P. J. Tucker

P. J. Tucker
Anthony Leon "P. J." Tucker Jr. (born May 5, 1985) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. He was the 2008 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, and Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP. He won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, and also won championships overseas in the Israeli Super League in 2008 with the Hapoel Holon, the German League and the German Cup in 2012 with Brose Bamberg.
High school and college
Tucker attended William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he was named North Carolina Player of the Year in 2003 and his jersey number was later retired. In three seasons at the University of Texas at Austin, he scored 1,169 points, including a career-high 594 in the 2005–06 season. He also had 714 rebounds, 170 assists (including 107 in 2005–06), and 116 steals throughout his career with the Longhorns. After being unable to play most of his sophomore season due to poor academics, Tucker was named a second-team All-American and the Big 12 Player of the Year in his junior year.
Professional career
Toronto Raptors (2006–2007)
Tucker was selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 35th pick in the 2006 NBA draft and signed a two-year deal with them on July 26, 2006.
On January 5, 2007, the Raptors announced that Tucker had been sent to the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League. Colorado, led by head coach Joe Wolf, had been designated as Toronto's D-League affiliate for the 2006–07 season. On February 6, 2007, the Raptors recalled Tucker to the NBA. On March 6, 2007, Tucker was sent back to the 14ers.
On March 24, 2007, Tucker was waived by the Raptors in order to free a roster spot for Luke Jackson. He played a total of 83 minutes during his rookie season with the Raptors.
In the offseason, Tucker joined 2007 Summer League roster for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Hapoel Holon (2007–2008)
In the 2007–08 season with Hapoel Holon from Israeli Premier League, Tucker won the MVP trophy and led his team to the league title. Holon broke Maccabi Tel Aviv's 14-year streak as Israeli champions. He was the 2008 Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP.
Donetsk (2008–2010)
For the 2008–09 season, Tucker signed with a BC Donetsk team that was just promoted to the Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague. He led the team to a current third place in the league at its first appearance there, as well as become a Ukrainian SuperLeague All-Star. A season ending knee injury didn't prevent Tucker from finishing the season with the highest average of points per game in the league. On October 7, 2009, Tucker renewed his contract with Donetsk for the 2009–10 season.
Bnei HaSharon (2010)
After Donetsk bankrupted, Tucker returned to Israel in March 2010 and signed for Bnei HaSharon until the end of the season.
Aris (2010–2011)
In August 2010, Tucker signed with Aris BC for the 2010–11 season, but he was released in March 2011.
Montegranaro (2011)
In April 2011, Tucker signed with Sutor Basket Montegranaro in Italy.
Brose Bamberg (2011–2012)
In July 2011, Tucker signed a one-year deal with Brose Baskets Bamberg of Germany. He went on to help Brose Baskets win the 2012 championship; he also won the Finals MVP award.
Phoenix Suns (2012–2017)
During the summer of 2012, Tucker signed a contract to play for Spartak St. Petersburg of Russia, but he soon opted out of it to play for the Phoenix Suns' NBA Summer League team, and on August 1, 2012, he signed a two-year deal with the Suns, with a team option in his second year. In his first game back in the NBA, Tucker recorded 10 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in an 87–85 loss to the Golden State Warriors. On November 23, 2012, he scored a then-career-high 15 points in a 111–108 overtime win over the New Orleans Hornets. Tucker made his first start for the Suns on December 31 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as he started the majority of the Suns' games for the rest of the 2012–13 NBA season.
On February 8, 2014, Tucker recorded 16 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and 4 steals in a 122–109 win over the Warriors, becoming the first Suns player to have 15 points, 15 rebounds and 4 steals in a game since Shawn Marion in 2007. On February 25, he tied his career high with a 15-rebound effort against the Minnesota Timberwolves. On April 6, Tucker scored a career-high 22 points in a 122–115 win over the Thunder.
On June 27, 2014, the Suns extended Tucker a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent. On July 23, he re-signed with the Suns to a three-year, $16.5 million contract. In August 2014, he was suspended for the first three games of the 2014–15 season without pay for pleading guilty to driving while under the extreme influence in May 2014. He returned from suspension on November 4, 2014, to face the Los Angeles Lakers.
On December 31, 2015, Tucker tied his then-career high of 22 points in a loss to the Thunder. On January 26, 2016, he recorded a career-high eight assists in a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. On March 14, he scored a career-high 23 points in a 107–104 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He topped that mark on April 7, scoring 24 points in a 124–115 win over the Houston Rockets. He played in all 82 games for the Suns in 2015–16, the only player to do so.
On September 15, 2016, Tucker underwent a successful low back microdiscectomy procedure and was subsequently ruled out for six to eight weeks. He returned in time for the start of the regular season, but was assigned a bench role for the first time since the 2012–13 season. He returned to the starting lineup in late November following an injury to T. J. Warren. On November 27, 2016, he scored a season-high 21 points against the Denver Nuggets. Tucker reassumed his bench role in late December following Warren's return from injury; he continued coming off the bench for the Suns throughout the season 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 draft picks in 2017 and 2018 and cash considerations. The next day, in his first game as a Raptor since 2007, Tucker had a game-high 10 rebounds and nine points in a 107–97 win over the Boston Celtics. On April 15, 2017, after playing 418 games over seven seasons, Tucker made his playoff debut in the Raptors' 97–83 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series. The Raptors went on to defeat the Bucks in six games to move on to the second round, where they faced the Cleveland Cavaliers. There they were swept 4–0 by the Cavaliers. In Game 4 of the series, a 109–102 loss, Tucker had 14 points and 12 rebounds in his first career playoff start.
Houston Rockets (2017–2021)
On July 6, 2017, Tucker signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Houston Rockets. In his debut for the Rockets in their season opener on October 17, 2017, Tucker scored 20 points in a 122–121 win over the Golden State Warriors. He hit two free throws with 44.1 seconds left to make it 122–121. On March 30, 2018, he scored 18 points and made a career-high five 3-pointers in a 104–103 win over the Suns. In Game 5 of the Rockets' first-round playoff series against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tucker scored a playoff career-high 15 points in a 122–104 series-clinching win. In Game 5 of the Rockets' second-round series against the Utah Jazz, Tucker set a then-new playoff career high with 19 points in a 112–102 series-clinching win. In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Golden State Warriors, Tucker set a new playoff career high with 22 points in a 127–105 win, helping the Rockets tie the series at 1–1. The Rockets went on to lose to the Warriors in seven games.
On January 7, 2019, Tucker set a career high with seven 3-pointers and scored a season-high 21 points in a 125–113 win over the Denver Nuggets.
On March 11, 2021, as the trade deadline approached, Tucker had mutually agreed with coach Stephen Silas to no longer play until both parties can find an amicable solution. This comes after James Harden left the Rockets earlier in the season. Prior to his exit, he posted career lows in points per game (4.4), field goal percentage (36.6%) and 3-point percentage (31.4%) in the 2020/21 season.
Milwaukee Bucks (2021)
On March 19, 2021, Tucker was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks with Rodions Kurucs in exchange for D. J. Augustin and D. J. Wilson; the teams also exchanged draft picks. Specifically, Houston pushed back the 2022 first-round pick Milwaukee owed them to the unprotected 2023 draft. Furthermore, the Rockets got the right to swap their 2021 second-round pick for the Bucks' 2021 first-round pick, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. Tucker made his debut in a 120–113 win against San Antonio Spurs with zero points, three rebounds, and one block in 13 minutes on March 20, 2021.
On June 10, 2021, Tucker played a key role in the Bucks 86–83 win over the Brooklyn Nets, in which Tucker played the main part in holding Kevin Durant to an uncharacteristically low 11 of 28 field goal attempts made (37.5%). In game 4, Tucker scored 13 points and added 7 rebounds in a 107–96 victory. The Bucks would go on to win the series in 7 games.
In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, Tucker had only 5 points (but including a 3-point shot late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win) and 8 rebounds in a 118–107 victory. The win meant Tucker and the Bucks would advance to their first NBA Finals since 1974 and his first trip to the finals, respectively.
On July 20, 2021, Tucker and the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals. This marks his first NBA Championship and the first championship since 1971 for the Milwaukee Bucks. In the series, Tucker averaged 31.3 minutes, 4.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 steals, while primarily switching between guarding Devin Booker and Jae Crowder.
Despite only playing 43 games over one calendar year during his Bucks tenure, 23 of which were in the postseason, Tucker was a fan-favorite in Milwaukee.
Miami Heat (2021–2022)
On August 7, 2021, Tucker signed with the Miami Heat. On December 13, in a loss against the Cavaliers, Tucker tied his career-high 23 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and recorded 5 assists.
Philadelphia 76ers (2022–2023)
On July 6, 2022, Tucker signed a 3-year, $33.2 million contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. On February 25, 2023, Tucker recorded a season-high 16 rebounds and scored seven points during a 110–107 loss to the Boston Celtics.
Los Angeles Clippers (2023–present)
On November 1, 2023, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Tucker, James Harden, and Filip Petrušev from the 76ers in exchange for Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Robert Covington. As part of the trade, the Clippers dealt a first-round pick, two second-round picks, a pick swap, and cash considerations to the 76ers, while sending a pick swap and cash considerations to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NBA career statistics
Regular season
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Toronto
| 17 || 0 || 4.9 || .500 || .000 || .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;"|
| 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;"|
| 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
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Houston
| 32 || 32 || 30.0 || .366 || .314 || .783 || 4.6 || 1.4 || .9 || .6 || 4.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;"|†
| style="text-align:left;"| Milwaukee
| 20 || 1 || 19.9 || .391 || .394 || .600 || 2.8 || .8 || .5 || .1 || 2.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 71 || 70 || 27.9 || .484 || .415 || .738 || 5.5 || 2.1 || .8 || .2 || 7.6
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia
| 75 || 75 || 25.6 || .427 || .393 || .826 || 3.9 || .8 || .5 || .2 || 3.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 852 || 656 || 28.7 || .425 || .366 || .749 || 5.5 || 1.4 || 1.1 || .3 || 6.8
Playoffs
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2017
| style="text-align:left;"| Toronto
| 10 || 1 || 25.1 || .367 || .321 || .625 || 5.7 || 1.1 || .6 || .3 || 5.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2018
| style="text-align:left;"| Houston
| 17 || 17 || 33.5 || .481 || .467 || .667 || 6.5 || 1.3 || .6 || .8 || 8.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2019
| style="text-align:left;"| Houston
| 11 || 11 || 38.7 || .455 || .456 || .826 || 7.5 || 1.7 || 1.7 || .7 || 11.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2020
| style="text-align:left;"| Houston
| 12 || 12 || 34.5 || .398 || .373 || .000 || 7.2 || 1.5 || 1.1 || .3 || 7.9
|-
| style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|2021†
| style="text-align:left;"|Milwaukee
| style="background:#cfecec;"| 23* || 19 || 29.6 || .388 || .322 || .750 || 5.8 || 1.1 || 1.0 || .1 || 4.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2022
| style="text-align:left;"| Miami
| 18 || 18 || 28.3 || .495 || .451 || .688 || 5.7 || 1.8 || .8 || .3 || 7.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2023
| style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia
| 11 || 11 || 26.7 || .373 || .350 || .667 || 4.5 || 1.5 || 1.2 || .3 || 4.9
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 102 || 89 || 30.8 || .433 || .401 || .722 || 5.9 || 1.4 || 1.0 || .4 || 7.0
Personal life
Tucker's full name is Anthony Leon Tucker Jr., but his father called him "Pop Junior", giving him the nickname P. J. He spent part of his childhood living in Germany while his father served in the Army.
Tucker married long-term girlfriend Tracey Tucker. They have three children.
Footwear and fashion
Tucker is a self-proclaimed "sneakerhead" and owns thousands of pairs of sneakers, stored in several locations across the country. On August 22, 2016, SLAM named Tucker the solidified number 1 sneakerhead in the NBA, due to not only his number of shoes, but also their quality. Some of his shoes include rare "player edition" pairs of sneakers made for former NBA players such as Shawn Marion, Michael Finley, Josh Howard and Eddie Jones, as well as some rare Terror Squad pairs designed by the rapper Fat Joe.
In 2020, Tucker signed a short-term content deal with eBay to help them boost their sales. The 'Sneaker Loft' showcased between 700 and 1,000 of Tucker's most premium pairs. The collection included a pair of Nike SB Dunk Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Dunky" that he purchased on eBay for $2,000. Tucker's relationship with eBay traces back to his University of Texas days when he was introduced to the platform by former Longhorns teammate, Royal Ivey.
In a June 2021 interview with GQ, Tucker said on his love of fashion: "What regular people call stuntin' is everyday life for me. Like, I get dressed up everyday. Everyday I leave the house, even if I just put on some sweats, it ain't just some sweats. I'm puttin' on something. I take my time to get dressed. I care about my appearance. If I look good, I play good. It all coincides, it all goes together, it's a chain reaction."
References
External links
Eurocupbasketball.com profile
NBA Draft prospect profile
1985 births
Living people
African-American basketball players
All-American college men's basketball players
American expatriate basketball people in Canada
American expatriate basketball people in Germany
American expatriate basketball people in Greece
American expatriate basketball people in Israel
American expatriate basketball people in Italy
American expatriate basketball people in Ukraine
American men's basketball players
Aris B.C. players
Basketball players from Raleigh, North Carolina
BC Donetsk players
Bnei HaSharon players
Brose Bamberg players
Colorado 14ers players
Hapoel Holon players
Houston Rockets players
Miami Heat players
Milwaukee Bucks players
Philadelphia 76ers players
Phoenix Suns players
Piratas de Quebradillas players
Shooting guards
Small forwards
Sutor Basket Montegranaro players
Texas Longhorns men's basketball players
Toronto Raptors draft picks
Toronto Raptors players
William G. Enloe High School alumni