SAN JOSE – All throughout Archbishop Mitty High School fans chanting his name, his dunk highlights playing on a video board and his father, Ed, raising his son’s framed jersey overhead, Aaron Gordon was thinking about the countless number of sweat-soaked hours he spent in that very gymnasium trying to get to where he is now.
On Friday night, all of Gordon’s hard work – both while in high school at San Jose’s Archbishop Mitty and in the NBA with the Orlando Magic – paid off in a big way.
Gordon, a six-year member of the Magic, had his dark blue No. 32 jersey retired on Friday by the high school that he led to two California state titles and where he also won two California Mr. Basketball awards.
``It was so emotional for me because I know how many thousands of hours I spent in that gym – even before I was in this high school and in middle school,’’ said Gordon, who was accompanied by his parents during the celebration. ``I spent a large majority of my life at this school. I spent almost a whole decade running around these halls and playing ball here.’’
Making the night even sweeter for Gordon was the fact that many of his Magic teammates and coaches – led by head coach Steve Clifford – who made the 75-minute journey from San Francisco to San Jose to support their long-time teammate.
``Anybody who is talented and skilled enough to lace up their shoes and put them on the hardwood at the highest level of the NBA, it’s a brotherhood among teammates,’’ Gordon said. ``For the Magic and my teammates to come, it’s just an incredible bond that we have. I really love them for that.’’
Gordon’s Magic (20-22) are in the Bay Area to take on the Golden State Warriors (9-34) on Saturday. Tip-time is 8:30 p.m. at the dazzling, new Chase Center in downtown San Francisco. The game is the fifth of a six-game, 12-day trip that is Orlando’s longest of the season – both in terms of games and days away from home. The Magic are 2-2 so far on the trip.
It’s the second time this season that Magic players, coaches and staffers have been on hand to cheer on a teammate while being honored by his high school. In December, many of the members of the Magic’s travelling party attended a jersey retirement celebration for point guard D.J. Augustin when the team was in New Orleans. On Friday, the Archbishop Mitty student section repeatedly chanted the names of Markelle Fultz, Mo Bamba and Gordon at various times during the game.
``It took us a while to get here, with it being California, but that doesn’t matter because no matter how long it took, we wanted to be here to support A.G.,’’ said Augustin, one of the many Magic players on hand on Saturday. ``Me and my teammates wanted to be here to show our love.’’
At Mitty High School, Gordon was a four-year starter, a two-time state champion and a two-time winner of the California Mr. Basketball Player of the Year award.
Gordon finished his high school career with 2,386 points and 1,666 rebounds, a Central California Coast Section record in both categories. His high school career was so spectacular that the San Jose Mercury-News recently named Gordon its Bay Area Preps HQ ``Player of the Decade.’’
``I couldn’t keep talking on the microphone because I was getting chocked up,’’ said Gordon, who addressed the capacity crowd for approximately 90 seconds. ``There are too many people to thank, this was a beautiful experience and I had so many great people around me at this high school who helped me and guided me. It’s overwhelming, it really is.’’
It certainly didn’t take Mitty long to realize that it had a special talent in the 6-foot-8, 235-pound Gordon, who had been dunking basketballs since the time he was 12 years old. As a freshman in 2009–10, Gordon started in 28 of 41 games and averaged 11.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.
As a sophomore, Gordon led Mitty to a 32–2 record and the school’s first ever state title in men’s basketball. He started in all 34 games and averaged 16.4 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game. He scored 17 points and hauled in a state championship record 21 rebounds in the 2011 title game.
He repeated as a state champion as a junior and averaged 22.9 points, 12.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.3 blocks per game. That season, he became the first junior to win California’s Mr. Basketball award since Tyson Chandler did so in 2000 and Jason Kidd in 1991.
Gordon captured a second straight Mr. Basketball award as a senior, but his dream of becoming the first men’s basketball in California to win three straight state crowns ended in the championship game. In that title game, Gordon’s Mitty squad was defeated by future NBA player Stanley Johnson and Mater Dei High.
``(Legacy) is not really what I think about,’’ Gordon admitted. ``I do what I do, and I love to do it and that’s who I am. The recognition is a great side effect. I just do what I do because I love it, and I hope I inspire people to do what they love to do at a high level.’’
After earning MVP honors at the McDonald’s High School All-American game and one season of starring at the University of Arizona, Gordon was the No. 4 selection of the Magic in 2014. Despite being bothered by foot and jaw injuries early in his career, Gordon boosted his scoring average in each of his first four professional seasons.
Gordon gained national notoriety in 2016 when he waged an epic battle against guard Zach LaVine in the dunk contest during the 2016 NBA All-Star Weekend. In that event, Gordon famously pulled off two dunks where he leapt over Magic mascot, Stuff, which stands roughly 7 feet tall.
In 2018-19, Gordon authored the finest season of his career and helped the Magic reach the playoffs. In addition to averaging 16 points and 7.4 rebounds, he handed out a career-best 3.7 assists a game.
This season, Gordon has battled ankle, Achilles and calf injuries, but has still averaged 13.6 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 31.2 minutes over 36 games (all starts). He has led the Magic in scoring four times, in rebounding seven times and in assists four times. He had a season-high 32 points on Dec. 4 against Phoenix, but his best stretch of basketball of the season has come of late.
Not only did he have 19 points and nine rebounds on Monday in Sacramento, he converted the game-winning basket and free throw with 1.1 seconds remaining.
From there, Gordon poured in 21 points, grabbed six rebounds and held LeBron James to seven-of-19 shooting in the Magic’s stirring victory over the Lakers on Wednesday. Also notable in the game, Gordon had the No. 1 and No. 3 plays of the night on ESPN’s top plays segment with his two thunderous dunks.
Orlando didn’t fare quite as well on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers, but Gordon still had 20 points, four 3-pointers and five rebounds.
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