Former NBA player Drew Gordon dead at 33: Ex-Philadelphia 76ers forward – and brother of Denver Nuggets star Aaron – killed in car accident
Former NBA star Drew Gordon has died in a car crash at the age of 33, his agent has revealed.
Gordon – who played for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014 – is the brother of Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon.
In a statement posted late on Thursday night, his agent Calvin Andrews announced that Gordon died in an automobile accident in Portland, Oregon.
He is survived by his wife Angela, and three children.
Gordon had not played in the NBA for 10 years, but was still playing basketball across the world, with his nomadic career taking him to the G-League, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, France, Lithuania, Turkey and Italy.
Drew Gordon (left, with his wife Angela and two of their children) has died in a car crash
Drew Gordon is a former NBA player, and the brother of Denver Nuggets star Aaron Gordon
Prior to his professional career, Gordon played at UCLA and New Mexico, and was a McDonald’s All-American.
He was undrafted in 2012 and headed for Serbia, but then returned in 2014 to play nine games with the 76ers.
Tributes swiftly poured in on social media following the news of his passing, with former Orlando Magic star Michael Carter-Williams writing: ‘Rest in paradise Drew Gordon. A fantastic husband, parent and teammate. @Double0AG [Aaron Gordon] I’m praying for you and your family. I adore you and I’m sorry for your loss.’
As of Friday morning, Nuggets star Aaron Gordon was yet to react on the untimely death of his older brother.
Back in 2022, Drew struck the headlines when he reported escaping Ukraine with his family when the conflict broke out.
Pro basketball player Gordon previously spoke about traversing the world alongside his wife
He was playing in Kyiv on a one-year basketball contract and confesses he planned to stay to see the term out, until he received a communication from the US Embassy instructing him to leave the city.
‘My advise to him was get your family out of a conflict that you don’t need to fight,’ Aaron Gordon told Andscape at the time.
Drew then went to Denver near his brother, and spoke out about his passion for Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.
‘Ukraine is a proud country,’ he remarked. ‘The people are proud to be Ukrainian. There’s a lot of history that goes along with being Ukrainian and they fight hard for what they believe. They also make sure that anyone enters Ukraine realizes its beauty for what it is
Gordon has played in Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Poland, France, Lithuania, Turkey and Italy
Drew (left) walks the Great Wall of China with his brother Aaron, who plays for the Nuggets
‘There’s a lot of monuments that are decades old from past run-ins and past fights that they were able to succeed with. And they’re good folks, guy.
‘I truly admire all of the people of Ukraine, not only because it’s a country I played in and they’re good to basketball players. I’ve observed how they engage with each other. I’ve witnessed how just the day-to-day living is.
‘And they’re just super-solid, solid folks. And I hope that this battle and the dispute right now is settled soon, and they are able to preserve the same enthusiasm that they’ve had about them, because it’s honestly something that people can take note of and learn from, because they’re nice people, and I wish them well.’
