Denver Nuggets’ Aaron Gordon mourns death of elder brother

Terrible news for Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon and his entire family. His brother Drew died yesterday, Thursday, May 30, in a traffic accident in Portland, Oregon. Drew was 33 years old and had retired from professional basketball in 2023 on completion of an 11-year career that had taken him halfway around the world. He leaves behind a wife and three children.

The Nuggets pay their respects to Drew Gordon

His agent, Calvin Andrews, as well as the Nuggets themselves, were responsible for announcing the sad news. A statement read: “The Denver Nuggets Organization is devastated to learn about the tragic passing of Drew Gordon. Drew was far too young to leave this world, but his legacy will forever live on through his three beautiful children and his loved ones.

“Our hearts are with Aaron and the Gordon family during this extremely difficult time”.

A power forward, like his younger brother, and originally from San José, California, Drew studied at UCLA and began his professional career in 2012 after missing out on being selected in that summer’s NBA Draft. He moved to Serbia, where he played in the Euroleague with Partizan, averaging 9.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

After that first season he began a journey that took him around the world and in which he played for teams in nine other countries, including the United States. It was in the 2014-15 season when he fulfilled his dream of playing in the NBA, wearing the Philadelphia 76ers jersey in nine games.

Drew also spent time in Italy, winning the Cup (Coppa Italiana di Pallacanestro) with Dinamo Sassari in 2014. He later enjoyed spells in Turkey, France, Lithuania, Russia (with three different teams), Poland, Ukraine and Japan. Both in France (in 2016 as a player for Champagne Chalon-Reims) and in Russia (in 2018 representing Zenit St. Petersburg), he starred in two all-star games.