British-American professional basketball player Ben Gordon. Gordon is one of UConn’s best players because he grew up in Mount Vernon and went to Mount Vernon High School. Before joining the NBA, Gordon spent three years leading the University of Connecticut Huskies to the 2004 NCAA Championship.
After being selected third overall by the Bulls, Pistons, Bobcats, and Magic, he played shooting guard in the NBA for 11 seasons. Gordon has made more three-pointers in his career for the Chicago Bulls than any player other than Kirk Hinrich. Gordon very recently made headlines on October 11, 2022, when he was arrested and jailed at LaGuardia Airport for purportedly striking his 10-year-old son.
Early Life
Ben Gordon entered this world in April of 1983 in London. Although he was born in Jamaica, he has been cagey regarding his family history. When he was quite young, his family moved to the United States. Ben grew up in the Mount Vernon area. Gordon attended school and participated in basketball with the Mount Vernon Knights.
As a high school coach, he guided his squad to the 2000 New York State Public and Federation Championships. Ben was an All-State selection at Mount Vernon and a top-40 national prospect. Despite strong interest from Seton Hall, Gordon elected to enroll at UConn. As a freshman at UConn, Ben was the No. 2 scorer on the team.
At UConn, he hit the game-winning 3-pointer that defeated Vilanova in the Big East tournament championship game. As a second-year player, Gordon maintained his stellar play from his freshman year, averaging 19.5 points per game. Along with that, he also led the squad with 156 total assists. Following that, he led the Huskies to the NCAA Championship and earned the Most Outstanding Player title.
Ben Gordo Net Worth
Full Name | Ben Gordon |
Net Worth | $20 Million |
Salary | $12.4 Million |
Profession | Basketball player |
Nationality | United States of America |
Ben Gordon is a professional basketball player of British and American ancestry, with a net worth of $20 million. On April 4, 1983, he was born in London, England as Benjamin Gordon.
As a shooting guard in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, and Orlando Magic, Ben made almost $84 million before taxes over the course of his career (NBA). Gordon’s Jamaican parents brought him to New York soon after he was born so that he could showcase his athletic prowess.
During his 11-year NBA career, he averaged 14.9 points per game while playing for the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, and Orlando Magic. After a career that saw him score over 11,000 points and earn over $84 million, Gordon was awarded the NBA’s Best Sixth Man in 2005.
Read More: Bob Chapek’s Net Worth: How This Former Disney CEO Became So Rich?
College Career
Gordon elected to attend the University of Connecticut, where he played for their team, the UConn Huskies, finishing second in scoring. In the Big East Tournament championship game, Gordon made the game-winning three-point shot for the Huskies.
In his sophomore season, he set a new standard for excellence, leading to Second Team All-Big East honors. Gordon’s grades improved dramatically between his junior and senior years. Once, he scored 81 points in a Big East Tournament, which was a record.
He was named the tournament’s MVP after his team’s performance in Phoenix. His 127-point game was a major factor in his team’s National Championship victory. In 2003, he also competed for Team USA at the Pan American Games.
Professional Career
After helping UConn win the 2004 NCAA title, the player decided to try his luck in the professional league. The Chicago Bulls selected Gordon third overall in the 2004 NBA draft. Gordon was honored as the league’s Most Valuable Rookie and Most Improved Player in his first year. He made history as the first rookie in NBA history to win Sixth Man of the Year.
Gordon played for the Bulls for a total of five seasons. Prior to this season, the Bulls had never won 30 games in a single season after Jordan’s departure. He took the team to 47 victories in his first year. For the first time since general manager Jerry Klause canceled the Bulls in 1998, the team qualified for postseason play.
After that, Gordon joined the Detroit Pistons and played there for three years. He had an ankle injury in Detroit and had to have surgery. He never fully recovered from the injury, and from there, his career in athletics declined. Because of his dual citizenship, Gordon was able to play for the British national team.
He was moved from the Detroit Pistons to the Charlotte Bobcats, despite his desire to play for the United Kingdom in the 2012 Olympic Games. When Great Britain qualified for EuroBasket 2017, he was a member of the team. His NBA career was cut short by a string of ailments.
Read More: Elton John Net Worth 2022: How to this Artist Became So Rich?
Gordon has moved around to several teams, but he never made a difference. He competed for his country in EuroBasket qualifying in 2017. Gordon scored 14.9 points per game on average over his entire professional career.
Personal Life
Sascha Smith and Ben Gordon are now husband and wife. They say he has two sons, and one of them is named Elijah Gordon. It has been said that Ben punched his kid, then age 10, in the face on Monday night at LaGuardia Airport after the boy dropped a book.
After the youngster dropped a book, an American Airlines worker saw Gordon beating and yelling at him, and she reported it to the authorities. Gordon was arrested and charged with two counts of third-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault,
two counts of first-degree criminal contempt, two counts of endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of third-degree attempted assault. It was revealed at his arraignment on Tuesday in Queens Criminal Court that he was additionally charged with resisting arrest.
After failing to immediately post bail in the amounts of $20,000 cash, $50,000 insurance bond, or $50,000 partially secured bond at 10%, Gordon spent the night at Rikers Island. Conversely, Long Island Jewish Children’s Hospital cared for his son, at age 10.
Arrests and Current Matters
Gordon was detained at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on October 11, 2022, for racially abusing his 10-year-old son. He supposedly did not want to be arrested, therefore the police officers who tried to do so were hurt.
The son of Gordon obtained an order of protection against his father in 2018, prohibiting Gordon from leaving Illinois and “committing physical abuse, harassment, or interference with personal liberty.” Gordon has had prior legal trouble, including arrests in 2017 for assault, robbery, and falsely activating the fire alarms at his Los Angeles residence.
Read More: What Is Martin Clunes Net Worth? Salary, Income, Bio & Career!
Real Estate
Gordon put his modern two-story Encino house up for sale in 2020 for $2.9 million, having paid $2.6 million for it in 2017. There are six bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms in the over 5,000 square foot space. There are three separate outside areas, one of which is a private terrace overlooking the backyard.