A few days ago, the painstaking news from Aaron Gordon’s family shook the NBA world. The Denver Nuggets star forward lost his elder brother, Drew Gordon (33) in a ghastly car accident. The family received condolences from across the country amid the testing time. A week after the loss, the Nuggets star seemed to have partly overcome his brother’s loss as he paid a permanent tribute to him, leaving the NBA world on an emotional rollercoaster.

There are many ways to pay tribute to one’s loved ones. And Aaron Gordon took the hardest route. He tattooed the letters ‘DG’ imprinted on a roaring gorilla’s head on his left chest. ‘DG’ denoting his brother’s name. The 28-year-old star didn’t leave at that. He made a special compilation of him getting a tattoo and shared it on his Instagram handle with a caption that read, “Big bruh lives thru me,” with a black tattoo. It’s indeed a permanent tribute, as the tattoo will remain on his chest until his last breath.

The images on the post included Aaron Gordon having a go at the punching bag along with the tattooing process. Importantly, the last image was iconic as it featured both brothers, tapping their hands as they crossed each other, along with, “1990-2024 Drew Gordon,” written on it. In response to the post, Gordon’s teammate Jamal Murray took to the comments and wrote, “Luv,” with a black heart emoji.

A few weeks later, the duo went through a heartbreaking exit from the playoffs after the T-Wolves were eliminated in Game 7. And days after the exit, Drew Gordon’s demise further left the Nuggets family spiraling down in disbelief. Apart from Murray, Dwight Howard also chipped in to pay his respect. The former Houston Rockets star punched in a folded hands emoji.

The NBA World joins Aaron Gordon as he pays tribute to his brother

The NBA world has witnessed only a few brother duos playing in the league. On top of it, Aaron and Drew barely played together on the court, as the eldest Gordon didn’t really play much of his professional basketball for the NBA. Even if they played a few games, the brother never forgot to cherish it.

A decade ago, Drew, after playing a pre-season game against Aaron, said, “It’s been a lifelong goal for us to play on the same stage at the highest level. Today, even though it’s preseason, it’s being accomplished. It’s a huge accomplishment for us and a huge goal that we’ve been able to reach.” Now that Gordon imprinted his brother’s name on his chest, he will play the rest of his brothers alongside him. Capturing the emotion in words, a fan wrote, “I’m so sorry for your loss. His legacy lives on through you.” 

Another fan further amped it up, writing, “Drew will be always inside your heart,” perfectly lining with Gordon’s caption. In this vein, many fans shared their condolence and wished Gordon to carry his brother’s legacy forward. Particularly, a fan said, “Praying so hard for your healing.”

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow in what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video.