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As a child, Izabel Varejão was scared of Anderson Varejão. She was intimidated by her uncle’s 6-foot-11 frame and long, dark hair braids when he visited their family in Brazil.

Izabel was too young to know there was nothing to be afraid of. Over time, she realized “his heart barely fits inside his body.” Anderson’s love for his niece, in particular, is unbreakable. It willed him to bring Izabel to a Justin Bieber concert in summer 2011, where Anderson awkwardly stood as “the oldest guy there,” he joked.

During Bieber’s show in Rio de Janeiro, he watched as Izabel and the rest of the young fans were “going crazy” to the pop star’s performance. Afterward, Anderson brought a beaming Izabel backstage for her to meet Bieber.

“To be able to be part of moments like that with your niece, it’s just something that you’re going to remember forever,” Anderson said.

Anderson said the two are “as close as any other uncle and niece can be.” They spend extensive time together whenever they have the opportunity, often traveling to see each other’s games. At the same time, Anderson, who played 14 seasons in the NBA, is passing down his high-level basketball knowledge to Izabel, who is the latest at the helm of the Varejão legacy as a graduate transfer at Syracuse.

In all facets of life, Anderson inspires his niece. For Izabel, though, her uncle’s commitment to his family is the most powerful. The Varejão’s are very “tight,” Anderson said, and the former NBA center’s life revolves around providing support to his family — a value Izabel emulates.

“He just wants to see his family happy,” Izabel said. “He (would) run through a wall for us.”

Anderson (left) and Izabel (right) Varejão posing after Izabel graduated from the University of Michigan in 2023. Photograph Courtesy of Izabel Varejão

Anderson’s NBA career made it difficult for him to consistently come back home, so Izabel and her mother, Simone Varejão (Anderson’s older sister), left Brazil at times to see Anderson. When Izabel was a toddler, Anderson took her and Simone to Disneyland in Paris.

One evening, Izabel and Simone were hungry and asked Anderson to get them McDonald’s. He remembered leaving the hotel to go find it, however, he had trouble figuring out where the restaurant was.

Anderson only spoke Spanish and Portuguese at the time, so he struggled to communicate with the French citizens. He asked multiple people for the correct directions, but was unable to cross the language barrier. After 30 minutes of walking, Anderson found the McDonald’s and trekked back to deliver Izabel and Simone their food.

“Because it was for her, for my little niece, I went out of my way and decided, ‘You know what? I’m going to get it done,’” Anderson said, “Because of her.”

Later in her life, when Izabel was around 7, the Varejão family ventured to the United States for the first time to watch Anderson play with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Izabel said the trip was an emotional one, as she remembered Simone crying once they arrived at the then-Quicken Loans Arena, overjoyed that the family was reunited with Anderson. In the stands, Izabel held up a poster that read “I love you uncle” in Portuguese.

Izabel said seeing Anderson play made her want to be like him. Even before Anderson’s career took off, the Varejão family history had been deeply rooted in basketball. “Everybody” in the family loves the game, Izabel said, including Sandro Varejão, a former West Virginia big man and Anderson’s brother.

But Izabel wasn’t initially going to pursue basketball. She tried out other sports to try and “escape” from having to play it. Still, Izabel realized she “couldn’t run from (basketball).” Anderson said he was surprised at first with his niece’s choice, but he praised Izabel for becoming a “tough” player who runs the floor and grabs boards.

“People say it’s in my genes,” Izabel said.

As Izabel strives to model after her uncle, Anderson admired his older brother, Sandro, who is 11 years older than him. Anderson was still a kid when Sandro played Division I in the U.S., committing to Southern Idaho. He transferred to West Virginia after two seasons, finishing his collegiate career there before going pro in Brazil.

Izabel said Sandro was ahead of his time. A 6-foot-11 center in the 1990s, Sandro displayed great versatility and could shoot from long range, Izabel said. As Anderson approached his early years as a pro in Brazil and Barcelona, Sandro indirectly motivated him to add to his family’s basketball legacy.

“In my mind, I just wanted to be like him,” Anderson said. “I wanted to be a professional.”

Sandro’s journey propelled Anderson to his full potential, leading to a successful NBA career. Yet, Anderson said he faced pressure to live up to his brother and understood Izabel felt a similar responsibility weighing on her.

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Izabel said it’s very challenging to try and fill her uncle’s shoes, but Anderson has helped Izabel learn how to deal with moving far away from home at a young age. He did the same thing at 16 when he went to play for FC Barcelona. Izabel moved from Brazil to North Carolina in 2016 and attended high school at Neuse Christian Academy before committing to Michigan in 2019.

After a turbulent four years of receiving limited playing time at Michigan from 2019-22, Izabel transferred to SU. Her workload has increased with the Orange, starting in six of their first eight games in 2023-24 and averaging 6.5 points per game.

Communication with Anderson has been more frequent than ever since Izabel’s been at Syracuse, she said. Izabel texts Anderson before and after games, receiving constant feedback from him. She said it’s been easier to speak after Anderson retired from the NBA following the 2020-21 season, adding that she used to be “shy” when asking for help.

Now being thrust into a larger role, Izabel seeks out help from Anderson on dealing with nerves, among other things.

“Iza, you’re nervous because you actually care,” Anderson tells her.

Anderson preaches to her that preparation and doing the “little things” can make the difference in her development instead of overexerting herself because of her “Varejão” nameplate.

“(Anderson) never forgets where he came from, and I try to take that as a life lesson,” Izabel said. “He never leaves people (behind) that helped him get to where he is, and I feel like that’s the most beautiful thing about him. Way more than being a basketball player.”

In her freshman season at Michigan on Oct. 30, 2019, Izabel had her first collegiate appearance during an exhibition game versus Northwood. Despite not being on the Cavaliers at the time, Anderson still had a house in Cleveland, which is less than three hours from Ann Arbor, MI. Izabel talked to Anderson and pleaded for him to come, but he said he couldn’t make it.

Holding out hope for Anderson to attend, Izabel put his name in for a seat just in case. In the contest, Izabel came off the bench and scored a game-high 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting in her debut. Some of her family members were in attendance, which left her emotional as is. When Izabel noticed a “6-foot-11 dude standing and waving at me,” she said, Izabel began “sobbing” and was filled with joy that Anderson saw her performance.

“Everything she has accomplished is due to her own hard work,” Simone said of Izabel. “But she had her uncle (Anderson) as someone close to be there as a safe haven, and for that I am so thankful.”

Published on December 7, 2023 at 12:39 am

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews