P. J. Tucker

P. J. Tucker
Born	Anthony Leon Tucker Jr. (1985-05-05) May 5, 1985 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Professional basketball player
Years active	2006–present
Known for	NBA player, NBA champion (2021)

Anthony Leon "P.J. "Tucker Jr. (born May 5, 1985) is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently played for the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Renowned for his dependable perimeter defense, Tucker secured an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. His collegiate career was spent with the Texas Longhorns.

Outside the NBA, Tucker earned both the 2008 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP and Finals MVP honors while leading Hapoel Holon to the Israeli Super League championship. Additionally, he achieved German titles by winning the German League and the German Cup in 2012 with Brose Bamberg.

High school and college

Tucker attended William G. Enloe High School located in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was honored as North Carolina Player of the Year in 2003 and had his jersey retired. At the University of Texas at Austin, he accumulated 1,169 points across three seasons, highlighted by a personal best of 594 points in the 2005–06 campaign, along with 714 rebounds, 170 assists, and 116 steals. Despite missing most of his sophomore year due to academic challenges, he earned second-team All-American recognition and was named Big 12 Player of the Year during his junior season.

Toronto Raptors (2006–2007)

Selected 35th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2006 NBA draft, Tucker signed a two-year contract on July 26, 2006. Throughout that season, he oscillated between the Raptors and their NBA Development League affiliate, the Colorado 14ers, being called up and sent down multiple times. On March 24, 2007, he was waived to make room on the roster for Luke Jackson. Over his rookie NBA season, Tucker appeared for a total of 83 minutes.

Following that season, Tucker participated with the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2007 Summer League.

Hapoel Holon (2007–2008)

During the 2007–08 campaign with Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Premier League, Tucker earned the league's MVP award and played a pivotal role in ending Maccabi Tel Aviv's dominant 14-year championship run by securing the league title. He was also honored as the 2008 Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP.

Donetsk (2008–2010)

For the 2008–09 season, Tucker signed with newly promoted BC Donetsk competing in the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague. He contributed significantly to Donetsk’s third-place finish in their inaugural top-flight season and was selected as a Ukrainian SuperLeague All-Star. Although a knee injury ended his season prematurely, Tucker led the league in scoring average. On October 7, 2009, he extended his contract for another year with Donetsk for the 2009–10 season.

Bnei HaSharon (2010)

Following the bankruptcy declaration of Donetsk, Tucker made his way back to Israel in March 2010 and signed with Bnei HaSharon to complete that season.

Aris (2010–2011)

Tucker inked a deal with Aris BC in August 2010 for the 2010–11 campaign but was released from the team in March 2011.

Montegranaro (2011)

In April 2011, Tucker joined the Italian club Sutor Basket Montegranaro.

Brose Bamberg (2011–2012)

July 2011 saw Tucker sign a one-year contract with Germany's Brose Baskets Bamberg. He played a pivotal role in securing the 2012 championship and was honored as the Finals MVP.

Phoenix Suns (2012–2017)

During the summer of 2012, Tucker initially agreed to terms with Russian outfit Spartak St. Petersburg, but soon after chose to participate with the Phoenix Suns' NBA Summer League squad instead. On August 1, 2012, he finalized a two-year contract with Phoenix, which included a team option for the second year. He quickly established himself as an essential starter throughout the 2012–13 NBA season.

Among his standout performances were a career-best 16 points and 15 rebounds on February 8, 2014, and matching that rebound total later that month. On April 6, he reached a new scoring peak with 22 points. The Suns extended a qualifying offer on June 27, 2014, leading to Tucker re-signing on July 23 to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million.

In August 2014, Tucker faced a three-game unpaid suspension due to legal issues but returned without delay. Throughout the 2015–16 season, he was the sole Suns player to appear in all 82 games and achieved new personal bests in both points and assists.

September 2016 required Tucker to undergo back surgery, sidelining him for six to eight weeks. After recovery, he initially came off the bench but was soon reinstated into the starting lineup following injuries to teammates. On November 27, 2016, he scored a season-high 21 points before transitioning back to a reserve role for the remainder of the season up until the All-Star break.

Return to Toronto (2017)

On February 23, 2017, Tucker was traded back to the Toronto Raptors in exchange for Jared Sullinger, second-round picks in both 2017 and 2018, along with cash considerations. The following day marked his first game as a Raptor since 2007, where he led the team with 10 rebounds and added nine points during a 107–97 victory over the Boston Celtics. On April 15, after participating in 418 games across seven seasons, Tucker made his playoff debut in Game 1 of the first round against the Milwaukee Bucks, which resulted in a 97–83 loss. The Raptors advanced by winning the series in six games but were subsequently swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in four straight games during the second round. In Game 4 of that series, Tucker recorded his first playoff start, contributing 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.

Houston Rockets (2017–2021)

Tucker signed a four-year contract valued at $32 million with the Houston Rockets on July 6, 2017. His Rockets debut came on October 17 when he scored 20 points in a thrilling 122–121 victory over the Golden State Warriors, including making two critical free throws late in the contest. On March 30, 2018, he tallied 18 points and set a career high by sinking five three-pointers during a tight win against his former team, the Suns. Throughout that postseason, Tucker surpassed previous personal records by scoring 15 points in Game 5 of the first round versus the Minnesota Timberwolves, then posting 19 points in Game 5 of round two against the Utah Jazz, followed by an impressive 22 points in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals facing Golden State. Although Houston ultimately fell in seven games to Golden State, Tucker notably played through Game 7 despite having undergone three root canal treatments shortly before.

On January 7, 2019, Tucker achieved a new career high by making seven three-pointers and scoring a season-best total of 21 points during a win over the Denver Nuggets. By March 11, 2021, amid trade deadline negotiations triggered by James Harden’s departure and experiencing career lows in key shooting statistics—averaging just 4.4 points per game with shooting percentages of 36.6% from the field and 31.4% from beyond the arc—Tucker reached an agreement with head coach Stephen Silas to temporarily step away from playing until a mutually agreeable resolution could be found.

Milwaukee Bucks (2021)

On March 19, 2021, Tucker was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks along with Rodions Kurucs in exchange for D. J. Augustin and D. J. Wilson. The deal also involved draft pick modifications, including Houston deferring a 2022 first-round selection to an unprotected 2023 pick and securing the option to swap their 2021 second-round pick for Milwaukee's 2021 first-round pick. Tucker made his Bucks debut on March 20, 2021, contributing three rebounds and one block over 13 minutes in a 120–113 victory against the San Antonio Spurs.

In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on June 10, Tucker played a pivotal defensive role by limiting Kevin Durant to a 37.5% shooting rate, aiding the Bucks in an 86–83 win over the Brooklyn Nets. He then posted 13 points and seven rebounds in a Game 4 triumph; Milwaukee ultimately secured the series in seven games.

During Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Atlanta Hawks, Tucker added five points—including a critical three-pointer—and grabbed eight rebounds in a 118–107 victory that clinched Milwaukee’s first NBA Finals appearance since 1974 and marked Tucker’s inaugural finals experience.

On July 20, 2021, Tucker and the Bucks captured the NBA Championship by defeating the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the Finals. This was his first championship title and Milwaukee’s first since 1971. Throughout the series, he averaged 31.3 minutes per game along with four points, 3.8 rebounds, and one steal while guarding key players such as Devin Booker and Jae Crowder.

Although he appeared in only 43 games for Milwaukee—23 of which were postseason contests—Tucker quickly became a fan favorite due to his strong defensive presence and leadership during their championship run.

Miami Heat (2021–2022)

Tucker signed with the Miami Heat on August 7, 2021. On December 13, he matched his career-best by scoring 23 points while also contributing nine rebounds and five assists in a defeat against the Cavaliers.

Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2023)

On July 6, 2022, Tucker agreed to a three-year contract worth $33.2 million with the Philadelphia 76ers. He achieved a season-high of 16 rebounds along with seven points on February 25, 2023, during a narrow 110–107 loss to the Boston Celtics.

Los Angeles Clippers (2023–2025)

The Los Angeles Clippers acquired Tucker, James Harden, and Filip Petrušev from Philadelphia on November 1, 2023, as part of a multi-player trade that included draft picks and cash considerations. On February 15, 2024, Tucker was fined $75,000 by the NBA after publicly requesting a trade following his removal from the Clippers’ active lineup. Before the start of the 2024–25 season, the Clippers announced that Tucker would remain away from team activities until an appropriate resolution was found. On February 1, 2025, he was traded to the Utah Jazz along with additional assets in exchange for Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills. Shortly thereafter, on February 6, he was involved in a five-team trade that sent him to the Toronto Raptors, which also included Jimmy Butler. The Raptors waived Tucker on February 28, 2025.

New York Knicks (2025)

On March 10, 2025, Tucker signed a ten-day contract with the New York Knicks. He received a second ten-day agreement on March 20 but was released on March 30. The following day, Tucker secured a two-year contract featuring a team option for the 2025-26 season, making him eligible for playoff participation. On June 12, 2025, he declared his intention to continue into his fifteenth NBA season; however, on June 29, reports indicated that the Knicks declined to exercise his team option.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 17 || 0 || 4.9 || .500 || || .571 || 1.4 || .2 || .1 || .0 || 1.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 79 || 45 || 24.2 || .473 || .314 || .744 || 4.4 || 1.4 || .8 || .2 || 6.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 81 || 81 || 30.7 || .431 || .387 || .776 || 6.5 || 1.7 || 1.4 || .3 || 9.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 78 || 63 || 30.6 || .438 || .345 || .727 || 6.4 || 1.6 || 1.4 || .3 || 9.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 80 || 31.0 || .411 || .330 || .746 || 6.2 || 2.2 || 1.3 || .2 || 8.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 | | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 57 || 17 || 28.5 || .415 || .338 || .792 || 6.0 || 1.3 || 1.5 || .2 || 7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| Toronto | 24 || 4 || 25.4 || .406 || .400 || .688 || 5.4 || 1.1 || 1.3|| .2||5.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;" | Houston | style="background:#cfecec;" | 82*||34||27.8|| .390|| .371|| .717||5.6|| .9||1.0|| .3||6.1 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Houston | style="background:#cfecec;" | 82*||style="background:#cfecec;" | 82*||34.2||.396||.377||.695||5.8||1.2||1.6||.5||7.3 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Houston |72||72||34.3||.415||.358||.813||6.6||1.6||1.1||.5||6.9 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- class="sortbottom" ! colspan=2 | Career !886!!667!!28.2!!.425!!.366!!.750!!5.4!!1.4!!1.1!!.3!!6.6

Playoffs

|- | style="text-align:left;" | 2017 | style="text-align:left;" | Toronto |10||1||25.1||.367||.321||.625||5.7||1.1||0.6||0.3||5.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2018 | style="text-align:left;" | Houston |17||17||33.5||.481||.467||.667||6.5||1.3||0.6|||.8|||8.9 |- | style="text-align:left;" | 2019 | style="text-align:left;" | Houston |11|||11|||38.7|||0..455|||0..456|||0..826|||7..5|||1..7|||1..7|||0..7|||11..4 |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} |} } | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ! colspan=2 Career !

Personal life

Anthony Leon Tucker Jr., known as P.J., received his nickname from his father, who affectionately called him "Pop Junior." During his early years, he lived in Germany while his father served in the Army.

Since 2010, Tucker has been married to his longtime partner Tracey, and together they have three children.

Footwear and fashion

Tucker is widely recognized as an avid sneaker enthusiast, possessing a collection that spans thousands of pairs stored across the country. In 2016, SLAM magazine honored him as the NBA's leading sneakerhead, applauding both the breadth and exclusivity of his assortment, which features rare player editions and unique designs.

In 2020, he collaborated with eBay on a content initiative aimed at promoting sneaker sales. His 'Sneaker Loft' displayed between 700 and 1,000 high-end pairs, including the notable $2,000 Nike SB Dunk Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Dunky." Tucker’s connection with eBay traces back to his time at the University of Texas through former teammate Royal Ivey.

During a June 2021 interview with GQ, Tucker highlighted how fashion plays a crucial role in his game approach: "If I look good, I play good," underscoring the link between his style choices and on-court performance.

External links

• Eurocupbasketball.com profile
• NBA Draft prospect profile