Valparaiso University men’s basketball product Eron Gordon (Indianapolis, Ind. / Cathedral [Seton Hall]) has been named to the Summer League roster for the Houston Rockets of the NBA.

Gordon recently visited his brother, NBA veteran and Rockets standout Eric Gordon, and began working out with the team. Rockets assistant coach John Lucas II asked him to take the court with several Houston players, an opportunity that eventually led to the Summer League roster spot.

“He had me come back another day, and then another day,” Gordon said. “Eventually, the front office liked my game and thought I’d fit well on the summer league roster. After Valpo, I had a lot of offers to play overseas, particularly one in France that I really liked, but I wanted to make sure I finished off my master’s degree that I had worked so hard for. I wasn’t sure I was going to be affiliated with an NBA organization this quickly, but it’s been a blessing. A lot of people go through their entire lives waiting for an opportunity like the one that I’ve been blessed with, so I’m going to have fun and enjoy the experience.”

The Rockets Summer League team will begin its four-game schedule on Thursday vs. Orlando at 9 p.m. CT on ESPN. The team will play again on Saturday at 7 p.m. vs. Oklahoma City on ESPN2 and Monday, July 11 at 6 p.m. vs. San Antonio on ESPN before closing out the Summer League slate on Thursday, July 14 vs. Portland at 8:30 p.m. on NBA TV. All four games will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

“My mindset going into it is to learn a lot and have fun,” Gordon said. “Summer League is not the be all, end all. For players who are getting their feet wet, it is important to soak up as much information as possible. The best part about Summer League that not a lot of people talk about is getting to be around the head coach, general manager, front office staff and veteran players.”

Gordon, who graduated from Valpo in May 2020 with an undergraduate degree in journalism before earning his master’s in sports administration in May 2022, appeared in all 95 games over his three seasons at Valpo, a tenure highlighted by the go-ahead basket with three seconds left in overtime in the program’s 74-73 upset win over Loyola in the 2020 MVC Tournament quarterfinals, helping the team complete an 18-point rally. He is one of only three Valpo players in the last 30 years to hit a game-winner in the final five seconds of a conference tournament or postseason tournament game, joining Ryan Broekhoff (2013 vs. Green Bay) and Bryce Drew (1998 vs. Ole Miss).

“Valpo is always going to be No. 1 in my heart,” Gordon said. “Spending four years there and having two degrees from there makes it special. I feel like I made my mark with the program. We won some and lost some, but we always had good battles. I’ll always have a great place in my heart for the University and athletic department as a whole.”

Following the 2020-2021 campaign, Gordon earned the Valparaiso University Male Unsung Hero Award at the Department’s ARC Awards. During that season, he ranked sixth in the MVC in defense rebounds per game and second among guards while averaging 5.1 boards per outing, over doubling his rebounding average of 2.3 from the previous season.

Eric Gordon won the 2017 NBA 3-Point Contest and was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year that season. He has played for the Rockets since 2016 after previous stints with the Los Angeles Clippers (2008-2011) and New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (2011-2016). Eron’s other brother Evan has spent significant time playing professionally overseas in China.

“Not too many times in major professional sports will you have two brothers in the same organization,” Gordon said. “Being on the Rockets Summer League roster means a lot in terms of what my family has accomplished. This is my dad’s dream to have all three of his sons play professionally, so it means a lot to see that come to fruition. His goal was always to have all three boys accomplish things that he couldn’t, so this opportunity is the beginning of the final chapter in that story.”