There was a period in the late 2010s through the early 2020s when the front offices of every contender were asking, “Can we get P.J. Tucker?” He brought grit and toughness, at 6’5″ he could defend bigger forwards (and even some centers) in the post, and on corner 3s he was automatic. There was a reason the Milwaukee Bucks traded for him in the middle of the 2020-21 season, the year they won a title.
Tucker officially announced his retirement after a 14-year NBA career in an Instagram post.
“20 years being my job but 40 plus years of not being able to fathom doing anything other than it. So here’s to retiring from the NBA… because I will NEVER stop ballin.”
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Tucker’s is a story of perseverance. He was drafted in the second round in 2006 by Toronto, out of Texas, and spent most of his rookie season with the Raptors, but they waived him in March and he couldn’t catch on with another NBA team. He played in the G League before taking his game overseas, playing in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany. However, he kept steadily improving, finding his game and his role, and in 2012, the Phoenix Suns brought him back to the NBA, where he stuck. In his 14 NBA seasons Tucker played for Toronto, Phoenix, Houston, Milwaukee, Miami, Philadelphia, LA Clippers and New York. He went on to play 866 NBA games.
His impact on the court far exceeded his career counting stats of 6.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.
