Aaron Gordon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Aaron Gordon

Gordon with the Orlando Magic in 2019
No. 32 – Denver Nuggets
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1995-09-16) September 16, 1995 (age 29) San Jose, California, U.S.
High school	Archbishop Mitty (San Jose, California)
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	235 lb (107 kg)
Career information
College	Arizona (2013–2014)
NBA Draft	2014 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Pro career	2014–present
League	NBA
Career history
2014–2021	Orlando Magic
2021–present	Denver Nuggets
Career highlights and awards
NBA champion (2023) Third-team All-America – SN (2014) First-team All-Pac-12 (2014) Pac-12 Freshman of the Year (2014) McDonald's All-American Game MVP (2013) First-team Parade All-American (2013) 2× California Mr. Basketball (2012, 2013) USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year (2013) FIBA Under-19 World Cup MVP (2013)
Medals Men's basketball Representing the  United States FIBA World U19 Cup Gold 2013 Czech Republic U.S. National team

Aaron Addison Gordon (born September 16, 1995) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Denver Nuggets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aaron was born in San Jose, California.

He went to Archbishop Mitty High School where he helped his team win two state championships. He was also named California Mr. Basketball twice. After high school, Aaron played one year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats. His team won the Pac-12 regular season title and made it to the Elite Eight in the 2014 NCAA tournament.

The Orlando Magic picked Aaron as the fourth overall player in the 2014 NBA draft. He has been a runner-up twice in the exciting NBA Slam Dunk Contest. He lost to Zach LaVine in 2016 and Derrick Jones Jr. in 2020. In 2021, Aaron was traded to the Denver Nuggets. He then won his first NBA championship with them in 2023.

Aaron Gordon's Early Life and Family

Aaron Gordon was born in San Jose, California. His father, Ed Gordon, used to play basketball for San Diego State. His mother is Shelly Davis Gordon. Aaron has said that his great-great-grandfather was a tall Osage Indian. His father is Black and his mother is White.

Aaron's father also tried out for the National Football League (NFL) as a tight end. He played professional basketball in Mexico for a year. Aaron's older brother, Drew, also became a professional basketball player. His older sister, Elise, played college basketball for Harvard.

High School Basketball Success

Aaron went to Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose. As a freshman, he played in most games. He averaged 11.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game. He also did track and field and played summer basketball.

In his second year, Aaron helped his team win the CIF Division II title. This was Mitty's first state title in boys' basketball. They finished with a great record of 32 wins and 2 losses. Aaron played in all 34 games. He averaged 16.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks. In the 2011 title game, he scored 17 points and set a new record with 21 rebounds.

As a junior, Aaron led his team to their second CIF Division II state title. They beat La Costa Canyon 78–57 in the finals. Aaron had 33 points and 20 rebounds in that game. For the season, he averaged 22.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.3 blocks. He was named the California Mr. Basketball Player of the Year.

In his senior year, Aaron averaged 21.6 points, 15.7 rebounds, and 3.3 blocks. Archbishop Mitty had a 28–6 record. They reached the CIF Open Division finals but lost to Mater Dei High School. Aaron scored 22 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in that game. He was again chosen as the California Mr. Basketball Player of the Year.

Gordon completing an Alley oop from Aaron Harrison at the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game

On April 2, 2013, Aaron decided to play for the University of Arizona. He announced this before the 2013 McDonald's All-American Game. In that game, he scored 24 points and had 8 rebounds. He led the West team to a 110–99 win and was named the game's MVP.

On January 17, 2020, Archbishop Mitty honored Aaron by retiring his number 32 jersey. This means no other player at the school will wear that number.

Aaron Gordon's College Basketball Journey

Aaron Gordon played his first college game for the Arizona Wildcats on November 8, 2013. They won 73–62 against Cal Poly. He scored 13 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots.

On February 22, 2014, Aaron scored a season-high 23 points against Colorado. He scored 21 of those points in the second half. On March 2, 2014, he helped his team win the Pac-12 regular season title. They beat Stanford 79–66, and Aaron scored 19 points with a career-high 15 rebounds.

In the last game of the regular season, Aaron scored 21 points in a 64–47 win against Oregon. Arizona finished the season with a 28–3 record. In the 2014 Pac-12 tournament, Arizona beat Utah and Colorado. They lost in the finals to UCLA.

In the 2014 NCAA tournament, Arizona won against Weber State and Gonzaga. Aaron scored 16 points against Weber State and 18 points against Gonzaga. They reached the Sweet 16 and then the Elite Eight. In the Elite Eight, they lost a very close game (63–64) to Wisconsin. Aaron scored 8 points and had 18 rebounds in that game.

Aaron was named to the All-Pac-12 first team. He also earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year honors. He set a record for freshmen with 303 rebounds. On April 15, 2014, he decided to enter the NBA draft. This meant he would not play his last three years of college basketball.

Aaron Gordon's Professional Basketball Career

Playing for the Orlando Magic (2014–2021)

Starting in the NBA: 2014–15 Season

On June 26, 2014, the Orlando Magic picked Aaron Gordon as the fourth player in the 2014 NBA draft. He signed with the Magic on July 2 and played in the 2014 NBA Summer League. After playing 11 games, Aaron broke a bone in his left foot in November. He missed 32 games but returned on January 18, 2015. On April 4, he got his first "double-double" (scoring double digits in two categories) with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Rising Star: 2015–16 Season

In July 2015, Aaron played in the 2015 NBA Summer League again. He averaged 21.7 points and 11.7 rebounds. On November 4, 2015, he scored a career-high 19 points. On January 31, 2016, he tied that high and grabbed 14 rebounds. The next night, he had a career-high 16 rebounds.

During the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend, Aaron was the runner-up in the Slam Dunk Contest. He had an amazing battle with Zach LaVine. Their contest was so good, people compared it to the famous one between Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins in 1988. Aaron used the Magic's mascot, Stuff the Magic Dragon, in his dunks. His final dunk involved jumping over Stuff and passing the ball under both legs.

Continued Growth: 2016–17 Season

Gordon with the Magic in March 2017

On December 14, 2016, Aaron scored a career-high 33 points. On February 18, 2017, he was in his second Slam Dunk Contest but did not make it past the first round. On March 31, 2017, he scored 20 of his 32 points in the first half of a game. He also had 16 rebounds. In the Magic's last game of the season, Aaron had 32 points and 12 rebounds.

Big Scores: 2017–18 Season

On October 24, 2017, Aaron scored a new career-high of 41 points. He made a key three-pointer with 36 seconds left to help the Magic win. On November 29, 2017, he had 40 points and 15 rebounds. This helped Orlando end a nine-game losing streak. On December 30, 2017, he scored 39 points. Aaron missed nine games in February due to a hip injury. On March 24, 2018, he had 29 points, 11 rebounds, and a career-high eight assists.

Playoff Debut: 2018–19 Season

On July 6, 2018, Aaron signed again with the Magic. In the first game of the season, he had 26 points and 16 rebounds. On November 18, he scored 20 of his 31 points in the first quarter. On January 2, 2019, Aaron had a career-high nine assists.

The Magic made the playoffs for the first time since 2012. They played against the Toronto Raptors. On April 13, 2019, Aaron played in his first playoff game. He had 10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. The Magic won that first game. However, they lost the series in five games. The Raptors went on to win the NBA Finals.

Triple-Double and Another Dunk Contest: 2019–20 Season

On December 4, 2019, Aaron scored a season-high 32 points. He was again the runner-up in the Slam Dunk Contest during the 2020 NBA All-Star Weekend. He and Derrick Jones Jr. both had perfect scores on their first two dunks in the final round. This forced an overtime round. Jones won by scoring 48 points. Aaron received 47 points after dunking over the very tall player, Tacko Fall.

On February 28, Aaron recorded his first "triple-double" (double digits in three categories) with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists. The Magic made the playoffs again. However, Aaron did not play due to a hamstring injury. The Magic were eliminated by the Milwaukee Bucks.

Trade Request: 2020–21 Season

On March 19, 2021, Aaron scored a season-high 38 points. He also had 6 rebounds and 4 assists. He made a career-high seven three-pointers. On March 22, it was reported that Aaron had asked the Magic to trade him.

Joining the Denver Nuggets (2021–Present)

On March 25, 2021, Aaron Gordon and Gary Clark were traded to the Denver Nuggets. In return, the Magic received Gary Harris, R. J. Hampton, and a future draft pick. Aaron had been averaging 14.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.2 assists with the Magic that season.

On March 28, he played his first game for the Nuggets. He scored 13 points and had 2 rebounds. The Nuggets made the playoffs but lost to the Phoenix Suns.

On January 11, 2022, Aaron scored a season-high 30 points and had 12 rebounds. In the first round of the playoffs, the Nuggets lost to the Golden State Warriors.

NBA Champion: 2022–23 Season

During the 2022–23 season, many people thought Aaron might be chosen as an NBA All-Star. However, he was not selected. In Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Aaron scored 23 points. In Game 4 of the 2023 NBA Finals, he scored a playoff career-high 27 points. The Nuggets went on to win the championship in Game 5. This made Aaron an NBA champion. After the win, Aaron was seen celebrating with fans in the streets of downtown Denver.

Recent Seasons: 2023–24 and 2024–25

In the 2023–24 season, Aaron missed some games after being bitten by a dog. In Game 3 of the playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers, he had playoff career-highs with 29 points and 15 rebounds. In Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Aaron scored 27 points. The Nuggets lost that series in seven games.

Before the 2024–25 season, Aaron changed his jersey number from 50 to 32. He did this to honor his older brother, Drew Gordon, who wore number 32 before he passed away in May 2024. On October 21, 2024, Aaron and the Nuggets agreed to a new four-year contract.

On March 7, 2025, Aaron made a career-high seven three-pointers and scored 27 points. On April 26, he scored 14 points and made a game-winning, buzzer-beating dunk in the playoffs. This was the first time this had happened in NBA playoff history. On May 5, he had 22 points and 14 rebounds, and hit the game-winning three-pointer. On May 9, Aaron scored 22 points, including a game-tying three-pointer late in the game. Despite his great efforts, Denver lost the series to Oklahoma in seven games.

Playing for Team USA

Aaron Gordon has also played for the United States national basketball team. He led Team USA to a gold medal in the 2011 FIBA Americas Under-16 Championship. He averaged 17.0 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game.

He was named MVP (Most Valuable Player) when he led the United States to a gold medal at the 2013 FIBA Under-19 World Cup in Prague. He averaged 16.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in that tournament.

Aaron Gordon Off the Court

In 2016, Aaron became the president of athlete acquisition for Lucid. This is a sports psychology app that helps athletes with their mental skills.

In 2020, Aaron signed a deal with the Chinese sports brand 361 Degrees. In the same year, he gave money to the Homeless Education Fund. This fund helps children affected by schools closing during the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2018, Aaron acted in the movie Uncle Drew. In 2020, he released a song called "Pull Up" with the rap artist Moe.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Awards and Honors

High school

Gordon was MVP of the 2013 McDonald's All-American Boys Game.

• 2013: USA Basketball Male Athlete of the Year
• 2013: FIBA Under-19 World Cup MVP
• 2013: McDonald's All-American Game MVP
• Jordan Brand All-American (2013)
• 2× California Mr. Basketball (2012, 2013)
• 2× CIF State champion (2011, 2012)

College

• Pac-12 Freshman Student-Athlete of the Year (2014)
• Pac-12 All-Tournament Team (2014)
• Third team All-America – Sporting News (2014)
• All-Pac-12 First Team (2014)
• Pac-12 All-Freshman Team (2014)
• Pac-12 Freshman of the Year (2014)