Ex-NBA player Drew Gordon dies at age 33

Mar 8, 2012; Las Vegas, NV, USA; New Mexico Lobos forward Drew Gordon (32) at the free throw line during the first half against the Air Force Falcons in the first round of the 2012 Mountain West Tournament at the Thomas & Mack Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Former NBA player Drew Gordon has died at the age of 33 after being killed in a car accident in Portland, Oregon on Thursday.

Gordon’s agent confirmed the news about the former UCLA and New Mexico forward.

Former NBA forward Drew Gordon, the brother of Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon, died in a car accident in Portland, Ore., today, his agent Calvin Andrews confirmed to ESPN Andscape. The San Jose native who played at UCLA and New Mexico was 33 years old.

— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) May 31, 2024

Gordon was a high school star at Archbishop Mitty in San Jose, Calif. before heading to play for Ben Howland at UCLA. Gordon played two seasons at UCLA before transferring to New Mexico, where he became a standout player.

Gordon averaged 13.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game in his two seasons at New Mexico. He was a second-team all-conference selection as a junior and first-team All-Mountain West player as a senior.

Gordon went undrafted in 2012 and began his professional career in Europe. He eventually caught on with the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014-2015 and played 9 games with them. That was his lone NBA action.

Gordon continued to play professionally through 2022-2023, playing mostly in Europe but also in Asia. He was a French League All-Star in 2016 and Russian League All-Star in 2018.

Gordon was the older brother of Denver Nuggets big man Aaron Gordon.