Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year Ben Gordon was arrested on weapons and threatening charges after he allegedly began behaving erratically in a Connecticut juice shop.
Gordon was arrested last year at LaGuardia Airport in NYC for allegedly striking his 10-year-old son. This alleged behavior is problematic and it appears that Gordon is spiraling downhill.
According to Stamford police, Gordon was “acting bizarre” and aggressively and allegedly showed a knife inside a juice shop while making a verbal threat.
Gordon Acting “Bizarre” And “Aggressive”
Police responded to the scene on Tuesday at approximately 10 a.m. and found Gordon inside the juice shop. Police say they asked Gordon to put his hands on the wall and he “refused to comply.” Police also say he was taken into custody and a “minimal amount of force” was used.
However, TMZ released a video on Friday that shows five cops were needed to subdue the former marksman.
Gordon is 6 feet 3 and a former pro athlete, it is unclear to what degree “minimal” means in his apprehension.
Stamford police say they recovered a knife from Gordon’s front pants pocket, a stun gun and brass knuckles from a backpack he had with him. The alleged “bizarre” and “aggressive” behavior continued when he was taken to Stamford police headquarters. Gordon was taken to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation under police guard.
What’s Happening With Ben Gordon?
The former Chicago Bulls first-round draft pick and national champion with the UCONN Huskies was released on $10,000 bond and is due back in court later this month.
He will face weapons and threat-related charges, as well as one count each of disorderly conduct, interfering with policy and sixth-degree larceny for allegedly refusing to pay for a glass of juice.
Gordon has been open about struggling with his mental health and other demons since his playing career ended, even contemplating suicide.
“There was a point in time when I thought about killing myself every single day for about six weeks,” wrote Gordon in The Player’s Tribune. “I had lost my career, my identity, and my family all pretty much simultaneously. I was manic-depressive. I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping. And when I say I wasn’t sleeping, it was like a whole different level of insomnia. Every night, I’d wake up at the same time, like clockwork. And that’s when the demons would come out.”
Gordon played 11 seasons in the NBA for the Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic. He was the No. 3 pick in the 2004 NBA draft.
At the time of his story in the Player’s Tribune Gordon talked about court mandated therapy.
“The only thing that saved me was getting arrested, as weird as that sounds. I got arrested four times in five months. I was out of my mind. So the judge hit me with court-mandated therapy — 18 months. Therapy, motherf-cker.”
It doesn’t appear as though Gordon is still seeking professional help and this is another incident that is starting to form a pattern. Hopefully, he and anyone that is close to him realizes where this could end up and the necessary steps for serious intervention can take place.
