Aaron Gordon

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Gordon's roots trace back to San Diego State player Ed Gordon and Shelly Davis Gordon; he has claimed his paternal great-great-grandfather was a 7-foot-tall Osage Indian. His father once tried out for the New England Patriots as a tight end with no prior experience before playing pro basketball in Mexico, while his brother Drew became a pro player and sister Elise played collegiately at Harvard. At Archbishop Mitty High School, Gordon started 28 of 41 games as a freshman, averaging 11.8 points and 10.1 rebounds. As a sophomore, he helped secure the school's first boys' basketball state title with a 32-2 record, setting a championship record with 21 rebounds in the final. He repeated as California Mr. Basketball after leading Mitty to their second title in 2012 and again in his senior year, though they fell short of another Open Division crown against Mater Dei.

In Their Own Story

Gordon's college career began on November 8, 2013, with a double-double (13 points, 10 rebounds) against Cal Poly. He led Arizona to the Pac-12 regular season title with a 79-66 win over Stanford on March 2, 2014, posting 19 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. The Wildcats finished 28-3 in the regular season before losing in the Pac-12 tournament finals to UCLA. In the NCAA tournament, Gordon scored 16 against Weber State, added 18 points and 6 assists in a Sweet 16 win over Gonzaga, and recorded 15 points and 18 rebounds in an Elite Eight loss to Wisconsin (70-64). After declaring for the draft on April 15, 2014, he joined Orlando. His NBA debut season saw him miss 32 games with a left foot fracture but return to record his first double-double on April 4, 2015. He later scored career-highs including 41 points against the Brooklyn Nets in 2017 and 39 against Miami in December 2017.

Reader's Guide

Gordon's professional path includes re-signing with Orlando on a four-year, $80 million deal in July 2018. He made his playoff debut on April 13, 2019, recording ten points and ten rebounds in a series against the Toronto Raptors. During the 2019-20 season, he hit a season-high 32 points against Phoenix on December 4, 2019, before finishing as the Slam Dunk Contest runner-up to Derrick Jones Jr. He was traded to the Nuggets in 2021, where he won his first NBA championship in 2023. His defensive versatility and high-energy play were key components of Denver's title run. On February 18, 2017, he participated in his second consecutive Slam Dunk Contest but failed to advance past the first round. In 2016, his battle with Zach LaVine in the final round drew comparisons to Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in 1988.

Did You Know?

• Gordon's father, Ed Gordon, tried out for the New England Patriots as a tight end with no prior football experience.
• In the 2011 high school state championship game, Aaron Gordon broke the record by grabbing 21 rebounds.
• During his 2016 Slam Dunk Contest victory run against Zach LaVine, Gordon utilized the Magic's mascot, Stuff, in his dunks.
• Gordon finished his freshman year at Arizona with a school-record-breaking 303 rebounds.
• On January 17, 2020, Archbishop Mitty High School retired Aaron Gordon's number 32.