Ben Gordon

Ben Gordon

Gordon in 2013
No. 3 – Texas Legends
Position Shooting guard
League NBA Development League
Personal information
Born (1983-04-04) April 4, 1983
London, England
Nationality British / American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school Mount Vernon
(Mount Vernon, New York)
College Connecticut (2001–2004)
NBA draft 2004 / Round: 1 / Pick: 3rd overall
Selected by the Chicago Bulls
Playing career 2004–present
Career history
2004–2009 Chicago Bulls
2009–2012 Detroit Pistons
2012–2014 Charlotte Bobcats
2014–2015 Orlando Magic
2017–present Texas Legends
Career highlights and awards
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Benjamin Ashenafi "Ben" Gordon (born April 4, 1983)[1] is a British-American professional basketball player for the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. Gordon played college basketball for the University of Connecticut and won a national championship with them in 2004.[2]

He is the only player to have ever won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award as a rookie. Gordon is second in career three point field goals for the Chicago Bulls, behind Kirk Hinrich.[3]

Early life

Gordon was born in London, England to Jamaican parents.[4] He moved to the United States as an infant, and grew up in Mount Vernon, New York.[2] 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.[2] He was heavily recruited by Seton Hall, but decided to attend UConn.

College career

As a freshman at Connecticut, 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 3-point field goal against Villanova in the Big East Tournament.[5] As a sophomore 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.[5]

In Gordon's junior and final year at Connecticut, 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 Connecticut's history.[5] 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.[5] Following his junior year, Gordon declared himself eligible for the 2004 NBA draft and was selected third overall by the Chicago Bulls, one pick after the Charlotte Bobcats drafted his teammate at Connecticut, Emeka Okafor.

NBA career

Chicago Bulls (2004–2009)

Ben Gordon signing autographs before a Chicago Bulls game.

Before the 2004 NBA draft, 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 20 years earlier in the 1984 NBA draft. "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."[6] 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 [put together] being the third pick with my old No. 4. That's why I wear No. 7."[6] The Bulls also acquired Luol Deng in the same draft.

Between 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 third 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' 22 in the NBA.[7] 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 NBA history to be awarded the NBA Sixth Man Award.[8] Gordon was also the NBA's Eastern Conference Rookie of The Month 3 times (January, February, and March),[9] and was also voted onto the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Gordon during a 2008–09 regular season game with the Bulls

Gordon also had problems with turnovers (4.46 per 48 minutes; sixth in the league in 04–05) however, and an overall lack of stamina in his rookie season. He remarked, "More than anything, I just want to come back [in the fall] in better shape". "A lot of this game is about conditioning and how long you can give your best performance."[10] 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,[11] which has a very high amount of antioxidants, and the most polyphenols of any tea.

In his sophomore campaign (2005–06), 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.[12] Gordon was selected to play for the Sophomores in the Rookie Challenge held during the NBA All-Star Weekend, in which he scored 17 points.[13]

On April 14, 2006, in a Bulls win over the Washington Wizards, Gordon tied the record for the most consecutive three-pointers made in a game with 9.[14] 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.

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.[15] 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.

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.[16] Following a 9-16 start, Scott Skiles was fired and the Bulls did not recover. The Bulls drafted Derrick Rose with their first overall pick in 2008, raising questions about how Gordon and Rose could coexist in Chicago's backcourt (both were score-first guards).

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.[17] 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, 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)[18] and Ray Allen (51 points in game 6),[19] as well as 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)

Ben Gordon spent three season in Detroit, between 2009 and 2012.

In July 2009, Gordon signed a five-year deal with the Detroit Pistons worth between $55 million and $60 million.[20] With the Pistons, Gordon continued his role as a sixth-man off the bench.[21][22] On January 9, 2010, Gordon scored the 10 millionth point in NBA history.[23] After the season, Gordon had surgery on his left ankle.[24]

On March 22, 2012, Gordon again tied the NBA record for most three–point shots made without a miss with 9.[25] He scored 45 points to help bring Detroit back from a 25–point deficit, though they still lost to the Denver Nuggets 116–115.[26]

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.[27]

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 free throw attempts and makes.

On March 2, 2014, he was waived by the Bobcats.[28]

Orlando Magic (2014–2015)

On July 11, 2014, Gordon signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Orlando Magic.[29][30] On June 29, 2015, he was waived by the Magic.[31]

Golden State Warriors (2015)

On September 28, 2015, Gordon signed with the Golden State Warriors.[32] However, he was waived on October 14, 2015 after appearing in two preseason games.[33]

Texas Legends (2017–present)

On January 24, 2017, Gordon was acquired by the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League.[34] On June 1, 2017, he was arrested for pulling fire alarms at his Los Angeles apartment building.[35]

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.[36] In 2010, he said he hoped to represent Great Britain in the 2012 Olympics.[37] However, Gordon missed the beginning of Great Britain's June 2012 pre-Olympic training camp in Houston, Texas.[38] He later said he could not commit to the team after being traded from Detroit to Charlotte.[39]

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.[40] 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.[41]

Gordon previously represented the United States national team at the 2003 Pan American Games.[42]

NBA career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2004–05 Chicago 82 3 24.4 .411 .405 .863 2.6 2.0 .6 .1 15.1
2005–06 Chicago 80 47 31.0 .422 .435 .787 2.7 3.0 .9 .1 16.9
2006–07 Chicago 82 51 33.0 .455 .413 .864 3.1 3.6 .8 .2 21.4
2007–08 Chicago 72 27 31.8 .434 .410 .908 3.1 3.0 .8 .1 18.6
2008–09 Chicago 82 76 36.6 .455 .410 .864 3.5 3.4 .9 .3 20.7
2009–10 Detroit 62 17 27.9 .416 .321 .861 1.9 2.7 .8 .1 13.8
2010–11 Detroit 82 27 26.0 .440 .402 .850 2.4 2.1 .6 .2 11.2
2011–12 Detroit 52 21 26.9 .442 .429 .860 2.3 2.4 .7 .2 12.5
2012–13 Charlotte 75 0 20.8 .408 .387 .843 1.7 1.9 .5 .2 11.2
2013–14 Charlotte 19 0 14.7 .343 .276 .810 1.4 1.1 .5 .1 5.2
2014–15 Orlando 56 0 14.1 .437 .361 .836 1.1 .9 .3 .0 6.2
Career 744 269 27.4 .432 .401 .857 2.5 2.5 .7 .2 14.9

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2005 Chicago 6 1 25.5 .405 .318 .800 2.7 2.5 .8 .3 14.5
2006 Chicago 6 6 40.8 .406 .366 .676 3.3 3.0 1.0 .0 21.0
2007 Chicago 10 10 39.5 .415 .436 .921 3.8 3.8 .9 .1 20.4
2009 Chicago 7 7 43.4 .388 .370 .875 2.9 3.0 .4 .1 24.3
Career 29 24 37.9 .403 .384 .840 3.2 3.1 .8 .1 20.2

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ben Gordon NBA Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 21, 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 UCONN player profile Archived April 17, 2004, at the Wayback Machine. URL last accessed July 31, 2006
  3. ↑ Chicago Bulls Career Leaders URL last accessed April 27, 2009
  4. ↑ ESPN Player Profile URL last accessed August 1, 2006
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ben Gordon prospect profile and college stats URL last accessed July 31, 2006
  6. 1 2 Q&A: Ben Gordon URL last accessed November 17, 2006
  7. ↑ Ben Gordon, Chris Duhon, Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng Bulls Fource URL last accessed August 1, 2006
  8. ↑ Gordon named NBA's 6th man URL last accessed July 31, 2006
  9. ↑ Gordon named rookie of the month for January, February, and March URL last accessed July 31, 2006
  10. ↑ Bulls.com interview with Ben Gordon URL last accessed on July 31, 2006
  11. ↑ Gordon still sippin' pretty: He has his own drink URL last accessed December 10, 2006
  12. ↑ Stats and Bio URL last accessed August 1, 2006
  13. ↑ Recap for 2006 Rookie Challenge game URL last accessed July 31, 2006
  14. ↑ Gordon Ties Record; Bulls Get Key Win URL last accessed December 24, 2006
  15. ↑ Yahoo! Sports, Chicago 126, Milwaukee 121, OT Archived 2007-03-14 at the Wayback Machine. URL last accessed March 27, 2006
  16. ↑ LeBron's Shadow Looms Over Free Agent Market
  17. ↑ CHICAGO BULLS' BEN GORDON LOSES CONTRACT BATTLE
  18. ↑ Allen hits winning 3 as Celts overcome Gordon's 42 points to even series
  19. ↑ Bulls beat Celtics in 3 OTs, force Game 7
  20. ↑ "Sources: Gordon, Villanueva to Pistons". ESPN. Retrieved 2009-07-02.
  21. ↑ Pistons' Ben Gordon appears ready to work hard for his $55 million
  22. ↑ Pistons' Ben Gordon gets start as Richard Hamilton rests sprained ankle
  23. ↑ "Pistons' Gordon scores 10 millionth point in NBA history". NBA. January 9, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
  24. ↑ http://www.nba.com/pistons/news/gordon_surgery_100428.html
  25. ↑ Ben Gordon's record 9-of-9 shooting on 3-pointers can't save Detroit Pistons in tough loss
  26. ↑ Pistons' Ben Gordon makes all 9 3s, ties NBA record in loss to Nuggets
  27. ↑ "Bobcats Acquire Ben Gordon, Future First-Round Pick From Pistons". NBA.com. June 26, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Cats Request Waivers on Ben Gordon". NBA.com. March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  29. ↑ "Magic Sign Ben Gordon". NBA.com. July 11, 2014. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Ben Gordon Agrees To Two-Year, $9M Contract With Magic". RealGM.com. July 12, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Magic Waive Ben Gordon". NBA.com. June 29, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
  32. ↑ "Warriors Sign Ben Gordon". NBA.com. September 28, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2015.
  33. ↑ "Warriors Waive Guard Ben Gordon". NBA.com. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.
  34. ↑ "Legends Acquire Ben Gordon". NBA.com. January 24, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  35. ↑ Gordon arrested for pullling fire alarms Retrieved June 3, 2017, CBSSpoorts.com
  36. ↑ Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon called up to British basketball squad. AP Sports. April 1, 2008. Retrieved on April 5, 2008.
  37. ↑ Ben Gordon Looking to Suit Up for GB Next Summer. hoopsfix.com. August 28, 2010. Retrieved on September 1, 2010.
  38. ↑ "Myles Hesson Called Up, Gordon a No-Show". HoopsFix.com. June 17, 2012. Retrieved June 17, 2012.
  39. ↑ Ben Gordon decommits for Britain. ESPN. July 1, 2012. Retrieved on July 2, 2012.
  40. ↑ GREAT BRITAIN REVEAL PRELIMINARY 24 FOR EUROBASKET 2017 QUALIFIERS. gbbasketball.com. July 22, 2016. Retrieved on July 22, 2016.
  41. ↑ Ben GORDON #7 GUARD Height: 191CM / 6'3" Nationality: ENG.
  42. ↑ USA Men Lose Bronze Medal Game. insidehoops.com. August 7, 2003. Retrieved on June 18, 2008.
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