Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon (born April 4, 1983) is a British-American former professional basketball player. Gordon played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), and he played college basketball for the University of Connecticut, where he won a national championship in 2004. He is the only player to have ever won the

NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award The National Basketball Association's Sixth Man of the Year Award is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) award given since the 1982–83 NBA season to the league's best performing player for his team coming off the bench as a substit ...

as a rookie. Gordon is third in career three-point field goals for the Chicago Bulls, behind Kirk Hinrich and Zach LaVine.Chicago Bulls Career Leaders
URL last accessed April 27, 2009 He shares the NBA record for most three point field goals in a game without a miss (9) with Latrell Sprewell and Jalen Brunson.

Early life

Gordon was born in London, England, to a Jamaican father and an African-American mother. He moved to the United States as an infant, and grew up in

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, Westchester County, New York (state), New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the Borough (New York City), borough of the Bronx. As of t ...

. Gordon played high school basketball for the Mount Vernon Knights, and helped lead the team to the 2000 New York State Public and Federation Championships. Gordon was an All-State player at Mount Vernon and a top-40 national recruit. He was heavily recruited by Seton Hall, but decided to attend UConn.

College career

As a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

at UConn, Gordon ranked second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), despite coming off the bench for most of the season. He hit the game-winning three-point shot against Villanova in the Big East tournament.Ben Gordon prospect profile and college stats
URL last accessed July 31, 2006 As a

sophomore In the United States, a sophomore ( or ) is a person in the second year at an educational institution; usually at a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. In ...

Gordon averaged a team-leading 19.5 points (which ranked 50th in the nation) and also led the Huskies with 156 total assists, which earned Gordon Second Team All-Big East honors. In Gordon's junior and final year at UConn, he averaged a team-leading 20.5 points (again ranked 50th in the nation), 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. He also connected on 104 three-pointers, the second-highest single-season total in UConn's history. Gordon set a Big East Tournament record with 81 total points, earning the tournaments' Most Outstanding Performer honors. Gordon also earned the Most Outstanding Player award of the Phoenix Regional honors in the NCAA tournament. He also led the tournament field with 127 total points, as he helped lead the Huskies to the NCAA championship. Following his junior year, Gordon declared himself eligible for the

2004 NBA draft The 2004 NBA draft was held on June 24, 2004, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and was broadcast live on ESPN at 7:00 pm ( EDT). In this draft, National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur colle ...

and was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls, one pick after the Charlotte Bobcats drafted his UConn teammate, Emeka Okafor.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2004–2009)

2004–05 season: Sixth Man of the Year

Before the

, Gordon thought that he would be drafted anywhere from 7th to 12th, but as the draft got closer he claimed to have an inkling that the Bulls might draft him third as they did with

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

20 years earlier in the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally c ...

. "I'm a guy who looks at the significance of numbers a lot. Before the draft, I had no idea I'd get drafted third. I thought I was going to go anywhere from 7th to 12th. As we started getting closer and I started to get an inkling that the Bulls could be a team that I could end up playing for, I started to look at the numbers. Michael Jordan was drafted by the Bulls and he was the third pick just like you."Q&A: Ben Gordon
URL last accessed November 17, 2006 Gordon wore the number 4 on his jersey in high school and college, but had to wear the number 7 with the Bulls due to the number 4 being retired. Gordon said, "I wore No. 4 my whole career but, of course, Jerry Sloan already had that number beforehand so there wasn't much I could do about it. So all I did was just ut togetherbeing the third pick with my old No. 4. That's why I wear No. 7." The Bulls also acquired Luol Deng in the same draft. Between Michael Jordan's departure in 1998 and Gordon's arrival in 2004, the Bulls did not win more than 30 games in a single season. In his rookie year, Gordon helped lead a turnaround from a 3–14 start to finish 47–35 and secure the fourth seed in the playoffs. He averaged 15.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while playing 24.2 minutes per game. Gordon also finished with 21 double-digit fourth-quarter-point performances, second to only LeBron James's 22 in the NBA.Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng Bulls Fource
URL last accessed August 1, 2006 In their first playoff appearance in the post-Jordan era, the Bulls (without Luol Deng) lost to the Washington Wizards in six games. After the season, Gordon became the first rookie in league history to be awarded the NBA Sixth Man Award.Gordon named NBA's 6th man
URL last accessed July 31, 2006 Gordon was also the NBA's Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month 3 times (January through to March),Gordon named rookie of the month for January, February, and March
URL last accessed July 31, 2006 and was also voted onto the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Ben Gordon1

Gordon also had problems with turnovers (4.46 per 48 minutes; sixth in the league in 2004–05), however, and an overall lack of stamina in his rookie season. He remarked, "More than anything, I just want to come back n the fallin better shape. ... A lot of this game is about conditioning and how long you can give your best performance."Bulls.com interview with Ben Gordon
URL last accessed on July 31, 2006 Gordon also revealed that he was in the process of designing an energy drink called BG7, an allusion to his initials and jersey number. Gordon unveiled the drink at One Sixty Blue, a restaurant co-owned by Michael Jordan. The drink was made with white tea,Gordon still sippin' pretty: He has his own drink
URL last accessed December 10, 2006 which has a very high amount of

antioxidant Antioxidants are compounds that inhibit oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce free radicals. This can lead to polymerization and other chain reactions. They are frequently added to industrial products, such as fuels and lubricant ...

s, and the most polyphenols of any tea.

2005–06 season

In his sophomore campaign, Gordon alternated between the starting lineup and bench for the Bulls, starting 47 games (mostly in the later half of the season) while coming off of the bench for 35. The minutes Gordon played per game rose, as did his scoring and assist averages.Stats and Bio
URL last accessed August 1, 2006 Gordon was selected to play for the Sophomores in the

Rookie Challenge The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- and ...

held during the NBA All-Star Weekend, in which he scored 17 points.Recap for 2006 Rookie Challenge game
URL last accessed July 31, 2006 On April 14, 2006, in a Bulls win over the Washington Wizards, Gordon tied Latrell Sprewell's NBA record for the most three-pointers made in a game without a miss 9. The Bulls returned to the playoffs but were again eliminated in the first round in six games; this time they lost to the Miami Heat, who went on to win the NBA championship.

2006–07 season

Gordon's third season marked a giant step forward for himself and the Bulls. He adjusted to becoming the team's starting shooting guard, averaging 21.4 points on near-46% shooting in 33 minutes per game. Chicago rebounded from a 3–9 start to finish 49–33. On March 4, 2007, Gordon established a career-high 48 points, leading a miraculous comeback effort to win 126–121 in overtime against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the first round of the playoffs the Bulls again faced the Heat, but this time won the series in four games, becoming the first team in NBA history to sweep the defending champions in the first round. They lost to the Detroit Pistons in the second round, but were able to force the series to six games after initially falling behind 3–0.

2007–08 season

On the heels of their first playoff series win in nearly a decade, the Bulls entered the 2007–08 season with high expectations. Prior to the season, Gordon and Deng both turned down offers for contract extensions, believing they could earn more in free agency. Following a 9–16 start, Scott Skiles was fired and the Bulls did not recover. The Bulls drafted

Derrick Rose Derrick Martell Rose (born October 4, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played one year of college basketball for the Memphis Tigers before being drafted ...

with their first overall pick in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, raising questions about how Gordon and Rose could coexist in Chicago's backcourt (both were score-first guards).

2008–09 season

On October 1, 2008, Gordon finally accepted a one-year qualifying offer of $6.4 million after being unable to secure the contract that he was hoping for. On December 27, 2008, Gordon passed Scottie Pippen as the Chicago Bulls' career leader in three-pointers made. As had been the case in his previous four seasons, the Bulls' season got off to a rocky start. However, Gordon and Rose developed chemistry playing with each other, and helped the Bulls finish the season on a 15–8 run to just qualify for the playoffs at 41–41. Entering the playoffs as the seventh seed and matched with the defending champion

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

, critics and observers expected the Bulls to be swept. However, in a series that featured the scoring exploits of Gordon (42 points in game 2) and Ray Allen (51 points in game 6), seven overtime periods and five games decided by a single basket, the Bulls pushed the series to seven games before finally losing. Gordon led the Bulls in scoring for the season and playoffs, averaging 20.7 and 24.3 points, respectively.

Detroit Pistons (2009–2012)

In July 2009, Gordon signed a five-year deal with the Detroit Pistons worth between $55 million and $60 million. With the Pistons, Gordon continued his role as a sixth man off the bench. On January 9, 2010, Gordon scored the ten millionth point in NBA history. After the season, Gordon had surgery on his left ankle. On March 22, 2012, Gordon again tied the NBA record for most three-point shots made without a miss with 9. He scored 45 points to help bring Detroit back from a 25-point deficit, though they still lost to the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team was founded as the D ...

116–115.

Charlotte Bobcats (2012–2014)

On June 26, 2012, Gordon and a future first-round pick were traded to the Charlotte Bobcats in a deal that sent Corey Maggette to the Pistons. On November 28, 2012, Gordon scored 20 points in the fourth quarter of an eventual 91–94 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. The 20 points were the most in one quarter for any player in Bobcats history. He finished with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting, making 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, to go with 5-of-5 free throws. On March 2, 2014, he was waived by the Bobcats.

Orlando Magic (2014–2015)

On July 11, 2014, Gordon signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...

. Gordon's final NBA game was played on March 22, 2015, in a 100–119 loss to the

. In his final game, Gordon played for 14 minutes and recorded 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. On June 29, 2015, he was waived by the Magic.

Golden State Warriors (2015)

On September 28, 2015, Gordon signed with the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. Founded in 194 ...

. However, he was waived on October 14, after appearing in two preseason games.

Texas Legends (2017)

On January 24, 2017, Gordon was acquired by the Texas Legends of the

NBA Development League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...

National team career

On April 1, 2008, Gordon was named to the shortlist for the British national basketball team. Gordon is eligible for the team by virtue of his British birth and dual citizenship. In 2010, he said he hoped to represent Great Britain in the

2012 Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. However, Gordon missed the beginning of Great Britain's June 2012 pre-Olympic training camp in Houston, Texas. He later said he could not commit to the team after being traded from Detroit to Charlotte. On July 22, 2016, it was announced that Gordon would be selected for Great Britain's 24-man preliminary roster for the EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers. Gordon made Great Britain's 12-man roster for the EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers, and during the qualification games, he averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Gordon previously represented the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

at the

2003 Pan American Games The 2003 Pan American Games were held in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, from August 1 to 17, 2003. The successful bid for the games was made in the mid-1990s, when Dominican Republic had one of the highest growth rates in Latin America. Al ...

Post-playing career

On June 1, 2017, Gordon was arrested for pulling fire alarms at his Los Angeles apartment building. In October 2017, Gordon was hospitalized for a psychiatric evaluation after an altercation with a female patron at a holistic wellness center in Mount Vernon, New York. On November 20, 2017, Gordon was arrested again for punching a manager of an apartment complex, pulling a knife on him and robbing him of his security deposit. He was ticketed, released on a $50,000 bail and had to appear in court. In February 2020, Gordon revealed he was suffering from bipolar disorder, and detailed his battles with mental illness since retirement in an article about mental health for The Players' Tribune, including a suicide attempt. On October 10, 2022, Gordon was arrested for allegedly punching his son at LaGuardia Airport in New York and subsequently resisting arrest. Gordon's son had an order of protection since 2018, legally barring his father from taking him outside of Illinois and "committing physical abuse, harassment, or the interference with personal liberty". Shortly afterwards, in early December, he was arrested and sent to Harlem hospital after attempting to stab several people with sewing needles. On April 4, 2023, Gordon was arrested once again and taken into custody after he had, allegedly, threatened employees of a juice shop with a knife in

Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut, outside of Manhattan. It is Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , align="left" , , align="left" , Chicago , 82 , , 3 , , 24.4 , , .411 , , .405 , , .863 , , 2.6 , , 2.0 , , .6 , , .1 , , 15.1 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Chicago , 80 , , 47 , , 31.0 , , .422 , , .435 , , .787 , , 2.7 , , 3.0 , , .9 , , .1 , , 16.9 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Chicago , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 51 , , 33.0 , , .455 , , .413 , , .864 , , 3.1 , , 3.6 , , .8 , , .2 , , 21.4 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Chicago , 72 , , 27 , , 31.8 , , .434 , , .410 , , .908 , , 3.1 , , 3.0 , , .8 , , .1 , , 18.6 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Chicago , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 76 , , 36.6 , , .455 , , .410 , , .864 , , 3.5 , , 3.4 , , .9 , , .3 , , 20.7 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Detroit , 62 , , 17 , , 27.9 , , .416 , , .321 , , .861 , , 1.9 , , 2.7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.8 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Detroit , 82 , , 27 , , 26.0 , , .440 , , .402 , , .850 , , 2.4 , , 2.1 , , .6 , , .2 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Detroit , 52 , , 21 , , 26.9 , , .442 , , .429 , , .860 , , 2.3 , , 2.4 , , .7 , , .2 , , 12.5 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 75 , , 0 , , 20.8 , , .408 , , .387 , , .843 , , 1.7 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , .2 , , 11.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Charlotte , 19 , , 0 , , 14.7 , , .343 , , .276 , , .810 , , 1.4 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .1 , , 5.2 , - , align="left" , , align="left" , Orlando , 56 , , 0 , , 14.1 , , .437 , , .361 , , .836 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , .3 , , .0 , , 6.2 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 744 , , 269 , , 27.4 , , .432 , , .401 , , .857 , , 2.5 , , 2.5 , , .7 , , .2 , , 14.9

Playoffs

, - , align="left" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, align="left" , Chicago , 6 , , 1 , , 25.5 , , .405 , , .318 , , .800 , , 2.7 , , 2.5 , , .8 , , .3 , , 14.5 , - , align="left" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, align="left" , Chicago , 6 , , 6 , , 40.8 , , .406 , , .366 , , .676 , , 3.3 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , 21.0 , - , align="left" ,

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, align="left" , Chicago , 10 , , 10 , , 39.5 , , .415 , , .436 , , .921 , , 3.8 , , 3.8 , , .9 , , .1 , , 20.4 , - , align="left" ,

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

, align="left" , Chicago , 7 , , 7 , , 43.4 , , .388 , , .370 , , .875 , , 2.9 , , 3.0 , , .4 , , .1 , , 24.3 , - class="sortbottom" , align="center" colspan="2", Career , 29 , , 24 , , 37.9 , , .403 , , .384 , , .840 , , 3.2 , , 3.1 , , .8 , , .1 , , 20.2

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Ben 1983 births Living people 20th-century American sportsmen 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportspeople American men's basketball players American people of Jamaican descent Basketball players at the 2003 Pan American Games Basketball players from London Black British sportsmen British men's basketball players Charlotte Bobcats players Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons players English men's basketball players English emigrants to the United States English people of Jamaican descent Sportspeople of Jamaican descent Great Britain national basketball players Mount Vernon High School (New York) alumni NBA players from England Orlando Magic players Pan American Games basketball players for the United States Shooting guards Sportspeople from Mount Vernon, New York Basketball players from Westchester County, New York Texas Legends players UConn Huskies men's basketball players People with bipolar disorder