Former Chicago Bulls guard Ben Gordon had mental health crisis when arrested on weapons charges

Former Sixth Man of the Year Ben Gordon is in the news this week after being arrested in Stamford, Connecticut. He was taken in by police due to threatening and weapons charges.

Ben Gordon's arrest came on Tuesday, the day of his 40th birthday. To make matters worse, it was hours after his former college team secured the NCAA title. According to reports, he was charged with charged with carrying a dangerous weapon and two counts of second-degree threatening.

What stands out most of this arrest is that Gordon appeared to have a mental health episode during the time of his arrest. The story states that he complied with police in the beginning, but then his behaviour quickly changed out of nowhere.

"At first, Gordon complied with officers’ directions and exited the business, Conklin said. But at a certain point, Gordon stopped complying and police had to force him to the ground to handcuff him, Conklin said."

“This was a very dangerous situation. He had a number of weapons on him and he was in a very agitated state at that point, so we are pleased of our officers’ response”

How long did Ben Gordon play in the NBA?

Before this run-in with the law, Ben Gordon had a pretty successful run in the NBA. After playing three seasons at UConn, he was taken third overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2004 NBA draft.

As rookie, Gordon did something that we have never seen before. He managed to secure the Sixth Man of the Year award in his first season, but didn't win Rookie of the Year. During his first season with the Bulls, Gordon averaged 15.1 points and 2.0 assists per game while shooting over 40% from three-point range.

Gordon spent the first five years of his career with the Bulls, but then joined the Detroit Pistons in 2009. He spent three seasons with the team and averaged 12.4 points and 2.4 assists across 196 games.

The high-scoring guard had consistent homes in the beginning of his career, but bounced around at the end. Following his stint with the Pistons, Gordon spent two years with the Charlotte Bobcats and then one with the Orlando Magic. He ended his career averaging 6.2 points in 56 games for the Magic at 31 years old.

Gordon spent just over a decade in the league, and his accolades include his Sixth Man of the Year award and making the all-rookie team in his first season.