About 20 years after the Chicago Bulls selected Michael Jordan 3rd overall in the 1984 NBA Draft, they would select the topic of today’s video 3rd overall in the 2004 NBA Draft, another junior shooting guard, this time out of UCONN, named Ben Gordon. Gordon became Chicago’s most exciting scorer until Derrick Rose’s arrival in the 2008 NBA Draft, and when Rose quickly became Chicago’s star of the future, it Gordon’s impressive contributions were less and less appreciated. He wasn’t a perfect player and could definitely leave you frustrated at times, but he never shied away from the big moment and was Chicago’s top offensive player in their first period of winning post-Michael Jordan. He was one of the league’s best sixth men over his first half decade, yet spent a lot of time as a starter and excelled in that role as well. He left Chicago for a big contract in the middle of his career, but soon after beginning his time with the Detroit Pistons, he suffered a significant ankle injury which stole some of his speed and quickness that made him so dangerous, and as he lost his first step he started relying more and more on the outside shot, and while he was dangerous from deep, it made him more predictable and one dimensional, and he was phased out after a few years, then bounced around a couple more teams before ending his career at just 32 years old. Sadly, his life has taken a darker turn without basketball as he has been in and out of jail due to mental health struggles with Bipolar Disorder which have also gotten him hospitalized. Ben Gordon has had his troubles adjusting to life after basketball and living with his demons, but it’s likely even harder for someone like him to return to regular life, as in his prime he was a fan favourite whether he was on your team or torching your team, Ben Gordon was fun to watch.

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