Former UCLA Bruins forward Drew Gordon, the older brother of Denver Nuggets starting power forward Aaron Gordon, died in a car accident in Portland on Thursday, ESPN's Marc J. Spears reports. Gordon's agent, Calvin Andrews, and the Nuggets organization informed Spears of the news.
The 6-foot-9, San Jose native and McDonald's All-American began his collegiate career with the Bruins in 2008, a powerhouse team that also featured DeMar DeRozan and July Holiday. Gordon saw limited playing time as a freshman and appeared in just six games as a sophomore, averaging 11.2 points, 56.9 percent shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 2 blocks.
He eventually transferred to New Mexico prior to the 2010-11 season where he developed into a two-time All-Mountain West Conference selection and All-MWC Tournament honoree in 2012. As a senior, Gordon averaged 13.7 points, 54.2% from the field, 75.2% free throw shooting, 11.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.1 steals and 1 block in 35 games (34 starts).
Gordon essentially made a cameo appearance in the NBA when he appeared in nine games for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2014-15 season, but also played for the then-Delaware 87's (now the Delaware Blue Coats) and the G League's Long Island Nets.
According to Spears, he continued his professional career overseas, playing for clubs in Serbia, Sardinia, Turkey, France, Lithuania, Poland, Ukraine and Russia.
Gordon was only 33 years old and left behind a wife and three children.
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