NBA: Ben Gordon, arrested, gets program that could erase charges

FILE- Former UConn and NBA player Ben Gordon sits on the sideline during a ceremony honoring the 2004 men’s championship basketball team during halftime of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Jan. 28, 2024, in Hartford, Conn. Gordon, who was arrested after a Connecticut juice shop disturbance last year, could see the charges erased from his record, under a probation program approved by a judge Monday, March 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill, File)

Former NBA guard Ben Gordon, who was arrested after a Connecticut juice shop disturbance last year, could see the charges erased from his record under a probation program approved by a judge Monday.

Gordon, who also helped lead UConn to the NCAA national championship in 2004, will be in the supervised program until September 2025. Weapons and threatening charges will be erased if he does not commit any crimes and follows other conditions during the 18-month probation.

Born in England and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Gordon was arrested in April 2023 — on his 40th birthday and just hours after UConn won its fifth NCAA men’s basketball championship — at the Juice Kings shop in Stamford.

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Police said several 911 callers reported that Gordon was acting aggressively and bizarrely. Gordon continued to act erratically when officers arrived, and they forced him to the ground and handcuffed him outside the store, authorities said.

Police said Gordon had a folding knife clipped to his pocket, as well as a stun gun and brass knuckles in his backpack.

His lawyer, Darnell Crosland, said Gordon has struggled with mental health problems but is doing much better. He said Gordon became upset at the juice shop when his bank card was declined, even though he had plenty of money in his account. The anger was exacerbated by a special diet he was on, Crosland said.

“Today we’re very happy to learn that this disposition paved the way for these charges to be dismissed,” Crosland said in a phone interview Monday. “He was ecstatic because there are so many things that he is considering doing, such as finishing his degree at UConn.”

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Crosland said Gordon has attended 55 psychotherapy sessions since his arrest.

Former UConn coach Jim Calhoun wrote a letter to the court in Stamford supporting Gordon.

“On both the personal and professional levels, I consider Ben to be an outstanding individual,” Calhoun wrote. “He is intelligent and thoughtful with a high degree of professionalism. Ben has been taking a course of therapy to deal with his past issues. Ben and his family continue to be part of my life.”

The third overall pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, Gordon played 11 seasons in the league. As a rookie for the Bulls, he won the NBA’s Sixth Man Award. After five seasons in Chicago, he went on to play for Detroit, Charlotte and Orlando.

Gordon has talked and written about his bipolar disorder and depression, which he said have played roles in his arrests.

In other brushes with the law, Gordon was charged in October 2022 with punching his son at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. In November 2022, he was charged with a misdemeanor in Chicago on allegations he punched a McDonald’s security guard.

Gordon pleaded guilty in the New York and Chicago cases, with the plea deals calling for no jail time, according to news reports.

In January, Gordon was on hand as UConn honored its 2004 national championship team during halftime of a home game in Hartford.