National Basketball Association

Aaron Gordon fractures jaw horsing around with brother

Published Jul. 17, 2015 6:48 p.m. ET

foxsports

By Darryn Albert

For high-flying Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon, a couple of bumps and bruises here and there are to be expected, perhaps as he hurls himself at the rim or rises up to send an opponent’s shot sailing into the third row. Fracturing a jaw horsing around with an older brother probably does not fall into that category.

According to the Orlando Sentinel in a report that ran Friday, that’s exactly what happened to the 19-year-old Arizona product:

Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon underwent surgery Tuesday in California to repair a fractured jaw and is expected to return by the start of the regular season, according to team spokesman Joel Glass.

Glass said Gordon suffered the jaw injury when Gordon was visiting his family and was horsing around with his older brother, Drew, who appeared in nine games last season with the Philadelphia 76ers.

The timetable for Aaron Gordon’s return to basketball-related activities will depend on how he responds to rehabilitation, Glass said.

Who would have thought a friendly game of Gordon Family Freeze Tag could have gone so awry?

It’s a real shame too as the younger Gordon was showing out in Orlando Summer League averaging 21.7 points per game and 11.7 rebounds per game, looking a step above the competition on both ends of the floor. It’s unlikely that the Magic will gain any solace from the old adage “Boys will be boys,” and now will just have to hold their breaths that their prized phenom recovers in time for the 2015-16 season.

Maybe the Gordon brothers were trying to recreate a scene from Raging Bull?

Or perhaps Drew, whose own NBA aspirations flopped after a semi-promising college tenure, is just jealous that Aaron is a better dunker than he is.

Whatever the case may be, Gordon’s fractured jaw registers a solid reading on our LBS scale of one to DeAngelo Hall for weirdest sports injuries.

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