBA, with the Spurs from 1988-95, then the Toronto Raptors (1995-96), the New York Knicks (1996), and the Miami Heat (1996-97). As a rookie with the Spurs, Anderson was named to the NBA All-Rookie team. In the NBA he averaged 12.2 ppg, and averaged 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
After his NBA career, Anderson played overseas, starting with Olympiakos Piraeus in Greece in 1996/97. He then moved to AEK Athina in 1997/98, helping them win the 1998 Euroleague final. Anderson finished his career with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 1998/99.