Drew Gordon, a former Philadelphia 76ers power forward, died unexpectedly in Portland, Oregon on Thursday after injuries sustained in a car accident, his agents said.
Gordon was just 33 years old.
A former Gordon missed the 2012 draft but eventually joined the Dallas Mavericks’ Summer League, CBS News reported.
Gordon earned a spot on the Philadelphia 76ers’ roster for the 2014-2015 season following several seasons overseas and in the G-league,
He played in nine games before being released.
Fellow player Ronnie Flores wrote on X:
“Drew Gordon and his Mitty running mate Collin Chiverton played so hard every night ; gave it their all.
Drew missed some time with injury as a senior, but Monarchs made CIF D2 title game in both 2007 & 2008. #RIPDrew #Mitty #SoldierSalute”
CBS Sports reports: Drew Gordon, the older brother of Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, has died in a car accident in Portland, Oregon, his agent, Calvin Andrews, confirmed to ESPN late Thursday. Gordon was 33 years old.
A standout basketball player in his own right, Gordon began his collegiate career at UCLA after receiving offers from blue blood programs like Duke, North Carolina and Arizona.
Despite two relatively successful years as a Bruin, Gordon elected to transfer to New Mexico for his junior season.
He averaged at least 13 points and 10 rebounds per game in each of his two seasons as a Lobo, and with that performance, he put himself on the NBA’s radar.
He ultimately was not drafted in 2012, but played for the Dallas Mavericks in Summer League.
From there, he bounced between foreign leagues and the G League before ultimately signing with the Philadelphia 76ers, his only NBA team.
He played in nine games for the 76ers during the 2014-15 season before ultimately getting waived in December.
He played nearly a decade of professional basketball after that, most of it coming abroad.
The highlight of that foreign career was being named an All-Star in France in 2015. Gordon retired from basketball in 2023.
