Gordon played one season of college basketball at Indiana[2] and was considered one of the top collegiate players in the nation that year.

At age four, he began playing sports at the Jewish Community Center across the street from his home, starting with soccer and then quickly moving on to basketball.

North Central's 2007 game against Loyola Academy of Wilmette, Illinois, attended by Michael Jordan's sons; Jeffrey and Marcus, was aired on ESPN.

[6] During the summer, Gordon attended many AAU tournaments, Adidas Superstar camps, and Big Time in Las Vegas.

He played on teams that included future NBA players Mike Conley Jr., Josh McRoberts, Daequan Cook, Derrick Rose and Greg Oden.

On November 30, 2005,[7] Gordon made a verbal commitment to play basketball for Weber at Illinois, despite overtures from Duke, Arizona and Notre Dame.

[8] Gordon and his family cited their comfort with Weber, the relatively short distance to the Illinois campus from their Indianapolis home, and the success of former Illini guards Deron Williams and Luther Head in the NBA as reasons for their decision.

[9] On February 15, 2006, Sports Illustrated reported that Mike Davis, then the head coach at Indiana University, intended to resign after the 2005–06 season, due in part to a lack of support after the team failed to make the NCAA tournament in 2004 and 2005.

Some witnesses reported that his parents were hit with ice, empty plastic water bottles, and orange-and-blue beads near the game's end.

[28] Illinois's athletic director, Ron Guenther, apologized for the incident, calling fan behavior "disappointing and intolerable.

Gordon finished his freshman season averaging 20.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game, making 33.7% of his three-point shots and leading the Big Ten in scoring.

[30] He was highly effective for Indiana in its first 18 games as the Hoosiers started the season with 17 wins and only one loss, but entered into a noticeable shooting slump at the end of the year,[31] making only 18.6% of his three-point field goal attempts (13 of 70) after Indiana's February 7 win against Illinois[30] and shooting only 3 of 15 from the field and 0-of-6 from the three-point line in the team's loss to Arkansas in the first round of the 2008 NCAA tournament.

It was confirmed on July 13, 2008, by the Clippers that Gordon would miss the rest of summer league due to a strained left hamstring.

However, at the start of the 2008 NBA pre-season, Gordon made his offensive prowess known in only his second exhibition game, scoring 33 points in 31 minutes to help the Clippers defeat the Sacramento Kings 116–112.

Gordon returned on April 4, 2012, to face the Denver Nuggets and scored 15 points giving the New Orleans Hornets a 94–92 victory.

[43] On November 7, 2012, Gordon was sent to Los Angeles to get more personalized rehabilitation work to help in his knee recovery and to strengthen his quad muscles.

Gordon, coming off the bench, scored 24 points, 7 assists and 2 steals in less than 25 minutes, giving the New Orleans Hornets a 98–95 win over the Bobcats.

On April 10, 2013, Gordon played his first back-to-back set of the season against the Sacramento Kings after he was cleared by team doctors for his restrictions to be lifted.

On March 4, 2014, Gordon scored 28 points and was 9-for-13 from the field, including 4-for-5 on threes, and made each of his six attempts from the free throw line.

An MRI revealed he suffered a torn labrum as a result of the left shoulder subluxation injury that he sustained against the Utah Jazz on November 22.

Despite missing 21 games this season as he successfully rehabilitated a torn left labrum injury instead of opting for season-ending surgery, Gordon had the best long-range shooting year of his career.

He was 141-of-315, 44.8 percent, from beyond the three-point line, besting his career high by more than five percentage points, finishing second in the league behind Kyle Korver.

In his playoff debut, Gordon recorded 16 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and was 4-of-7 from the three-point line, ending with a 106–99 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

[55][56] He made his debut for the Rockets in their season opener on October 26, scoring 19 points in a 120–114 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.

[63] On October 25, 2017, Gordon scored a then season-high 29 points and hit the game-winning buzzer-beating 3-pointer to lift the Rockets to a 105–104 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.

[66] In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Gordon came off the bench to score 24 points and his steal on Golden State's last possession secured a 98–94 victory that gave the Rockets a 3–2 lead.

[68] On January 16, 2019, in a 145–142 overtime loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Gordon had 20 points in his return after missing eight games with a bruised right knee.

On September 4, during the Rockets' second-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Lakers, Gordon recorded 23 points and three rebounds in a 112–97 Game 1 win.

[85] On June 27, 2024, Gordon opted out of his player option in his $3.4 million contract with the Suns for the 2024–25 season, making him a free agent.

[90] During the championship game there, Gordon led the team in points scored with 27 total to help the Bahamas win the event and gain entry for the 2024 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.