NBA champion Aaron Gordon will honor his late brother on the basketball court this season.
The 28-year-old Nuggets star will trade his No. 50 jersey for No. 32, the same number as his older brother. Drew Gordon wore before his premature death in May — when the new NBA season begins in October, according to journalist Etienne Catalan.
Catalan said Aaron – who won his first championship with the Denver Nuggets in 2023 – was making the change to “honor his late brother,” who “wore number 32,” in a post on X. online list also shows Aaron’s new number.
The last Denver Nugget player to wear this number was Jeff Green, who now plays for the Houston Rockets.
Drew tragically died on May 30 after colliding with a van in Portland, Oregon, while driving, his agent Calvin Andrews confirmed to ESPN at the time. Drew, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers before signing with an international league, was 33.
He is survived by his wife Angela and their three children: Jayden, 12, Zayne, 5, and Brody, 2.
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The Nuggets posted a tribute to Drew at the time, writing: “1990 – 2024 Drew Gordon. The Denver Nuggets organization is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of Drew Gordon. Drew was far too young to leave this world, but his legacy will live on forever through his three beautiful children and all of his loved ones.”
They added: “Our thoughts are with Aaron and the Gordon family during this extremely difficult time.”
Alex Nahorniak-Svenski/NBAE via Getty
Although he has not made any public statement about his brother’s death, the Nuggets forward dedicated a new tattoo to Drew’s memory following the accident.
Aaron shared a photo of the new ink on Instagramwith the caption “Big bruh lives through me.” The tattoo features Drew’s initials and a screaming gorilla on Aaron’s chest.
During his basketball career, Drew played for the Dallas Mavericks summer team, the NBA G-League, and various international leagues. According to Yahoo Sports, Drew played professional basketball in France, Italy, Turkey, Serbia, Lithuania, Japan, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.
He also played for the NBA The Philadelphia 76ers during the 2014-15 season, where he played nine games.
