Former Lobo Basketball Star Drew Gordon Passes Away
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M – Former New Mexico men’s basketball player Drew Gordon passed away in a fatal car accident Thursday (May 30) in Oregon at the age of 33.
Gordon, a two-time All-Mountain West selection, starred for the Lobos in 2010-11 and 2011-12 after transferring from UCLA. He led the Mountain West in rebounding at 11.1 per game as a senior in 2011-12 as he led the Lobos to a Mountain West Championship and the second round of the NCAA Tournament. He also averaged 13.7 points per game that season, the last Lobo to average a double-double for a season.
For his two-year UNM career, Gordon averaged 10.8 rebounds per game, ranking fourth in New Mexico history. His 32 career double-doubles rank sixth in program history.
Following his UNM career, Gordon had an 11-year professional career, playing overseas in addition to the NBA and the NBA G-League. He appeared in nine games for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014-15, becoming the 15th Lobo to play in the NBA. In 2015-16, he was selected to the LNB All-Star Game while playing for Champagne Châlons-Reims in France. Gordon was also a member of The Enchantment in 2021 and in 2022 when the UNM alumni team played in the TBT regional held at The Pit.
A native of San Jose, Calif., Gordon starred at Archbishop Mitty High School, where he was ranked in the top 50 of the class of 2008, before committing to UCLA. He appeared in 40 games for the Bruins over his first two collegiate seasons.
Gordon is survived by his wife, Angela, and three children.. His younger brother, Aaron, currently plays for the Denver Nuggets.