DENVER — Denver Nuggets forward Aaron Gordon will be out of action indefinitely after he was bitten in the face and hand by a dog on Monday, the team said.
Gordon, 28, a 10-year veteran who is in his fourth season with the defending NBA champion Nuggets, needed a total of 21 stitches to his face and shooting hand, The Denver Post reported. The team did not provide any details about the incident, according to the newspaper.
In a statement, the Nuggets said that Gordon was “in good condition” but will remain away from the team, according to ESPN. There is no certain timeline for when he might return to action.
Gordon has averaged 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 28 games this season with Denver (22-10), The Athletic reported.
Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after practice Wednesday that he has been in contact with Gordon, according to KUSA-TV.
“He’s hanging in there,” Malone told reporters. “Obviously, a very traumatic experience and the most important thing I told him is that you take as much time as you need. We’re a family -- wins, losses, and when people go through tough times like Aaron’s going through right now.
“We have his back. We love him. We’re here for him. So whenever he’s able to come back, we’re going to open our arms up and embrace him. I told all the guys to make sure they’re reaching out to him, to make sure he’s never feeling like he’s on an island.”
Before the dog attack, Gordon scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds in Denver’s 120-114 victory against the Golden State Warriors on Monday, the Post reported.
The Nuggets return to action on Thursday when they host the Memphis Grizzlies at Ball Arena, according to The Athletic.
Gordon was a first-round pick (and fourth overall) by the Orlando Magic in the 2014 NBA Draft, according to Basketball-Reference.com. He played more than six seasons with Orlando before joining Denver during the 2020-21 season.