September 21, 2012
When Eric Gordon steps on a basketball court, he generally fills the role of high-scoring, lethal perimeter shooter and penetrator. On Thursday, Sept. 20, however, the 6-foot-3 shooting guard took on a much different position – that of basketball referee.
In a brief game up to 2, Gordon “officiated” a one-on-one matchup between two young students from the Langston Hughes Academy Charter School, located in the Gentilly area of New Orleans. The contest was one of the highlights from Gordon’s afternoon visit to the school, as he stressed the importance of reading to students in grades 3 through 8. Each member of the school’s third-grade class also picked up a free book from the Hornets Bookmobile, presented by Shell.
Although NBA players do not officially report for training camp until Oct. 1, Gordon is one of many Hornets who’ve arrived in New Orleans early, partly in order to develop chemistry on a squad that has eight new faces.
“It’s been good,” Gordon said of the team’s voluntary workouts. “Our team has been together for the past three weeks. That’s very good for our team and for our organization to have a good start to the season. It’s good to be back and get started.”