Who is Aaron Gordon’s sister Elisabeth Gordon? Taking closer look at Nuggets star’s personal life
Aaron Gordon is coming off an NBA championship with the Denver Nuggets. It is fair to say that Gordon's athleticism runs deep in his bloodline with his parents, brother, and sister all being athletes.
Aaron Gordon's father, Ed Gordon, was a former San Diego State basketball player. He was undrafted in the NBA and played a year of pro basketball in Mexico. Ed Gordon and his wife Shelly Davis Gordon have three kids: Drew, Elisabeth and Aaron.
Drew Gordon was a McDonald's All-American who played basketball for UCLA. After that, he spent some time with the Dallas Mavericks and Philadelphia 76ers. He spent a large part of his career in the French basketball league and has now retired from professional basketball.
Aaron Gordon's elder sister, 6-foot-1 Elisabeth Gordon, played center on the Harvard women's basketball team. She also won two California state high school championships during her time at the San Jose Archbishop Mitty.
Aaron Gordon is by far the most successful basketball player in the Gordon family. That said, his journey wouldn't be what it is without the help from his family. He especially has the constant support of his sister.
Speaking to The Undefeated, Elisabeth Gordon had this to say about Aaron:
“Aaron knows he always has me in his corner and I’m no more than a text message or phone call away when he’s in need."
Elisabeth has always been a supportive sister to Aaron. While she is a graduate from Harvard and USC, much of her time has been devoted to Aaron becoming the player that he is.
Elisabeth Gordon has simultaneously pursued her own path as well. While she is still involved as an NBA agent and is closely tied to her brother's agency, a lot of her time is devoted to her own ventures.
She is the founder and artist behind Ego Honour- a creative lifestyle brand. Here, she prepares hand-painted artwork to put on clothing, merchandise and other everyday objects.
She is also the founder of the Play MakeHers traveling Clinics&Panels, which provide a space for young women of all ages to develop their skills both on and off the basketball court.
Elisabeth is often seen sharing content on Twitter and IG about her fitness, her career, and also about her brother Aaron.
How did Elisabeth Gordon sacrifice for and help her brother Aaron Gordon?
When Aaron Gordan was drafted at the age of 18, his family thought that he should have a support system in Orlando, given that he had always been on the West Coast. This coincided with the time when Elisabeth Gordon graduated from Harvard and ended up becoming Aaron's personal manager.
Here is what Elisabeth Gordon said about this:
“We wanted to have somebody with him his first year, and in terms of family I was the most mobile. It was either me or my mom, and who do you want going with you? It worked out well."
Elisabeth Gordon was quick to take up the responsibility of supporting her brother. However, this journey didn't come without challenges. She continued:
"Every once in a while you hear like, ‘OK, you’re his sister …’ And. ‘You got this because you’re his sister.’ Well, now you know I have a Harvard degree. You know, I’m qualified to do this. It works out. He trusts me and I trust him. And, keeping it in the family is kind of the best way to do it."
Despite coming out of Harvard, managing a professional athlete is not an easy task. The responsibilities on Elisabeth's plate were a ton and included:
"Calendar and Schedule upkeep; Household management; Automotive Management; Social Media Management; Wardrobe Management; Appearance arrangements and logistics; Endorsement Management; Contract Review; Shopping and Food arrangement; Travel Assistance and accompaniment upon clients request, Gifts and Correspondence Management, Charitable giving and appearance management; Financial Oversight; Other services as needed and negotiated."
Since Elisabeth Gordon was not a professional manager in the sense that she was blood-related to Aaron, it somewhat added to the complexity of the task at hand. Elisabeth recalled:
“Every once in a while I’ll have to kind of take him and be like, "Hey, look, I get that I’m your sister, but I’m your manager as well. And, it’s not going to work if you don’t treat me and see as your partner as your manager."
Elisabeth mentioned how Aaron would sometimes slack knowing that he had a safety net in her sister. On the other hand, Aaron also served as a safety net for her sister as managing your brother is different from having a professional relationship. Eventually, the two decided to rip the band-aid off and Elisabeth would no longer stay with Aaron Gordon.