Aaron Gordon

Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Born in San Jose, California, Gordon attended Archbishop Mitty High School where he led his team to two state championships and was named California Mr. Basketball in his junior and senior years. Gordon then played one year of college basketball with the Arizona Wildcats, during which they won the Pac-12 regular season title and reached the Elite Eight of the 2014 NCAA tournament. Gordon was selected by the Orlando Magic as the fourth overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft. Gordon has twice been a runner-up in the NBA Slam Dunk Contest, losing a close matchup to Zach LaVine in 2016 and Derrick Jones Jr. in 2020. After being traded to the Nuggets in 2021, Gordon won his first NBA championship in 2023. Early life Gordon was born in San Jose, California, to former San Diego State basketball player Ed Gordon and Shelly Davis Gordon. Gordon has claimed that his paternal great-great grandfather was a Osage Indian. His father is black and his mother is white. After going undrafted by the NBA, Gordon's father tried out as a tight end for the National Football League's New England Patriots with no prior football experience. After being cut in the preseason, he played a year of pro basketball in Mexico. Gordon's older brother, Drew, also became a pro basketball player while his older sister, Elise, played collegiately for the Harvard women's basketball team. Gordon attended Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. As a freshman in 2009–10, Gordon started in 28 of 41 games and averaged 11.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game. He also competed on the school's track and field team as a thrower and played summer basketball for the Oakland Soldiers.