Ben Gordon
A microwave-scoring guard whose explosive playoff debut announced his arrival and made him a Chicago Bulls cult hero in the post-Jordan era.
Born 1983 (age 43)·British-American basketball player·Birthday: April 4·Millennials
Biography
Ben Gordon's NBA career was a story of brilliant, combustible flashes. Drafted third overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2004 after winning a national championship at UConn, he immediately changed the team's offensive calculus. Gordon wasn't a starter; he was a 'microwave' off the bench, a compact guard who could catch fire in an instant and single-handedly erase a deficit with a barrage of deep threes and fearless drives. His defining moment came in his rookie season during the 2005 playoffs, when he scored 35 points in a second-half outburst to will the Bulls to a comeback victory over the Washington Wizards. He won the Sixth Man of the Year award that season, the first rookie ever to do so. For several years, he was the Bulls' most reliable crunch-time scorer, hitting countless clutch shots. His game never evolved much beyond scoring, and after a big-money move to Detroit, his efficiency waned. But for a generation of Bulls fans, Gordon represented the first genuine spark of hope and excitement in the long, challenging years after the Michael Jordan dynasty ended.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Ben was born in 1983, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ben Was Born
The biggest hits of 1983
#1 Movie
Return of the Jedi
Best Picture
Terms of Endearment
#1 TV Show
60 Minutes
Ben's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1983Born
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1988Started school
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1996Became a teenager
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
1999Could drive
Columbine shooting; Y2K panic builds
Gas: $1.17/galHome: $113,900Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Believe" — CherBest Picture: American Beauty
2001Could vote
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2004Turned 21
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2013Turned 30
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2023Turned 40
ChatGPT goes mainstream; Israel-Hamas war begins
Gas: $3.52/galHome: $361,600Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Flowers" — Miley CyrusBest Picture: Oppenheimer
2026Age 43 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- He was the first rookie in NBA history to win the Sixth Man of the Year award, doing so in the 2004-05 season.
- He scored a career-high 48 points in a playoff game for the Chicago Bulls against the Boston Celtics in 2009.
- He won an NCAA national championship with the University of Connecticut in 2004.
- He led the Chicago Bulls in scoring for four consecutive seasons from 2005 to 2009.
- He once made 9 three-pointers in a single game, a franchise record for the Chicago Bulls at the time.
Did You Know?
He was born in London, England, making him one of the few NBA players to be born in the UK.
He and fellow UConn star Emeka Okafor were drafted with the second and third overall picks in the 2004 NBA Draft.
He is a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States.
He played for Great Britain's national basketball team in the 2012 London Olympics.
“When I'm in a rhythm, the basket looks as big as the ocean.”
