One of the most underrated shooting guards in the NBA, Eric Gordon has been a vital scoring component on every team he has played for. Although Gordon is unlikely to supersede well-established shooting guards such as Klay Thompson and DeMar DeRozan, his ability to be a consistent bench scorer cannot be denied. Gordon’s contributions in his first year with the Houston Rockets were particularly noteworthy as he recently won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. Given Gordon’s unwavering work ethic on the court, the question remains of how much is the humble shooting guard actually worth?
Eric Gordon’s Net Worth as of 2017: $50.5 Million
How did veteran scorer get there? And how has his development into a reliable scorer enhanced his wealth to these heights? Let’s find out.
2008-2012
After being selected with the 7th overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, Gordon immediately proved his value as a confident shooter as he scored 23 points in his first NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas. During the regular season, Gordon’s offensive prowess was on full display as he scored 16.1 points per game and had a impressive field goal percentage of 45.6%. Gordon’s consistent shooting output garnered him NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors while finishing fifth in Rookie of the Year voting.
Gordon’s second season in the NBA was crucial in that it proved that his scoring capabilities from last season were not simply the result of over performing. Although he only played in 62 games during the season, he started in 60 of those games and raised his points per game average to 16.9.
2010 was Gordon’s breakout season as a top scorer and the offseason proved to be particularly uplifting for him as he won a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA World Championship. Despite spraining his wrist early in the season, which resulted in Gordon missing 18 games, the determined scorer would not be denied his golden season. Gordon finished the season as the Clippers second leading scorer as he averaged 22.3 points and 4.4 assists per game, both career highs.
Despite Gordon’s essential scoring contributions during the previous season, the Clippers did not waste anytime trading Gordon and several other players to the New Orleans Hornets for Chris Paul in 2011. Due to a knee injury, Gordon only played in nine games during the regular season, but still averaged 20.6 points per game when he was on the court.
During the offseason in 2012, Gordon signed a lucrative offer sheet with the Phoenix Suns worth $58 million over four years, which was subsequently matched by the Hornets. However, while the Hornets were able to retain their consistent shooting guard, Gordon was still having complications with his knee and was forced to miss the first six weeks of the season as a result. Despite missing nearly half of the regular season, Gordon was the Hornets leading scorer and averaged 17 points per game.
He reportedly earned $13.6 million in 2012.
2013-Present
Now playing for the renamed New Orleans Pelicans in 2013, Gordon was more determined than ever to stay healthy and help his team succeed. Although Gordon played in his most games with the Pelicans at 62, he missed the end of the regular season due to knee tendinitis. He shot just 43.6% from the field and his production as a pure scorer took a hit as he only managed 15.4 points per game.
2014 got off to a rocky start for Gordon as he was averaging a measly 9.5 points over his first twelve games and suffered a torn labrum, which forced him to miss 21 games. While Gordon had his worst season offensively in terms of point production, the fact that he was able to rehabilitate a torn labrum showed the basketball world how determined he was to make a name for himself.
Amazingly, Gordon was still able to be a dominant perimeter shooter despite his injury (44.8% from 3-point range). Gordon’s late season heroics as a scorer allowed the Pelicans to make the playoffs where they faced the Golden State Warriors in the first round. While the Pelicans were ultimately swept by the Warriors, Gordon did his part to at least keep the individual games competitive as he averaged 18.5 points per game.
While Gordon got off to an impressive start health wise as he played in the Pelicans first 41 games in 2015, he fractured a bone in his ring finger in January. Gordon would have the finger operated on twice, which prevented the tenacious shooter from being a consistent contributor during the second half of the season. To his credit, Gordon still managed to average 15.2 points per game while setting a new career high in free throw percentage at 88.8%.
During the 2016 offseason, Gordon signed a four-year contract worth $52.8 million with the Houston Rockets. His inaugural season with the Rockets was one of his most productive in terms of health as he played in nearly every game as the Rockets primary bench scorer. Gordon averaged 16.2 points per game on the season and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, becoming the first player in franchise history to receive such recognition.
While Gordon’s NBA career could be characterized as very good but not great due to health issues, his perseverance through these untimely setbacks put him in a class as a vastly underrated but highly productive shooter. Although injuries have emphatically shut down the careers of countless athletes, Gordon’s determination as a competitive professional have allowed the consistent shooter to excel more than he has failed. Seeing as how Gordon has already received a well-deserved contract, his final goal as a beloved underdog will be to garner a elusive championship ring.
He reportedly earned $12.3 million in 2017.
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