Wayback Wednesday: Ben Gordon, My Post-MJ Favourite
This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m reflecting on Ben Gordon becoming my favourite active player after Michael Jordan retired, and using him in video games.
Just as the Chicago Bulls remain my favourite NBA team all these years later, my all-time favourite player will always be Michael Jordan. However, although MJ is the player that got me and so many of my fellow 90s kids into basketball, my interest in hoops doesn’t end with him. Sure, I may have some quibbles with the modern game, and certainly the discourse that’s being led by so many talking heads with highly questionable agendas, but I’m still passionate about real and virtual basketball alike. In short, I didn’t drift away from the sport when MJ hung up his Air Jordans.
Of course, maintaining my interest in the NBA as my beloved Bulls fell from grace and MJ rode off into the sunset – temporarily once again, and then for good – required a change in how I approached my fandom. I’d never had trouble enjoying other stars and teams, but with the Bulls nowhere near contention, that interest beyond “my” team became even more important as far as remaining invested in the NBA. While MJ would remain my all-time favourite player, I needed a new active favourite to cheer for. In time, that would become Ben Gordon. Let’s take a look back…way back…
Even though all signs pointed to 1998 indeed being The Last Dance as Phil Jackson had proclaimed, as a young teenager obsessed with basketball and a diehard fan of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, I wasn’t ready for it to be over. To watch the greatest player of them all still in his prime and doing his thing, as your favourite team felt invincible and a shoe-in to win it all year after year, was an indescribable joy. And so, when MJ retired in 1999, I felt a bit lost as a fan. I was determined to still support the Bulls, but in the immediate aftermath of the title team breaking up, there was no future star on the roster that I could get behind and adopt as my new favourite.
Obviously, MJ did return for one last run, which split my interest and loyalty between wanting to see the Bulls return to prominence, and His Airness score more points and have some success with the Wizards. Before that comeback though, I’d already started to consider other candidates for a new favourite active player. One of the frontrunners was Antonio McDyess. I appreciated his strong character, and his explosive dunks. Dice appeared poised to be a breakout star, even as he returned to the lottery-bound Denver Nuggets. Sadly, knee injuries would soon derail his career following his only All-Star season. It wasn’t as fun to cheer for a role player who played for other teams.
I also took a liking to Kevin Garnett, and to this day, KG remains one of my all-time favourites. Trading for him in my NBA Live 2004 Bulls Dynasty certainly helps, too! What I really wanted, of course, was a young star on the real Bulls that could become my number one active favourite player while leading them out of the NBA basement. I liked Elton Brand, but then he was traded after only a couple of seasons. I hoped that Jay Williams would live up to the hype, but his motorcycle injury sadly rendered him a bust, and he’s now one of my least favourite commentators and talking heads! And then, the 2004 Draft delivered a 6’3″ combo guard named Ben Gordon to Chicago.
Gordon had been the leading scorer during the 2004 NCAA tournament, and along with second overall pick Emeka Okafor, led Connecticut to the championship. Okafor and top pick Dwight Howard were naturally more coveted, being big men who had the potential to be 20 and 10 players; still the ideal pieces to build around at that point in time. With them off the table though, Gordon was a great choice, and I recall being extremely happy with it. For that matter, I was encouraged by the acquisition of Luol Deng – a steal for $3 million and the 31st pick after the Suns took him seventh overall – as well as Chris Duhon in the second round, and Andres Nocioni via free agency.
Short of signing a marquee free agent, I couldn’t have hoped for a better offseason. In turn, the 2005 campaign is one of my all-time favourite Bulls seasons outside of the championship years. It started out terribly as they went 0-9, seemingly heralding another dismal season. They began to get it together in December though, and by the end of January, a seven-game winning streak helped them to climb above .500. A nine-game winning streak through March and April ensured a .500 finish at worst, and they ultimately went 47-35 to make it back to the Playoffs for the first time since 1998. Shorthanded due to injuries, they fell to Washington 4-2 in the first round.
Still, even with that unfortunate ending to the year, it was so exciting to see them gel and overachieve as a young team, steadily improving their record after the slow start. Furthermore, it was great to see Ben Gordon receive more consistent minutes as the season wore on, and putting up numbers when he had the opportunity. I’ll admit that it was frustrating to see him coming off the bench, with Scott Skiles’ puzzling decision to start two point guards in Kirk Hinrich and Chris Duhon. Nevertheless, I loved seeing Gordon post 30-point games and become the first rookie to win Sixth Man of the Year. Frankly, I still believe that he should’ve been the Rookie of the Year, too!
The 2005 season was all it took to make Ben Gordon my new favourite player. It was fun to see him shoot the lights out, and even rise up for the occasional dunk. He’d made the most of his minutes – inconsistent as they were at times – and accepted his bench role without complaint, not only demonstrating great promise but also making him easy to cheer for. I also enjoyed that he’d come to the Bulls with the third pick twenty years after Michael Jordan did. No, BG wasn’t MJ, but “Gordon, rhymes with Jordan” was a fun meme among Bulls fans, and was used with affection. He was one of the key players making the team relevant and more enjoyable to watch again.
Needless to say, they were also more fun to use in video games. As I’ve previously reflected upon, the early 2000s Bulls were far from a desirable choice on the virtual hardwood. The mid 2000s teams held much greater appeal, and for me, turning Ben Gordon into a superstar was an obvious goal. He became the centrepiece of my NBA Live 06 Bulls Dynasty, putting up some ridiculous numbers in his second season (while still getting snubbed for an All-Star selection). When he missed twenty games in the first year due to a broken wrist, it was a tremendous blow, but it also made the season more memorable. Bottom line, I wanted to play with Gordon and my Bulls.
While the real Bulls wouldn’t make it to the Finals and win any titles during Gordon’s tenure with the team – and indeed, their ascent to potential championship contenders in the early 2010s was ultimately cut short – I enjoyed the ups and downs of the next few years. It bothered me that Gordon was still being moved back and forth between a starting and sixth man role, though he did lead the team in scoring despite fluctuating minutes. Looking back, I wish the Bulls could’ve found a coach that had the foresight to utilise a roster led by a sharpshooting combo guard. It’s funny to think that at the time, they were criticised for their lack of inside scoring. Today, they’d likely thrive!
Although they didn’t become a powerhouse outside of my Dynasty game, those Bulls with Ben Gordon were enjoyable underdogs capable of pulling off some big wins and entertaining moments. Watching Gordon tie a record by nailing nine-of-nine threes is one of my favourite memories of that era, especially as it came in a thrilling win over the Wizards. His unexpected and emphatic dunk against the Nuggets in 2007 got me out of my seat, helping to make it one of my favourite games that I caught live that year, though Tyrus Thomas was the one who came through in the clutch. Mind you, back in his rookie year, Gordon had channelled MJ with a gamewinner in New York.
Speaking of big clutch performances, Gordon hit some huge shots in the Bulls’ epic first round clash with the Celtics in 2009, including a three to force double OT in Game 4 to tie the series. That seven-game series between an underdog Bulls team and the defending champion Celtics is one of my all-time favourites, right up there with ones that came during the two threepeats. To that end, I’d argue that it’s one of the best first round series in league history, period. Gordon was spectacular in it, leading all scorers. Teaming up with Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose, it seemed like a preview of the Bulls’ backcourt of the future; one that could score in bunches, inside and out.
Unfortunately, it turned out to be a glimpse of what could’ve been. Ben Gordon’s impending free agency was a shadow looming over the 2009 season. Both he and Deng had declined contract extensions in 2007, hoping to angle for bigger deals. While Deng signed a six-year, $71 million extension the following year, Gordon opted for the qualifying offer and unrestricted free agency in 2009, making it a very real possibility that the Bulls would lose him. That indeed came to pass, with Gordon signing with the Pistons ahead of the 2010 campaign. As I wrote at the time, not only did it sting to lose him, but to let him walk for nothing in return was a huge blunder.
Admittedly, I wasn’t that keen on following Gordon to the Motor City, what with the Pistons being a long-time and bitter rival of the Bulls. I wished him nothing but the best, but I didn’t follow him as closely thereafter. As you can probably guess, that was also in large part due to the arrival of Derrick Rose, and his promising future. While the Bulls ultimately regrouped, boasting the best record in the league in 2011 and 2012, and making the Eastern Conference Finals in the former campaign, the move to Detroit didn’t benefit Gordon. He was once again relegated to a bench role leading to a significant dip in his minutes and scoring, on a team headed in the wrong direction.
Despite marking the beginning of a premature career decline, Gordon did have his moments in Detroit. Notably, his basket scored the NBA’s ten millionth point in 2010, and he also replicated his earlier feat of hitting nine threes on nine attempts in a 2012 contest. He was pigeonholed as a sharpshooting sixth man for the rest of his NBA career though, his numbers further dwindling following a trade to Charlotte. The then-Bobcats cut him in March 2014 after he appeared in only 19 games, playing less than 15 mpg and averaging a career-low 5.2 ppg. After signing a two-year deal with the Magic in July 2014, he produced similar numbers in one season before being released.
It wasn’t quite the end for Gordon just yet, as he signed with the defending champion Golden State Warriors in September and played two preseason games. Obviously, the Warriors were set at guard with the Splash Brothers, but Gordon could’ve provided even more firepower off the bench. Ironically, I was cheering for Cleveland after Golden State broke the Bulls’ 72-win record, but I might’ve been more inclined to put aside that bias if Gordon were part of that Warriors squad. It certainly would’ve been nice to see him have an opportunity to compete for a championship, and potentially end his career with a ring. It might’ve even rejuvenated and extended his NBA career!
To that point, Ben Gordon’s abrupt departure from the NBA is still somewhat baffling to me. His game was tailor made for the pace-and-space, three-point shootout style that the league was transitioning to during the mid 2010s. And yet, at the age of 32, there was apparently no place for him in the NBA anymore. He even attempted a comeback playing in the D-League for the Texas Legends, showing that he was in shape and hadn’t lost a step. It should’ve paved the way back to the big time for him, and honestly, given his young age, he could’ve easily played another three, four, or even five years. Had he remained healthy, he could probably still play today at 41!
On that note, now that I’ve developed more of an appreciation for some of the eighth generation NBA Live games, I wish I’d followed up on an idea I had for NBA Live 16. In a throwback to my NBA Live 06 Bulls Dynasty, I’d begin a game with them, sign Ben Gordon for the mid-level exception, and revive his career alongside Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Pau Gasol, and Joakim Noah. With my enthusiasm for retro gaming, I may still give that a shot sometime! There’s no doubt that finding a new favourite active player in Ben Gordon helped me to enjoy the Bulls in video games once again, so it’d be fun to revisit that idea for a double dose of hoops nostalgia.
That’s the beauty of video games. Gordon’s Bulls were generally underdogs who topped out at still being a few steps away from true contender status, but in NBA Live 06, they could become champions. Today, I can go back and re-write history, either ensuring that he never leaves, or bringing him back in NBA Live 16. All these years later, I do wonder if there could’ve been a way to keep Gordon and still get Carlos Boozer in 2010. A lineup of MVP Rose, Gordon, Deng, Boozer, and Noah could’ve been formidable, and a great video game team even if they still fell short of a ring. Then again, Derrick Rose’s injuries alone leave me wistfully wondering What If!
Unsurprisingly I’m sure, the 90s are the era in the NBA that I’m the most nostalgic for. I mean, if nothing else, my favourite team was winning championships; it doesn’t get any better than that! However, my affinity for Ben Gordon and later Derrick Rose, and my fond memories of Bulls teams and the NBA in general in the 2000s through to the early to mid 2010s, demonstrate that my nostalgia and love of basketball don’t end with the 90s. Choosing new favourites, supporting my team through the rough times, and finding enjoyment in the highlights and achievements of other teams and players, were essential in growing as a basketball fan, and getting the most out of gaming, too.
In 2020, Gordon wrote about his struggles with mental illness in The Player’s Tribune, revealing that he suffers from bipolar disorder. While he didn’t discuss his career in that article, it’s possible that that played a role in derailing his comeback attempts. Mental illness has a tendency to stand in the way of our dreams, especially as it’s not always understood or treated with sympathy and kindness. With that in mind, while I already appreciated him for his play, competitive fire, and approach to basketball, I gained further admiration for Ben Gordon and his courage in telling his story, and advocacy for mental health. It’s an important message that I wholeheartedly support.
There have been a couple of incidents since then that have been unfortunate to say the least. I don’t mean to trivialise or condone them – mental health is a reason, not an excuse – but I’m still pulling for BG. On top of any potential harm to others, I’d hate for him to become another former athlete whose life spirals out of control to a tragic end. I don’t wish that on anyone, but given that Ben Gordon became my new favourite active player after Michael Jordan, there’s some added sentimentality in hoping for the best for him. It’s one thing to have a fairly successful NBA career cut short, another thing altogether to succumb to the lack of kindness that our own minds can show us.
As for his NBA career though, it was a solid eleven year run with some noteworthy achievements. I realise it’s a cliché, and also plays into the whole “evolution” rhetoric, but Ben Gordon was a player that was ahead of his time; at least as far as his style and skillset truly being appreciated and effectively utilised. As it stands, he was a joy to watch, from his effortless jumpers to the occasional explosive forays to the basket. He came along at a time when I needed a new favourite player on my favourite team, and gave me someone new to cheer for. Air Jordan will always top my list of favourite NBA players, but during the mid 2000s, Air Gordon secured his place there, too.
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