NBA player Aaron Gordon attacked by dog on Christmas Day in ‘very traumatic’ incident, coach says

Denver Nuggets player Aaron Gordon is out indefinitely as he recovers from being bitten by a dog on Christmas Day.

The team tweeted the news Dec. 27, writing that Gordon "suffered lacerations to his face and hand" in the incident.

"Aaron (Gordon) is in good condition and will remain away from the team while he recovers," the tweet reads.

After practice on Dec. 27, Nuggets coach Michael Malone told the Associated Press that he'd spoken with Gordon.

“He’s hanging in there,” Malone said. “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," he added.

He said that he'd instructed the team to "make sure they’re reaching out to him, to make sure he’s never feeling like he’s on an island."

Malone said he knows Gordon will need to heal "inside and out" after the dog bite.

"Going through something like that is not something you come back from easily. That’s something where you have to heal from the physical, but you also have to heal from the mental and what you just kind of went through," he explained. "We want him back. We know we’re better off with him. But I want to support Aaron Gordon and make sure when he comes back, he’s ready to come back and play at the level that we know he’s capable."

Gordon's teammate, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, said he plans to reach out and is looking forward to the player's return to the court.

"He just uplifts everybody that comes in when he’s around them," Caldwell-Pope told the AP. "We’ve got to do the same for him."