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By John DentonOct. 18, 2014
ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- When they got together for a visit on Saturday morning, just hours before accomplishing a lifelong dream discussed ``probably more than we’d care to mention,’’ Philadelphia 76ers center Drew Gordon had a playful message for Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon: ``You can go ahead and chalk me up for a foul. I’ll just give him one hard one to let him know he’s still the little brother.’’
Drew, a 24-year-old journeyman hoping to make the Sixers’ roster, and Aaron, a 19-year-old prized rookie for the Magic, were on the same court together at the NBA level on Saturday night in Allentown, Pa. The two were first on the floor together late in the first quarter, but weren’t guarding each other because of their position differences.
Saturday’s game marked a moment that the two highly competitive brothers have dreamed of and discussed since they used to battle in the backyard of their San Jose, Calif., home years ago. Drew got the upper hand on Saturday, scoring 16 points and grabbing six rebounds in Philadelphia’s 95-84 defeat of the Magic. Aaron, who played extended minutes the night before in a defeat of Detroit, played just five minutes on Saturday and did not score.
``I’m really proud of (Drew) because he’s going through a lot of trials in his life and to see him out there with a NBA jersey on, it means a lot to me,’’ Aaron said. ``And to be out there, talk a little bit of mess with him, it’s just really cool. I know that a lot of people aren’t able to say that they played in the NBA against their brother and now I’m able to say that.’’
The Gordon’s parents, Ed and Shelly, were not able to attend the game as Shelly was travelling on business and Ed was in Tucson, Ariz., accepting a collegiate award on behalf of Aaron. But the brothers’ sister, Elise, who is a basketball player at Harvard, flew into Philadelphia to visit and attend the game. Aaron, the youngest player in the NBA this season after only recently turning 19 years old, credits his advanced maturity and basketball development to his two older siblings pushing him hard.
``We’re a tight-knit group and we always tried to include him in everything. He’s younger than me by five years, but I made him mind his Ps and Qs when he was coming up,’’ Drew said. ``He’s done a great job of finding himself and coming into his own and we as a family couldn’t be more proud about how he’s turned into such a great young man.’’
All three Gordons had their basketball jerseys retired by their San Jose high school, Arch Bishop Mitty. Drew, a 6-foot-9, 245-pounder, played collegiately at UCLA and New Mexico and has played professionally in Turkey, Serbia and Italy the past two seasons. He averaged 6.7 points and 6.0 rebounds a game during the Orlando Pro Summer League for the Sixers.
Even though his Magic lost and his older brother had a big impact on the game, Aaron said that Wednesday will forever be a special day for his family.
``I know that I’m not going to hear the end of it from him,’’ Aaron joked after the game. ``We’re a very close-knit group of people with my brother and sister and we grew up in the same place in California. And now that we’re all over the nation, it’s a big deal (to come together for this game).’’
Aaron was a McDonald’s All-American in high school and an All-American during his one season at Arizona. He was the fourth pick of last June’s NBA Draft and he has impressed the Magic thus far this preseason with his rare combination of athleticism and physicality.
Aaron and Drew both said they talk often about how each other is doing while trying to be successful at the NBA level. They dreamed of this moment of playing either with or against one another at basketball’s top level, and they were somewhat stunned that it materialized on Saturday night.
``It’s been a lifelong goal for us to play on the same stage at the highest level. Today, even though it’s preseason, it’s being accomplished. It’s a huge accomplishment for us and a huge goal that we’ve been able to reach,’’ Drew said. ``We call each other on a daily basis and go over how our games went, what our matchups will be that night and how far we’ve come from playing in the backyard and fighting each other over a foul that may or may not have been committed. And now here we are together on the highest level possible.’’