‘I’m glad we made history tonight’: Eric Gordon and Bahamas on verge of Olympic qualifying following historic run

Eric Gordon is US born, but his ties to the Bahamas were too much to keep him away from trying to do something special. On Sunday, the former IU basketball star helped lead the Bahamas to a win over Argentina that could go down as the biggest win in country history.

Gordon, whose mom is a native of Nassau, chose to play with the Bahamas in the Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament over the last few weeks. It led to the greatest performance of his international career as he helped lead the Bahamas to a 4-0 record and with Sunday’s win, punched the country’s ticket to next year’s FIBA ​​Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

The 34-year-old scored 27 points and was 6-of-7 from three in the 82-75 victory. This now gives the Bahamas a chance at qualifying for the Olympics for the first time in its country’s history.

“Man it means a lot,” Gordon told reporters following the win. “… I am just glad we get to advance with these guys. We have a great group of guys here. I’m loving it.”

Gordon averaged a tournament-high 20.3 points per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 65 percent from three (13-of-20).

The 16-year NBA vet joined a Bahamas roster that included Phoenix Suns center DeAndre Ayton and Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield. In total, it included three additional players who played division one basketball in the US.

“This is collective,” Gordon said. “We have good coaches, good players. We are together. This is what it’s all about. I’m glad we made history tonight.”

A lot was spoken beforehand about Gordon’s connection to the Bahamas. Coming into the tournament, Gordon needed clearance from FIBA in order to officially join the roster.

Despite everything, Gordon wears his love for the Bahamas on his sleeve and was welcomed with open arms from the rest of the roster.

“He’s terrific, he’s out there doing it … I’m so happy for him to come out there. I know a lot of Bahamians say, ‘Eric, he’s not always in the Bahamas,’ but he’s in the Bahamas probably more than me,” Hield said. “He’s always there. Having a guy there to rep the Bahamas … he’s been in the league for 16 years. He was there to weather the storm for us. ”

Now, the country waits until next summer when they will take the court again and try to advance to the Paris Olympics.

In the meantime, Gordon will begin his next step in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, where he signed this offseason. Gordon, 34, has averaged 16.0 points for his career and holds a 37.1 percentage from three.

He has played in 818 career games.

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