Basketball is one of the most popular sports for many people in the world. However, not everyone can become a real professional and achieve significant results at the world level. There are many London athletes who have devoted a large part of their lives to this sport. There are also those whose fate led them to another country, but they continue to surprise everyone with their talent. Benjamin Gordon is one of them. What interesting facts does his professional and personal life reveal? Learn more at Ilondon.
Childhood, move and first sports successes
Although Benjamin Gordon was born in Great Britain, in particular the city of London, he built his professional career in the USA. He was born in the family of a Jamaican father and an African-American mother on April 4, 1983. However, the future basketball player moved to New York State in his early childhood. Thus, he grew up in the USA. Basketball appeared in the boy’s life in school years. His first step towards his sports career was joining the Mount Vernon Knights. In 2000, he participated in the New York State Public and Federation Championships. The team achieved good results and Benjamin was among the top 40 national recruits. He managed to demonstrate his knack for sports so well that after graduating from school, the basketball player received several offers from the best universities in the country. He enrolled at UConn and was ranked second on the team in scoring in his freshman year. At that time, Benjamin Gordon made the game-winning three-pointer during The Big East tournament. In the last year of study, the athlete took 50th place in the national ranking. Later, he participated in The Big East tournament again. This time, the basketball player received The Most Outstanding Performer award. After that, he was also successful in the NCAA tournament.
Further professional career
Benjamin Gordon’s more serious sports activities began in 2004 when he decided to participate in The 2004 NBA draft and joined the Chicago Bulls. The athlete’s arrival on the team brought considerable success. After all, the Chicago Bulls didn’t manage to get a good result for several years in a row before. After the 2004-2005 season, Benjamin became the first rookie in league history to receive the NBA Sixth Man Award. The following season, the number of minutes the athlete played per game and the averages of points and assists increased. The 2006-2007 season was quite successful not only for Benjamin but also for the entire team. In March 2007, Benjamin set his own record. For the first time in his entire career, he scored 48 points. Later, the team won a series of four games and became the first team in NBA history to defeat the defending champion in the first round. In 2008, Benjamin Gordon was included in the Great Britain national basketball team (as he had dual citizenship). The athlete hoped to represent Great Britain at the 2012 Olympic Games. However, he missed the start of training and later refused to participate. Benjamin Gordon’s cooperation with the Chicago Bulls ended in 2009. Instead, the athlete signed a five-year contract with the Detroit Pistons. After a fairly successful season, the basketball player was injured and underwent surgery on his left ankle. The athlete’s further professional activity was connected with other teams. He played a lot of successful and unsuccessful games before he retired from the sport.