Aaron Gordon Reveals Why He Refused The Game Ball Following A Career Night

The first few nights of the 2025–26 NBA season have been incredible, with many hard-fought games and historic performances from players all over the league. One of the most impressive games came from Aaron Gordon in the Denver Nuggets’ 137–131 defeat to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night.

In that matchup, Gordon tallied a career-high 50 points on 17–21 shooting, including 10–11 from beyond the arc, carrying the Nuggets to a close defeat in the matchup. However, despite being offered the game ball following his historic night, Gordon declined, revealing that he didn't want to take the loss home with him, even in a fantastic individual performance.

"They're asking if I wanted the game ball, and no, I don't want the game ball to take an L home with me. No, thank you."

Combined with 21/13/10 from Nikola Jokić, this team appears ready to have another fantastic campaign, and while they lost in this one, it took an incredible 42-point night from Steph Curry to get the Warriors the win.

Last season was another successful one for Gordon in Denver, averaging 15 points a night in 28 minutes, and while we don't see these scoring nights consistently enough, he's proven that he can light it up when the moment calls for it. Last night was the perfect example of that, and while he was disappointed by the loss, there's no doubting that this could be the start of a big year for Gordon and the Nuggets.