Chicago Bulls (2004–2009) 2004–05 season: Sixth Man of the Year Before the
2004 NBA draft, Gordon thought that he would be drafted anywhere from 7th to 12th, but as the draft got closer he claimed to have an inkling that the Bulls might draft him third as they did with
Michael Jordan 20 years earlier in the
1984 NBA draft. "I'm a guy who looks at the significance of numbers a lot. Before the draft, I had no idea I'd get drafted third. I thought I was going to go anywhere from 7th to 12th. As we started getting closer and I started to get an inkling that the Bulls could be a team that I could end up playing for, I started to look at the numbers. Michael Jordan was drafted by the Bulls and he was the third pick just like you." Gordon wore the number 4 on his
jersey in high school and college, but had to wear the number 7 with the Bulls due to the number 4 being retired. Gordon said, "I wore No. 4 my whole career but, of course,
Jerry Sloan already had that number beforehand so there wasn't much I could do about it. So all I did was just [put together] being the third pick with my old No. 4. That's why I wear No. 7." In their first playoff appearance in the post-Jordan era, the Bulls (without Luol Deng) lost to the
Washington Wizards in six games. After the season, Gordon became the first rookie in league history to be awarded the
NBA Sixth Man Award. Gordon was also the NBA's
Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month 3 times (January through to March), and was also voted onto the NBA All-Rookie First Team. game with the Bulls Gordon also had problems with turnovers (4.46 per 48 minutes; sixth in the league in 2004–05), however, and an overall lack of stamina in his rookie season. He remarked, "More than anything, I just want to come back [in the fall] in better shape. ... A lot of this game is about conditioning and how long you can give your best performance." Gordon also revealed that he was in the process of designing an energy drink called BG7, an allusion to his initials and jersey number. Gordon unveiled the drink at One Sixty Blue, a restaurant co-owned by Michael Jordan. The drink was made with
white tea, which has a very high amount of
antioxidants, and the most
polyphenols of any tea.
2005–06 season In his
sophomore campaign, Gordon alternated between the starting lineup and bench for the Bulls, starting 47 games (mostly in the later half of the season) while coming off of the bench for 35. The minutes Gordon played per game rose, as did his scoring and assist averages. Gordon was selected to play for the Sophomores in the
Rookie Challenge held during the
NBA All-Star Weekend, in which he scored 17 points. On April 14, 2006, in a Bulls win over the Washington Wizards, Gordon tied
Latrell Sprewell's NBA record for the most three-pointers made in a game without a miss 9. The Bulls returned to the playoffs but were again eliminated in the first round in six games; this time they lost to the
Miami Heat, who went on to win the NBA championship.
2006–07 season Gordon's
third season marked a giant step forward for himself and the Bulls. He adjusted to becoming the team's starting shooting guard, averaging 21.4 points on near-46% shooting in 33 minutes per game. Chicago rebounded from a 3–9 start to finish 49–33. On March 4, 2007, Gordon established a career-high 48 points, leading a miraculous comeback effort to win 126–121 in overtime against the
Milwaukee Bucks. In the first round of the
playoffs the Bulls again faced the Heat, but this time won the series in four games, becoming the first team in NBA history to sweep the defending champions in the first round. They lost to the
Detroit Pistons in the second round, but were able to force the series to six games after initially falling behind 3–0.
2007–08 season On the heels of their first playoff series win in nearly a decade, the Bulls entered the
2007–08 season with high expectations. Prior to the season, Gordon and Deng both turned down offers for contract extensions, believing they could earn more in free agency. Following a 9–16 start,
Scott Skiles was fired and the Bulls did not recover. The Bulls drafted
Derrick Rose with their first overall pick in
2008, raising questions about how Gordon and Rose could coexist in Chicago's backcourt (both were score-first guards).
2008–09 season On October 1, 2008, Gordon finally accepted a one-year qualifying offer of $6.4 million after being unable to secure the contract that he was hoping for. On December 27, 2008, Gordon passed
Scottie Pippen as the Chicago Bulls' career leader in three-pointers made. As had been the case in his previous four seasons, the Bulls' season got off to a rocky start. However, Gordon and Rose developed chemistry playing with each other, and helped the Bulls finish the season on a 15–8 run to just qualify for the playoffs at 41–41. Entering the
playoffs as the seventh seed and matched with the defending champion
Boston Celtics, critics and observers expected the Bulls to be swept. However, in a series that featured the scoring exploits of Gordon (42 points in game 2) and
Ray Allen (51 points in game 6), seven overtime periods and five games decided by a single basket, the Bulls pushed the series to seven games before finally losing. Gordon led the Bulls in scoring for the season and playoffs, averaging 20.7 and 24.3 points, respectively.
Detroit Pistons (2009–2012) In July 2009, Gordon signed a five-year deal with the
Detroit Pistons worth between $55 million and $60 million. With the Pistons, Gordon continued his role as a sixth man off the bench. On January 9, 2010, Gordon scored the ten millionth point in NBA history. After the season, Gordon had surgery on his left ankle. On March 22, 2012, Gordon again tied the NBA record for most three-point shots made without a miss with 9. He scored 45 points to help bring Detroit back from a 25-point deficit, though they still lost to the
Denver Nuggets 116–115.
Charlotte Bobcats (2012–2014) On June 26, 2012, Gordon and a future first-round pick were traded to the Charlotte Bobcats in a deal that sent
Corey Maggette to the Pistons. On November 28, 2012, Gordon scored 20 points in the fourth quarter of an eventual 91–94 loss to the
Atlanta Hawks. The 20 points were the most in one quarter for any player in Bobcats history. He finished with 26 points on 7-of-11 shooting, making 7-of-10 from beyond the arc, to go with 5-of-5 free throws. On March 2, 2014, he was waived by the Bobcats.
Orlando Magic (2014–2015) On July 11, 2014, Gordon signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the
Orlando Magic. Gordon's final NBA game was played on March 22, 2015, in a 100–119 loss to the
Denver Nuggets. In his final game, Gordon played for 14 minutes and recorded 3 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist. On June 29, 2015, he was waived by the Magic.
Golden State Warriors (2015) On September 28, 2015, Gordon signed with the
Golden State Warriors. However, he was waived on October 14, after appearing in two preseason games.
Texas Legends (2017) On January 24, 2017, Gordon was acquired by the
Texas Legends of the
NBA Development League. ==National team career==