Former NBA Star Ben Gordon Arrested for Allegedly Hitting 10-Year-Old Son at Airport

Gordon was arrested by Port Authority officers and taken into custody on Monday, PEOPLE has confirmed

Former NBA star Ben Gordon was arrested on Monday after allegedly hitting his 10-year-old son, PEOPLE has confirmed.

The 39-year-old, best known for his years on the Chicago Bulls, was on his way to Chicago when he was taken into custody around 3 a.m. at LaGuardia Airport in New York City, Port Authority Police told PEOPLE.

Multiple witnesses saw Gordon hit his son, according to police, and two officers sustained injuries as they tried to arrest the former shooting guard.

His son was taken to Jewish Children’s Hospital by his aunt and is being evaluated, police sources told the outlet.

Gordon has been charged with assault, criminal contempt and resisting arrest.

Gordon spent 11 years in the NBA before his exit from the sport in 2017, and served as a standout player on a number of teams including the Chicago Bulls, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats and Orlando Magic.

He was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2005.

Back in February 2020, Gordon revealed in an article about mental health for The Players’ Tribune that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, an illness of the brain that causes extreme changes in mood and energy levels, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Prior to that, the London-born athlete had a number of run-ins with the law.

In June 2017, he was arrested and later released on probation for pulling fire alarms in his Los Angeles apartment building, USA Today reported. That October, police transported Gordon to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation after he and a female patron of a sports rehab facility he owns reportedly got into a confrontation, The Journal News reported.

Then, in November 2017, Gordon was arrested for allegedly punching the building manager of his Los Angeles apartment, pulling a knife on the man and robbing him of his security deposit, ESPN reported. The same month, he was stopped in Harlem for driving his SUV with fake Florida license plates, the New York Daily News reported. A judge later dismissed the weapons charges.

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