Drew Gordon, a well-traveled professional basketball player and the older brother of Denver Nuggets starter Aaron Gordon, died in a car accident on Thursday, his agent told ESPN. He was 33 years old.
The big man played nine games in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, but his career was so much more. In addition to the NBA and G League, Gordon played in leagues in Serbia, Italy, Turkey, France, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Japan.
Gordon entered college basketball as a Rivals four-star recruit, moving from San Jose down to UCLA where he saw immediate playing time. That tenure ended midway through his sophomore year, when he left the team and transferred to New Mexico.
That New Mexico career was more productive, earning all-conference honors twice and winning MVP of the 2012 Mountain West tournament. He averaged a double-double in his senior year with 13.7 points and 11.1 rebounds per game.
After going unselected in the 2012 NBA Draft, Gordon played in the summer league with the Dallas Mavericks then embarked upon a 12-year pro career. He made his way into the NBA in 2014, parlaying a summer league stint with the Sixers into a one-month stint midway through the regular season.
Gordon found stardom elsewhere, earning All-Star honors in France and Russia and winning a title in the 2014 Italian Cup.
Meanwhile, Gordon’s brother Aaron entered college basketball as a five-star, was selected fourth overall in 2014 and won the NBA championship last season with the Denver Nuggets. Gordon was there to celebrate with him.
