Aaron Gordon honors late brother with new jersey number

Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will change his jersey number from 50 to 32 to honor his late brother, former NBA and EuroLeague player Drew Gordon.

Drew, who briefly played for the Sixers in the 2014-15 season, passed away in May in a car accident. The older Gordon spent the last decade of his pro career playing in various European leagues as well as Japan's B.League. He retired in July 2023, less than a year before his fatal crash.

Besides the jersey change, Gordon will also carry the initials "DG" on his chest as part of a new tattoo in honor of his late brother. In a touching social media post in June, Gordon said his "big bruh lives thru me" while sharing a closeup of his new ink.

Gordon — a key member of Denver's 2023 NBA title run — endured a tough stretch to end the 2024 postseason as his Nuggets were ousted by the Timberwolves in the West semifinals. During the final two games, Gordon was a minus-27 and minus-14 on the floor as the Nuggets blew a 3-2 series lead to Anthony Edwards and Co. after initially going down 2-0 on their own floor.

Despite their unsuccessful title defense, the Nuggets are still considered a title contender entering the 2024-25 season, with oddsmakers giving them the second-shortest odds to win the West and fourth-shortest odds to win it all. While they lost a key starter in Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, they added former MVP Russell Westbrook to shore up the backcourt next to Jamal Murray.

Gordon averaged 13.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists last season. He received several votes for one of the NBA All-Defensive teams but didn't make the final cut. Many analysts feel the versatile forward should have already made one of those squads in light of his stellar defense for the Nuggets.