Former NBA, UConn Star Ben Gordon Arrested In Stamford: Police

STAMFORD, CT — Ben Gordon, the former NBA and UConn basketball star who helped lead the Huskies to an NCAA national championship in 2004, was arrested in Stamford on April 4 after police said he threatened employees with a knife at a downtown business.

Gordon, who turned 40 on Tuesday and lives in Chicago, was charged with two counts of threatening; disorderly conduct; sixth-degree larceny; and interfering with police, according to Asst. Police Chief Richard Conklin of the Stamford Police Department. Gordon was eventually released on a $10,000 bond.

On April 4 around 9:50 a.m., officers responded to a business on Atlantic Street in the downtown Stamford area on a report of an agitated man threatening people and displaying a knife, Conklin said.

Officers found Gordon inside the business and asked him to step outside.

"He complied, and then became agitated and would not follow the officers' commands at that point," Conklin said. "Officers tried to communicate with him for some time, and when that didn't work, they acted in concert and took [Gordon] into custody using very minimal force."

Officers found a folding knife clipped to Gordon's pocket, a stun gun and a pair of brass knuckles in his backpack, Conklin said.

At police headquarters, Conklin said Gordon continued "to act in an agitated, bizarre manner," which prompted officers to take him to Stamford Hospital for evaluation.

Gordon was released back to police custody, but he continued to act aggressively and refused any of the processing procedures, Conklin said.

"At that point, the officers in the detention unit used good judgement. They slowed the situation down," Conklin said.

Officers and clinicians from the SPD's behavioral unit met with Gordon, and the department contacted Gordon's family and friends who live in the area. Gordon was a highly-touted basketball recruit in Westchester County, N.Y., and grew up in Mount Vernon, N.Y.

Later that night, Gordon complied with processing and was released to family and friends after posting a $10,000 bond.

Conklin praised the officers involved and Gordon's family and friends for helping to calm the situation down.

"This really speaks to their professionalism and training," Conklin said of the officers. "We were very lucky to have a number of caring family and friends who assisted us in this, and that certainly helped in this situation. What could have been a very dangerous, difficult situation really ended up in probably a best case scenario."

After starring for the UConn Huskies and helping them win a title in 2004, Gordon was picked third overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2004 NBA draft. He earned NBA Sixth Man of the Year and NBA All-Rookie First Team honors in 2005.

Gordon averaged 18.5 points per game during his tenure with the Bulls, before moving on to the Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats, and Orlando Magic, who he last played for in 2015.

Gordon has been arrested several times since he retired from basketball.

Most recently in November 2022, he was charged with assault, resisting arrest, contempt and child endangerment in New York, according to ESPN. He was also arrested later that month and accused of punching a McDonald's security guard in the face in Chicago.

In February 2020, Gordon wrote an article in the Players' Tribune about his struggles with mental health, his bipolar disorder and thoughts of suicide.