Charges Dropped Against Former NBA Star Ben Gordon

Ben Gordon was the “third overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls.”¹ He played eleven seasons in the NBA, winning.² He won the “NBA’s Sixth Man Award as a member of the Chicago Bulls.”³ Gordon played five seasons for Detroit, Charlotte, and Orlando.⁴

On Gordon’s 40th birthday, he was arrested at a Stamford juice shop.⁵ The arrest occurred just a few hours after UConn won its fifth NCAA men’s basketball championship.⁶ Several people called 911 stating that Gordon was “acting aggressively and bizarrely.”⁷ He was still acting “erratically” when officers arrived.⁸ Gordon was handcuffed by the police outside the juice shop.⁹

Over the years, Gordon has spoken about his bipolar disorder and depression.¹⁰ He has said that they have played a role in his arrests.¹¹ Darnell Crosland, Gordon’s lawyer, stated that Gordon has been making progress with his mental health issues.¹² Crosland stated, “’Mental health is really important and the court saw his commitment to doing the right thing in life and that is why they sealed his record and dismissed all of his charges. I am blessed to have been his lawyer.’”¹³

Last year, a state judge approved a probation program for Gordon.¹⁴ Gordon completed this probation program recently; and thus, his weapons and threatening charges will now be erased from his record.¹⁵ Gordon was in the probation program for eighteen months, and one of the requirements was to not commit any other crimes.¹⁶ In October of 2022, Gordon was charged with punching his son at the airport.¹⁷ He was also charged with a misdemeanor on allegations that he punched a security guard at McDonalds in November of 2022.¹⁸ Since Gordon’s arrest at the juice shop, he has attended fifty-five psychotherapy sessions.¹⁹ Crosland stated that Gordon is doing much better, and wants to finish his degree at UConn.²⁰

1. Associated Press, Ben Gordon completes probation program; charges dropped, ESPN (Sept. 22, 2025) https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46350173/ben-gordon-completes-probation-program-charges-dropped ↩︎
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14. The Associated Press, Charges dropped against ex-NBA guard Ben Gordon, arrested after juice shop disturbance, ABC News (Sept. 22, 2025) https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/charges-dropped-nba-guard-ben-gordon-arrested-after-125835220 ↩︎
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16. Dave Collins, Ex-NBA guard Ben Gordon, arrested for juice shop disturbance, gets program that could erase charges, AP News (March 25, 2024) https://apnews.com/article/ben-gordon-nba-arrest-connecticut-c44a98bd18147f95ec9ceec0c67921d6 ↩︎
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Featured Image: Scott Gleeson, Ex-NBA star Ben Gordon shares how he coped with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, USA Today (Feb. 21, 2020) https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/2020/02/21/ex-nba-star-ben-gordon-how-he-coped-suicidal-thoughts/4831377002/