‘It’s been crazy’: Aaron Gordon’s Mitty High coach, teammate reflect on Denver Nuggets star’s magical postseason

Aaron Gordon has provided two of the largest part dramatic moments so far in the NBA playoffs Those last-second heroics came as no surprise to those who know the former Archbishop Mitty High star the best Aaron has had so much success on every level he has played at but seeing him thrive in the NBA as a teammate fills you with overwhelming pride Mitty coach Tim Kennedy announced Especially knowing he keeps improving every year in multiple facets of his competition That s my best friend added former Mitty teammate Brandon Abajelo Gordon has already accomplished quite a bit in his -year NBA career He is a two-time Slam Dunk Contest runner-up selected would say a snubbed two-time winner and won a championship with the Denver Nuggets in But Gordon s reputation as a athlete has reached a new high-water mark this postseason His penchant for coming through in key moments has secured multiple wins for Denver Aaron Gordon of the Denver Nuggets grabs a loose ball seconds before Jamal Murray calls a timeout to prevent a jump-ball situation from Isaiah Hartenstein and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter of the Nuggets - win at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City Oklahoma on Monday May The Nuggets took a - Western Conference semifinal lead with their win Photo by AAron Ontiveroz The Denver Post On April his buzzer-beating putback dunk the first in NBA playoff history secured a pivotal Tournament win for the Nuggets evening their first-round series with the Los Angeles Clippers Then on Monday in Oklahoma City his corner -pointer in the waning seconds finished off Denver s comeback from a -point deficit securing a - win over the Thunder in Challenge of the Western Conference semifinals Through it all Gordon has been the same guy say those who knew him during his days in San Jose at Mitty Now it s just a matter of more people taking notice It s been crazy Abajelo disclosed on Thursday It feels like there s been so a large number of great singular moments happening lately He deserves stuff like that The work that he put in has consistently been very constant and it s cool to see it all coming together in the biggest moments I mean his shooting this year has been crazy consistent His form is looking a lot smoother Crazy putback dunks and game-winners those are the types of things that I feel like you can never plan those But they just happen to you when you put in the work Gordon who converted a warehouse into a home that features a full basketball half court has made a habit of practicing -pointers late into the night or early in the morning It s paid off as a career -point shooter has converted of his attempts this season I thought winning an NBA championship would be one of the things he is the bulk known for but his dunk to win the encounter with time expiring will go down as one of the bulk iconic finishes in NBA history Kennedy disclosed Also winning another playoff tournament with a -point shot is special because it shows how much he has worked to improve that part of his competition Gordon has been called the soul of the Nuggets by Denver interim coach David Adelman Superstar center Nikola Jokic added He ostensibly doesn t get as much respect as he deserves But I think he doesn t need it He definitely has it from those who mean the bulk to him The Mitty basketball neighborhood was rocked by the tragic and unexpected death of Gordon s older brother Drew last May Since then Gordon has had to pick up the pieces along with his family and those closest to him Gordon changed his number from to which he and Drew wore at Mitty and Drew sported in the professional ranks He s taken on a role in helping raise Drew s two young sons Zayne and Brody who accompanied him to his postgame press conference on Monday after the winning basket he made with yes seconds on the clock Nothing can absolutely replace the void in his life left by Drew s passing But basketball his friends and family are helping carry him through it day by day It s been a hard year with Drew passing and everything Abajelo declared So I m happy that all this good stuff is happening again Mitty basketball head coach Tim Kennedy at left Aaron Gordon and Gordon s mother Shelly Davis react to a highlight reel of Gordon s time playing basketball at Mitty as Gordon s basketball jersey is retired during a basketball match halftime ceremony at Archbishop Mitty High School Friday Jan in San Jose Calif Photo by Jim Gensheimer Abajelo and Gordon have been friends since they were years old and played together on Mitty s varsity company Gordon was the linchpin in a prolific stretch for the Monarchs that included two CIF Division II state championships and a close loss to Mater Dei in the first CIF Open Division state championship tournament years ago He was just so much better than everybody at that level that it made the match so much easier for everybody Abajelo recalled Put us on more of a national presence in terms of the games that we re playing He definitely elevated it He was the ultimate cheat code out there Just a man amongst boys Their friendship has persisted since their graduation in and they ve been together through the high and lows since then Abajelo was there when Gordon won his first NBA title in and has been there for him in the arduous last months since Drew s death What makes him special is he s a very chill guy Abajelo explained He has a very pure good perspective on life understands what s critical what s not crucial where to put resource Just a kind understanding guy When his coach disclosed he s the soul of the squad it s because he s a soulful person a mindful person The type of person that can have very intricate existential type of conversations and he s interested in that type of stuff He s a very grounded chill guy throughout all the crazy fame Archbishop Mitty s Aaron Gordon gestures after defeating Sheldon during the CIF Northern California Regional Basketball Championship Boys Open Division battle at Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento Calif on Saturday March Jose Carlos Fajardo Staff Those conversations have continued as Gordon navigates a new reality in the wake of losing his brother It was terrible and just entirely gutting Abajelo explained Everyone was just heartbroken by it For me it s been just God-awful One of the worst things I ve ever gone through So it s been hard It sucks but you try to do your absolute best and be there and try to keep it all together Related Articles Jonathan Kuminga made the the bulk of his moment for Warriors against Timberwolves Warriors Draymond Green vents about being stereotyped after another technical foul Warriors sputter without Steph Curry drop Challenge vs Timberwolves Anthony Edwards returns to Warriors-Timberwolves Battle after ankle injury Steph Curry shares details about hamstring injury I ve never dealt with this before Things will never be the same but those around Gordon are committed to helping each other through the challenges facing them moving forward When there s high levels of grief a lot of people try to see if they can propose a approach for somebody Abajelo disclosed But there s no cure So it s just about being there and being present and trying to keep spirits higher than they are The positive moments that Gordon has authored in recent times have helped with that mission Gordon s family and friends have endured much sadness and pain in the last year Every little bit of ecstasy helps And within the past limited weeks there has been plenty to go around To have his coach call him the soul of the organization is one of the bulk impressive parts of who Aaron is Kennedy explained I couldn t be more happy or proud of him