Former University of New Mexico men’s basketball player Drew Gordon passed away on Thursday, May 30, due to a car accident in Portland, Oregon. Gordon was a Lobo in the final two seasons of his college career and helped lead the program to a NCAA tournament win.
Gordon was born in San Jose, California. There, he played basketball for Archbishop Mitty High School and was the star player. He won three league championships during his time there, according to the Mercury News.
He averaged over a double-double in his college career, leading to him being named a McDonald’s All-American and playing the Jordan Brand classic.
Before he was a Lobo, Gordon played for the University of California, Los Angeles. In his first season, he came off the bench. He left the team in his sophomore season to join UNM, citing play style as his biggest reason for joining the program, according to ESPN.
Gordon excelled as a Lobo, averaging 13.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in his two seasons. Gordon was the most recent Lobo to average a double-double for an entire season. His junior year, he earned all-conference second team, but in his senior season he shined the most.
That season, Gordon led the Mountain West Conference in rebounding and was named to the All-Mountain West first team, according to Sports Reference.
He also led the Lobos to the conference championship, earning tournament MVP. In March Madness, his team went on to defeat Long Beach State before losing a close game to Louisville. Gordon led the team in scoring both games.
After college, Gordon went on to play basketball professionally, spending time with NBA teams in the G League and playing nine games with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2014-15 season, according to Basketball Reference. He also played overseas in countries such as Serbia, Turkey, France, Lithuania, Russia, Poland, Ukraine and Japan.
He retired from professional basketball in 2023.
Gordon is survived by his wife, Angela, three children and two siblings. His brother, Aaron, currently plays for the Denver Nuggets.
The former Lobo will be remembered as a dominant forward who controlled both ends of the court, snatching rebounds on offense and defense.
Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
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Thomas Bulger is the sports editor for the Daily Lobo. He can be contacted at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @thomasbulger10
