Former NBA guard Ben Gordon, who was arrested after a Connecticut juice store disturbance final 12 months, might see the costs erased from his document underneath a probation program permitted by a decide Monday.
Gordon, who additionally helped lead UConn to the NCAA nationwide championship in 2004, might be within the supervised program till September 2025. Weapons and threatening fees might be erased if he doesn’t commit any crimes and follows different circumstances throughout the 18-month probation.
Born in England and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Gordon was arrested in April 2023 — on his fortieth birthday and simply hours after UConn gained its fifth NCAA males’s basketball championship — on the Juice Kings store in Stamford.
Police stated a number of 911 callers reported that Gordon was appearing aggressively and bizarrely. Gordon continued to behave erratically when officers arrived, they usually pressured him to the bottom and handcuffed him exterior the shop, authorities stated.
Police stated Gordon had a folding knife clipped to his pocket, in addition to a stun gun and brass knuckles in his backpack.
His lawyer, Darnell Crosland, stated Gordon has struggled with psychological well being issues however is doing significantly better. He stated Gordon grew to become upset on the juice store when his financial institution card was declined though he had loads of cash in his account. The anger was exacerbated by a particular weight-reduction plan he was on, Crosland stated.
“At this time we’re very pleased to study that this disposition paved the way in which for these fees to be dismissed,” Crosland stated in a telephone interview Monday. “He was ecstatic as a result of there are such a lot of issues that he’s contemplating doing, reminiscent of ending his diploma at UConn.”
Crosland stated Gordon has attended 55 psychotherapy periods since his arrest.
Former UConn coach Jim Calhoun wrote a letter to the courtroom in Stamford supporting Gordon.
“On each the non-public {and professional} ranges, I contemplate Ben to be an excellent particular person,” Calhoun wrote. “He’s clever and considerate with a excessive diploma of professionalism. Ben has been taking a course of remedy to take care of his previous points. Ben and his household proceed to be a part of my life.”
The third total choose within the 2004 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, Gordon performed 11 seasons within the league. As a rookie for the Bulls, he gained the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. After 5 seasons in Chicago, he went on to play for Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando.
Gordon has talked and written about his bipolar dysfunction and melancholy, which he stated have performed roles in his arrests.
In different brushes with the legislation, Gordon was charged in October 2022 with punching his 10-year-old son at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. In November 2022, he was charged with a misdemeanor in Chicago after allegations that he punched a McDonald’s safety guard.
Gordon pleaded responsible within the New York and Chicago instances, with the plea offers calling for no jail time, in keeping with information reviews.
In January, Gordon was available as UConn honored its 2004 nationwide championship crew throughout halftime of a house recreation in Hartford.