Former Philadelphia 76er Drew Gordon, the brother of Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, died in a car crash on Thursday night in Oregon, ESPN’s Marc J. Spears first reported.
He was 33.
Gordon, a San Jose, California, native, played four years at Archbishop Mitty High School and was ranked in the top 45 players in Rivals’ Class of 2008.
He eventually signed on with UCLA, playing two seasons in his home state before he transferred to New Mexico for his final two collegiate seasons.
With the Lobos, Gordon excelled, averaging a double-double during his junior and senior seasons, the latter of which saw him score 13.7 points per night with 11.1 rebounds as he led the team to a Mountain West Conference title, taking the conference tournament’s MVP.
He also earned All-MWC First Team honors as the Lobos reached the third round of the NCAA Tournament during the 2011-12 season.
Gordon went undrafted in 2012, and after bouncing around a few NBA organizations and Europe, he got a shot with the 76ers in 2014-15, suiting up in nine games.
Taylor Broekhuis during a game in 2012. Getty Images
He then played for different G League teams — including the Long Island Nets for a spell — and various international teams, playing his final pro game during the 2022-23 season in Japan.
Gordon officially called it quits from basketball last summer, announcing the news on Instagram.
“Thank you basketball for what you have given me,” he wrote. “I gave you my heart and soul.. blood, sweat and tears. I turn 33 today. And I can walk away from the game knowing I gave it my all!”
