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Ben Gordon is a British-American former professional basketball player. Gordon played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) after being drafted in 2004. He played college basketball for the University of Connecticut (UConn), where he won a national championship in 2004. Gordon is the only player to have won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award as a rookie. However, Gordon's career was not without its challenges, as he struggled with turnovers and stamina issues during his rookie season. In recent years, Gordon has made headlines for several arrests, including an incident at a juice shop in Stamford, Connecticut, for which he was offered a probation program that could erase the charges.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon |
| Date of Birth | 4 April 1983 |
| Place of Birth | London, England |
| Citizenship | British-American, dual citizenship |
| Parents | Jamaican father and African-American mother |
| Education | University of Connecticut |
| College Basketball | University of Connecticut |
| NBA Draft | 2004 |
| NBA Teams | Chicago Bulls, Detroit, Charlotte, Orlando |
| NBA Seasons | 11 |
| Awards | NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, NCAA tournament's Most Outstanding Player award of the Phoenix Regional honors |
| Arrests | October 2022, April 2023, December 2023 |
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What You'll Learn
Ben Gordon's NBA career
Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon is a British-American former professional basketball player. Born in London, England, to a Jamaican father and an African-American mother, Gordon moved to the United States as an infant and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He played high school basketball for the Mount Vernon Knights and later played college basketball for the University of Connecticut (UConn), where he won a national championship in 2004.
Gordon was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 and played for the team for five seasons. In his rookie season, he won the NBA Sixth Man Award, becoming the only player in history to do so. He averaged 12.5 points per game in his first season, with a career-high of 21.4 points per game in the 2006-07 season. However, he also led the league in turnovers during his rookie season and struggled with stamina issues.
After his time with the Bulls, Gordon went on to play for the Detroit Pistons, signing a deal worth $50 million. He played for Detroit for four seasons before moving on to the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets) and the Orlando Magic, spending one season with each.
Gordon was known for his scoring ability, particularly his three-point shooting. He is currently fourth in career three-point field goals for the Chicago Bulls. He also represented the United States national team at the 2003 Pan American Games and was named to the shortlist for the British national basketball team in 2008, although he ultimately did not compete for Great Britain due to trade issues.
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Arrests and mental health
Ben Gordon has had several run-ins with the law in recent years. On June 1, 2017, Gordon was arrested for pulling fire alarms at his Los Angeles apartment building. On November 20, 2017, he was arrested again for assaulting the manager of an apartment complex with a knife and robbing him of his security deposit. He was released on $50,000 bail and ordered to appear in court.
On October 10, 2022, Gordon was arrested again, this time for allegedly punching his son at LaGuardia Airport in New York and resisting arrest. Gordon's son had a protection order in place since 2018, barring his father from taking him outside of Illinois and protecting him from physical abuse and harassment. In December 2022, Gordon was arrested once more for attempting to stab several people with sewing needles and was sent to Harlem Hospital.
On April 4, 2023, Gordon was arrested for threatening employees of a juice shop in Stamford, Connecticut, with a knife. Police reported that Gordon was acting aggressively and erratically, and he was found to be carrying a knife, a stun gun, and brass knuckles. Gordon's lawyer, Darnell Crosland, stated that Gordon had struggled with mental health issues but was doing better.
In February 2020, Gordon revealed that he had been suffering from bipolar disorder and had attempted suicide. He also wrote about his struggles with bipolar disorder and depression, which he believes contributed to his arrests. Gordon has reportedly attended 55 psychotherapy sessions and is on a supervised probation program that could see the weapons and threatening charges from his 2023 arrest erased if he does not reoffend and meets other conditions during the 18-month probation period.
The Ben Gordon Center in DeKalb, Illinois, is a mental health facility that offers counseling and therapy services to individuals, couples, and families. It is accredited by the Precedence Plus Behavioral Health Network and provides individualized care to help people achieve the highest quality of life possible.
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College basketball
Ben Gordon played college basketball for the University of Connecticut (UConn). As a freshman, he ranked second on the team in scoring (12.6 ppg), despite coming off the bench for most of the season. He hit a game-winning three-point shot against Villanova in the Big East tournament.
In his sophomore year, Gordon averaged a team-leading 19.5 points (50th in the nation) and also led the Huskies with 156 total assists. This performance earned him Second Team All-Big East honours.
In his junior and final year at UConn, Gordon continued to excel, averaging a team-leading 20.5 points (again 50th in the nation), 4.7 rebounds, and 4.5 assists. He made 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 tournament's Most Outstanding Performer honours. He also received the Most Outstanding Player award at the Phoenix Regional honours in the NCAA tournament.
Gordon helped lead UConn to a national championship in 2004. On February 7, 2025, he was inducted into the Huskies of Honor during halftime of the UConn game against St. John's at Gampel Pavilion.
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International career
Ben Gordon, a British-American former professional basketball player, was named to the shortlist for the British national basketball team on April 1, 2008. Gordon was eligible for the team due to his British birth and dual citizenship. In 2010, he expressed his desire to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. However, he missed the team's pre-Olympic training camp in June 2012 and later stated that he couldn't commit due to his trade from Detroit to Charlotte.
In July 2016, Gordon was selected for Great Britain's 24-man preliminary roster for the EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers. He made the final 12-man roster and averaged 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game during the qualification stage. Prior to this, Gordon represented the United States national team at the 2003 Pan American Games.
Gordon, who was born in London, England, to a Jamaican father and an African-American mother, moved to the United States as an infant and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York. He 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 then played college basketball for the University of Connecticut, where he won a national championship in 2004.
During his 11-season career in the NBA, Gordon played for the Chicago Bulls, Detroit, Charlotte, and Orlando. He is particularly known for his rookie season with the Bulls, during which he won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award—the only player to have done so as a rookie.
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Awards and records
Benjamin Ashenafi Gordon, born on April 4, 1983, is a British-American former professional basketball player. Gordon played for 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Here is a list of his awards and records:
College Basketball:
- As a freshman at the University of Connecticut (UConn), Gordon ranked second in scoring (12.6 points per game) despite mostly coming off the bench. He also hit the game-winning three-pointer against Villanova in the Big East tournament.
- During his sophomore year, Gordon averaged a team-leading 19.5 points (50th in the nation) and had 156 total assists, earning him Second Team All-Big East honours.
- In his junior and final year at UConn, Gordon again led the team in scoring with 20.5 points (50th in the nation), along with 4.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game. He made 104 three-pointers, the second-highest single-season total in UConn history.
- Gordon set a Big East Tournament record with 81 total points and was named the Most Outstanding Performer. He also earned the Most Outstanding Player award at the Phoenix Regional in the NCAA tournament.
- In 2004, Gordon won a national championship with UConn.
NBA:
- Gordon is the only player in NBA history to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award as a rookie.
- He is fourth in career three-point field goals for the Chicago Bulls.
- Gordon shares the NBA record for most three-point field goals in a game without a miss (9) with Latrell Sprewell and Jalen Brunson. He achieved this feat twice, first with the Bulls and then with the Detroit Pistons.
- On January 9, 2010, Gordon scored the ten millionth point in NBA history while playing for the Pistons.
- Gordon made the shortlist for the British national basketball team in 2008 and 2016. He represented Great Britain during the EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers, averaging 9.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game.
- In 2003, Gordon represented the United States national team at the Pan American Games.
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Frequently asked questions
After 11 seasons in the NBA, Gordon's career came to an end due to his issues with turnovers, lack of stamina, and an overall overrating. He was also arrested multiple times in 2022 and 2023 for violent behaviour and disturbing the peace.
Gordon was the first rookie to win the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award and a national championship with the University of Connecticut in 2004. He also holds the NBA record for most three-point field goals in a game without a miss (9).
Gordon played for the Chicago Bulls, Detroit, Charlotte, and Orlando over his 11 seasons in the NBA.
After his NBA career, Gordon faced legal troubles, including arrests for punching his son and threatening employees with a knife. He has also struggled with mental health issues, including bipolar disorder and depression.
