Reports: Former NBA player arrested for hitting son at LaGuardia Airport in New York
On Monday, former NBA player Ben Gordon was arrested at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. Gordon played 11 seasons in the league and was a former Sixth Man of the Year winner. He confessed to having bipolar disorder in an article for The Players' Tribune in 2020.
According to The New York Post, Gordon was arrested for allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son, Elijah. He was waiting for his flight to Chicago when he was handcuffed by the police. Two Port Authority officers reportedly also suffered minor injuries when they arrested Gordon.
However, it was unclear how the officers were injured. Gordon's son was taken to Long Island Jewish Children's Hospital for further evaluation and was accompanied by his aunt. Charges for the former NBA player are currently pending.
Gordon was the third overall pick by the Chicago Bulls in the 2004 draft. He won the Sixth Man of the Year during his rookie season. He was one of the best players off the bench during his five years with the Bulls. He signed with the Detroit Pistons when he became a free agent in 2009.
The UConn product spent three years in Detroit before he was traded to the Charlotte Bobcats. He had two seasons in Charlotte before he was waived toward the end of the 2013-14 NBA season. He later signed a two-year deal with the Orlando Magic in the summer of 2014.
However, Gordon only spent one year in Orlando and was waived before the 2015-16 season. He signed a training camp deal with the Golden State Warriors in 2015, but was waived after two preseason games. He last played for the Texas Legends in the NBA G League in 2017.
Former #NBA player Ben Gordon was arrested for striking his 10-year-old son at LGA airport.
He has been arrested several times in the past, one of which was an arrest for assault and robbery in 2017.
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Ben Gordon attempted suicide after his NBA career ended
Ben Gordon revealed in a piece for The Players' Tribune two years ago how he attempted suicide after his NBA career ended. He had thoughts about jumping from his apartment building and even tied a rope around his neck.
"There was a point in time when I thought about killing myself every single day for about six weeks," Gordon wrote. "I would be up on the roof of my apartment building at four o'clock in the morning, just pacing to the edge of the ledge, looking over. ...
"This was right after my last year in the league, and I was living in a brownstone up in Harlem. I had lost my career, my identity, and my family all pretty much simultaneously."
The player was in a terrible place mentally in 2017 when he was arrested twice for assault and pulling a fire alarm. He was also committed to a mental hospital the same year. He eventually got better and entered therapy. Monday's arrest was his first brush with the law since 2017.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24/7. Just dial 988 if you or anyone you know is in a suicidal crisis or emotional distress.