Getty Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic, who comes from a very athletic family.
Known mainly for his exploits in the NBA Dunk Contest, Aaron Gordon is trying to prove to the world that he is more than just a one trick pony. Possessing nearly unrivaled athletic genes (thanks to his super athletic family) and the ability to constantly improve and adapt, Gordon is slowly turning into one of the NBA’s premier forwards.
Averaging a career-best percentage from deep in 2018-2019, Gordon is showing off an expanded range that should help his overall game tremendously in the modern NBA. More importantly, Gordon has helped to guide the Magic to their first playoff appearance since 2012 when they lost in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs. With such a young core surrounding Gordon moving forward, the Magic are an interesting team to keep an eye on. Especially with Gordon on a team friendly deal that still has three years left, the Magic might even be able to go out and add another complimentary piece to help grow Gordon’s game.
Here’s what you need to know.
1. Who is Aaron Gordon’s Brother?
Aaron Gordon’s brother is Long Island Nets G-League player Drew Gordon. Drew played his college ball at New Mexico State and UCLA before taking his talents overseas for five seasons. Drew had a brief stint in the NBA with Philadelphia towards the end of the 2014-2015 season but returned to Europe shortly after.
Drew decided to head back to the states after the 2017-2018 season and started his second campaign in the NBA G-League. Drew appeared in 35 games for the Nets G-League affiliate in 2018-2019 and averaged 7.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game. Drew plays a very similar game to Aaron in terms of what they bring to the table. Both are hyper-athletic forwards (Aaron more than Drew) who slot in best at the power forward position. Aaron is able to use his athleticism better from an offensive standpoint which really sets the two apart. Despite being older, Drew is a much rawer offensive project.
2. Who is Aaron Gordon’s Sister?
Aaron Gordon’s sister is former Harvard women’s center, Elise Gordon. Elise stands 6’1″ and is slightly smaller than the average NCAA Women’s center but was able to carve out a steady and reliable role for Harvard. After winning Harvard’s most improved player in 2010-2011, Elise went on to be a staple in the Crimson lineup for her next three years.
After graduating, Elise has taken on the role of being Aaron’s business manager. Elise graduated from Harvard in 2014 and Aaron turned pro in early 2015, making for a near seamless transition into the role of Gordon’s manager. Especially considering that Gordon had never lived on the East Coast, Elise acted as more than just a business manager and has helped Gordon across all aspects of his life since he entered the league.
3. Who are Aaron Gordon’s Mother and Father?
Gordon’s parents are Ed Gordon and Shelly Davis. Ed Gordon is a former San Diego State basketball player who actually was offered a tryout for the New England Patriots based on his athleticism alone. Ed would start off his career at San Diego State with a major role on the team but saw his playing time slowly decrease over the course of his four years at SDSU. After graduating in 1983, the oldest Gordon would take up an entirely new sport.
Surprisingly, Ed wound up making the Patriots despite having never played before. However, he decided to return to basketball instead and took a spot on the Clippers Summer League team. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t wind up making the Clippers and would instead play a professional season in Mexico. However, Gordon credits his father for his high motor and infections energy saying, “He’s a goer, man, so he has fun whenever he can.”
4. Gordon’s Cousin, Tony Harvey, Was Also A Basketball Player
Tony Harvey, the former Utah Utes guard, is actually Aaron Gordon’s cousin. Further showcasing the athletic genes that surrounded Gordon growing up, Harvey starred as a junior college player for two years before transferring to Utah. Harvey would serve as a crucial member on two dominant Utah teams, one of which would finish the season ranked as high as sixth in the AP poll.
Harvey is most notably known as being the player that head coach Rick Majerus refused to allow to speak with the media. After transferring to Utah, Harvey got into some academic trouble with the school and although reinstated to the team without any further issue, had a gag order placed on him by Majerus. Harvey was eventually allowed to talk to the media again during his 1990-2000 senior season.
5. Gordon Grew Up In A Big and Competitive Family
According to Gordon, life was a bit hectic growing up in San Jose, California. In an interview with The Mercury News, Gordon’s mother explained how Aaron, the baby of the family, was raised in a seven-person household filled to the brim with competition and food.
“Safeway was grateful for our grocery bill.” Shelly joked.
As the baby of the family, Aaron was constantly challenged by not only his older brother and sister but other members of his extended family too. However, as Shelly would recall, the youngest Gordon embraced the challenge and loved sports from a young age. Gordon basically grew up with a ball in his hands and pestered his mother nonstop to take pictures of him playing from a young age.
“He used to make me take pictures of him and his buddy ‘hoopin’ when they were just pint-sized,” Shelly Gordon said. “They would print them out and color them and tape them to the wall.”
Safe to say that growing up surrounded by such a large, competitive, and athletic family helped mold Gordon into the potential superstar that he is today.