British former NBA star Ben Gordon has reportedly been arrested at LaGuardia airport on Monday for allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son.
Gordon, who spent five years with the Chicago Bulls before going to play for three more franchises, was reportedly prevented from boarding his flight by police before being arrested at around 8.45pm. Sources told the New York Post that Gordon, 39, was allegedly handcuffed by Port Authority officers before he could fly to Chicago.
His son was then reportedly taken away by an aunt and taken to Long Island Jewish Children’s Hospital for evaluation. The former shooting guard, who moved from London to New York as a youngster, was allegedly being processed at the Port Authority police station with charges against him pending.
Police sources said two officers received minor injuries while making the arrest, although it's not immediately clear how the injuries came about. But the incident isn't the first time that Gordon, who won the Sixth Man of the Year award as a rookie in 2004, has been arrested.
In February 2020, Gordon publicly revealed that he was suffering from bipolar disorder. In an interview with The Players' Tribune , he spoke openly about his battles with mental illness since retirement, also revealing he'd attempted suicide.
Gordon helped the Bulls reach the playoffs four times before joining the Detroit Pistons. After three years there, he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats.
A short term stint at Orlando Magic followed, before a final NBA move to Golden State Warriors. However, he never played a league game for the San Francisco team, and was waived after just two pre-season appearances.
Gordon had the opportunity to play for Team GB in the 2012 London Olympics, but claimed he couldn't commit to the training programme amid his move from the Pistons to the Bobcats. However, he did then represent them five years later in the EuroBasket 2017 qualifiers.
