Former NBA forward Drew Gordon, the older brother of Denver Nuggets‘ star Aaron Gordon, has tragically passed away at the age of 33 in a ghastly car accident.
In an X post (formerly Twitter) on Thursday, May 30, the Denver Nuggets shared a black-and-white photo of the Gordon brothers touching hands while facing opposite directions. The tribute read, “1990 – 2024 Drew Gordon,” and continued, “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 all of his loved ones.”
“Our hearts are with Aaron and the Gordon family during this extremely difficult time.”
Drew’s agent, Calvin Andrews, told ESPN that the former basketball player died in a car accident in Portland, Oregon, on Thursday, May 30. The NBA forward is survived by Angela and their three children.
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Drew Gordon’s basketball career
Drew’s college basketball career began at UCLA, where he played for two years with the UCLA Bruins men’s basketball program. He later transferred to the University of New Mexico for his junior season, joining the New Mexico Lobos men’s basketball team. During his time with the Lobos, Drew averaged at least 13 points and 10 rebounds per game.
However, Drew did not make the 2012 NBA draft but still enjoyed a successful professional basketball career.
According to CBS Sports, Drew played for the Dallas Mavericks in the Summer League before moving between various international leagues and the NBA G League. His career included stints in France, Italy, Turkey, Serbia, Lithuania, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. He also played for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2014-15 NBA season, appearing in nine games.
Drew continued playing professional basketball for nearly a decade after his time with the 76ers, with most of his career spent overseas. In 2015, he earned the title of All-Star in France before retiring in 2023.
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Drew’s last Instagram post on April 26 featured a picture of himself alongside a snap of his brother Aaron, captioned, “Did you know that Aaron Gordon’s brother was a G League star? 6’9’ big man Drew Gordon played two seasons in the G and was a nightly double-double machine.”