Rayjon Tucker
Rayjon Tucker | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 24, 1997 Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2019–present |
Rayjon Tucker (born September 24, 1997) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for the Vaqueros de Bayamón in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). His collegiate basketball tenure included stints with the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles and the Little Rock Trojans.
Early life and high school
Raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tucker attended Northside Christian Academy. During his senior year, he posted averages of 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks per contest, guiding the Knights to the state finals. He chose to play for Florida Gulf Coast, selecting them over offers from programs such as Virginia Tech, Boston College, VCU, Clemson, and Auburn.
College career
Tucker’s college journey commenced at Florida Gulf Coast University, where he averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds as a freshman, followed by 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds during his sophomore year. After completing two seasons, he announced plans to transfer.
He moved to the University of Arkansas-Little Rock but was required to sit out one season per NCAA regulations. Once eligible, he excelled by averaging 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, earning a spot on the second team All-Sun Belt Conference. Subsequently, Tucker declared for the 2019 NBA draft and aimed to elevate his profile by transferring as a graduate student. He committed to Memphis over other suitors including Auburn, West Virginia, Kansas, and Iowa State. Ultimately, he opted to remain in the NBA draft and embark on a professional career instead.
Wisconsin Herd (2019)
Undrafted in the 2019 NBA draft, Tucker joined the Milwaukee Bucks for the NBA Summer League, where he averaged 10.2 points and 3.6 rebounds across five games. On August 16, 2019, the Bucks signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract but waived him on October 19, assigning him to their G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd.<ref>He was noted for his team-first attitude, once providing water to teammates during a game in which he did not participate.<ref>During his tenure with the Herd, Tucker appeared in 16 games and posted averages of 23.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.9 steals over nearly 34 minutes per game before securing an NBA deal with the Utah Jazz. His performance earned him G League Player of the Month honors for December as well as selection to the Midseason All-NBA G League Eastern Conference squad.<ref>
Utah Jazz (2019–2020)
Tucker inked a contract with the Utah Jazz on December 24, 2019, for the rest of the 2019–20 NBA season. He made his NBA debut six days later versus the Detroit Pistons, contributing two points and one rebound in a decisive 104–81 victory. In January 2020, he gained consistent playing time largely due to his defensive contributions. During February and March, Tucker was assigned twice to the Jazz’s G League affiliate, the Salt Lake City Stars.
On November 27, 2020, Tucker was traded alongside a future second-round pick in 2027 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for cash considerations but was waived by Cleveland the following day.
In December 2020, Tucker attended training camp and participated in preseason activities with the Los Angeles Clippers before being released later that month.
Philadelphia 76ers (2021)
On January 22, 2021, Tucker inked a two-way deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, dividing his time throughout the 2020–21 campaign between the 76ers and their NBA G League team, the Delaware Blue Coats. He was released by Philadelphia on August 18, 2021.
Return to Wisconsin / Denver Nuggets (2021–2022)
For the 2021–22 NBA G League season, Tucker signed with the Wisconsin Herd. He secured a 10-day contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 21, 2021, though he did not play in any games. Subsequently, on December 31, he agreed to another 10-day contract, this time with the Denver Nuggets, appearing in three contests. Tucker rejoined the Herd on January 11, 2022. Over 27 games, he posted averages of 21.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per outing, including a standout performance of 31 points and six rebounds against the Lakeland Magic on February 3.
Milwaukee Bucks (2022)
Tucker signed with the Milwaukee Bucks on April 8, 2022. He participated in two games at the conclusion of the 2021–22 NBA season and also took part in the 2022 NBA Summer League.
Melbourne United (2022–2023)
On August 2, 2022, Tucker committed to Melbourne United in Australia to compete in the 2022–23 NBL season.
Reyer Venezia (2023–2024)
Tucker joined Reyer Venezia in Italy for the upcoming 2023–24 LBA season by signing on July 16, 2023.
AEK Athens (2025)
He became a member of AEK Athens on March 29, 2025, competing in both the Greek Basketball League (GBL) and the Basketball Champions League.
Vaqueros de Bayamón (2025–present)
On August 7, 2025, Tucker signed with Puerto Rico’s Vaqueros de Bayamón, taking over from Chris Duarte. After his first game, he earned recognition as the top import player for the team following a seven-point effort in the BSN finals.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 20 || 0 || 8.1 || .465 || .176 || .826 || 1.0 || .3 || .1 || .1 || 3.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 14 || 0 || 4.9 || .500 || .286 || .737 || .8 || .4 || .1 || .0 || 2.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Denver | 3 || 0 || 9.7 || .500 || .500 || .750 || 1.3 || 1.3 || .3 || .0 || 2.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 2 || 0 || 21.0 || .714 || 1.000 || .667 || 2.0 || 3.0 || 1.5 || .0 || 7.5 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 39 || 0 || 7.7 || .500 || .310 || .776 || 1.0 || .5 || .2 || .0 || 3.0
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2020 | style="text-align:left;"| Utah | 2 || 0 || 5.5 || .400 || .333 || — || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 2.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2021 | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia | 1 || 0 || 2.0 || — || — || .500 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2022 | style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee | 8 || 0 || 2.4 || .333 || .000 || — || .4 || .0 || .0 || .0 || .3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 11 || 0 || 2.9 || .375 || .250 || .500 || .3 || .0 || .0 || .0|| .7
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16 | style="text-align:left;"| Florida Gulf Coast | 35 || 1 || 18.5 || .545 || .359 || .714 || 3.0 || .8 || .6 || .2 || 6.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17 | style="text-align:left;"| Florida Gulf Coast | 33 || 6 || 18.8 || .509 || .453 || .753 || 3.9 || 1.0 || .4 || .3 || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2018–19 | style="text-align:left;"| Little Rock | 30|| 30 || 36.6 || .491 || .411 || .777|| 6.7|| 1.8|| 1.1|| .4|| 20.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 98 || 37 || 24.2 || .505 || .414 || .756|| 4.1|| 1.2|| .7|| .3||11.0