Anthony Leon "P.J."Tucker Jr. (born May 5, 1985)[1][2] is an American professionalbasketball player for theNew York Knicks of theNational Basketball Association (NBA). Regarded as a reliable perimeter defender all throughout his career, Tucker won anNBA championship with theMilwaukee Bucks in 2021.[3] He playedcollege basketball for theTexas Longhorns.[4] Outside his NBA career, he was also the 2008Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, andIsraeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP and also won championships overseas in theIsraeli Super League in 2008 with theHapoel Holon, theGerman League and theGerman Cup in 2012 withBrose Bamberg.
Tucker attendedWilliam G. Enloe High School inRaleigh, North Carolina, where he was named North Carolina Player of the Year in 2003 and his jersey number was later retired.[5] In three seasons at theUniversity 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 theLonghorns. After being unable to play most of his sophomore season due to poor academics,[6][7] Tucker was named a second-teamAll-American and theBig 12 Player of the Year in his junior year.[8][9]
Tucker was selected by theToronto Raptors with the 35th pick in the2006 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 theColorado 14ers of theNBA Development League. Colorado, led by head coachJoe 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 forLuke Jackson.[10] He played a total of 83 minutes during his rookie season with the Raptors.[11]
In the offseason, Tucker joined 2007 Summer League roster for theCleveland Cavaliers.[12]
In the 2007–08 season withHapoel Holon fromIsraeli Premier League, Tucker won theMVP trophy and led his team to the league title. Holon brokeMaccabi Tel Aviv's 14-year streak as Israeli champions. He was the 2008Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP.[13]
For the 2008–09 season, Tucker signed with aBC Donetsk team[14] that was just promoted to theUkrainian Basketball SuperLeague.[15][16] 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.[17] On October 7, 2009, Tucker renewed his contract with Donetsk for the 2009–10 season.[18]
After Donetsk bankrupted, Tucker returned to Israel in March 2010 and signed forBnei HaSharon until the end of the season.[19]
In August 2010, Tucker signed withAris BC for the 2010–11 season,[20] but he was released in March 2011.[21]
In April 2011, Tucker signed withSutor Basket Montegranaro inItaly.[22]
In July 2011, Tucker signed a one-year deal withBrose Baskets Bamberg of Germany.[23] He went on to help Brose Baskets win the 2012 championship; he also won theFinals MVP award.
During the summer of 2012, Tucker signed a contract to play forSpartak St. Petersburg of Russia, but he soon opted out of it to play for thePhoenix 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.[24] 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 theGolden State Warriors. On November 23, 2012, he scored a then-career-high 15 points in a 111–108 overtime win over theNew Orleans Hornets. Tucker made his first start for the Suns on December 31 against theOklahoma City Thunder,[25] as he started the majority of the Suns' games for the rest of the2012–13 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,[26] becoming the first Suns player to have 15 points, 15 rebounds and 4 steals in a game sinceShawn Marion in 2007.[27] On February 25, he tied his career high with a 15-rebound effort against theMinnesota Timberwolves.[28] On April 6, Tucker scored a career-high 22 points in a 122–115 win over the Thunder.[29]
On June 27, 2014, the Suns extended Tucker a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent.[30] On July 23, he re-signed with the Suns[31] to a three-year, $16.5 million contract.[32] 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.[33] He returned from suspension on November 4, 2014, to face theLos Angeles Lakers.[34]
On December 31, 2015, Tucker tied his then-career high of 22 points in a loss to the Thunder.[35] On January 26, 2016, he recorded a career-high eight assists in a loss to thePhiladelphia 76ers.[36] On March 14, he scored a career-high 23 points in a 107–104 win over theMinnesota Timberwolves.[37] He topped that mark on April 7, scoring 24 points in a 124–115 win over theHouston Rockets.[38] He played in all 82 games for the Suns in 2015–16, the only player to do so.[39]
On September 15, 2016, Tucker underwent a successful low backmicrodiscectomy procedure and was subsequently ruled out for six to eight weeks.[40] 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 toT. J. Warren.[41] On November 27, 2016, he scored a season-high 21 points against theDenver Nuggets.[41] 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.[42]
On February 23, 2017, Tucker was traded back to theToronto Raptors in exchange forJared Sullinger, second-round draft picks in 2017 and 2018 and cash considerations.[43] 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 theBoston Celtics.[44] On April 15, 2017, after playing 418 games over seven seasons, Tucker made his playoff debut in the Raptors' 97–83 loss to theMilwaukee Bucks in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.[45] The Raptors went on to defeat the Bucks in six games to move on to the second round, where they faced theCleveland 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.[46]
On July 6, 2017, Tucker signed a four-year, $32 million contract with theHouston Rockets.[47][48] In his debut for the Rockets in their season opener on October 17, 2017, Tucker scored 20 points in a 122–121 win over theGolden State Warriors. He hit two free throws with 44.1 seconds left to make it 122–121.[49] On March 30, 2018, he scored 18 points and made a career-high five 3-pointers in a 104–103 win over the Suns.[50] In Game 5 of the Rockets' first-round playoff series against theMinnesota Timberwolves, Tucker scored a playoff career-high 15 points in a 122–104 series-clinching win.[51] In Game 5 of the Rockets' second-round series against theUtah Jazz, Tucker set a then-new playoff career high with 19 points in a 112–102 series-clinching win.[52] In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against theGolden 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.[53] The Rockets went on to lose to the Warriors in seven games. After the series, Rockets head coachMike D'Antoni said that Tucker underwent threeroot canal procedures prior to playing in Game 7, and played Game 6 through several cracked teeth.[54]
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 theDenver Nuggets.[55]
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.[56]
On March 19, 2021, Tucker was traded to theMilwaukee Bucks[57] withRodions Kurucs in exchange forD. J. Augustin andD. 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 toESPN'sAdrian Wojnarowski.[58][57] Tucker made his debut in a 120–113 win againstSan Antonio Spurs with zero points, three rebounds, and one block in 13 minutes on March 20, 2021.[59]
On June 10, 2021, Tucker played a key role in the Bucks' 86–83 win over theBrooklyn Nets in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, in which Tucker played the main part in holdingKevin Durant to an uncharacteristically low 11 of 28 field goal attempts made (37.5%).[60][61] In Game 4, Tucker scored 13 points and added seven rebounds in a 107–96 victory.[62] The Bucks would go on to win the series in seven games.[63]
In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against theAtlanta Hawks, Tucker had only five points (but had a three-point shot late in the fourth quarter to help seal the win) and eight rebounds in a 118–107 victory.[64] The win meant Tucker and the Bucks would advance to their first NBA Finals since 1974 and his first trip to the finals, respectively.[65]
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 guardingDevin Booker andJae Crowder.[66]
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.[67][68]
On August 7, 2021, Tucker signed with theMiami Heat.[69] On December 13, in a loss against theCavaliers, Tucker tied his career-high 23 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and recorded 5 assists.[70][71]
On July 6, 2022, Tucker signed a 3-year, $33.2 million contract with thePhiladelphia 76ers.[72][73] On February 25, 2023, Tucker recorded a season-high 16 rebounds and scored seven points during a 110–107 loss to theBoston Celtics.[74]
On November 1, 2023, theLos Angeles Clippers acquired Tucker,James Harden, andFilip Petrušev from the 76ers in exchange forMarcus Morris Sr.,Nicolas Batum,Kenyon Martin Jr. andRobert 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 theOklahoma City Thunder.[75] On February 15, 2024, Tucker was fined $75,000 by the NBA for publicly requesting a trade,[76] after having been removed from the Clippers’ active rotation.[77] Before the start of the 2024–25 season, the Clippers announced that Tucker will not be with the team moving forward for the foreseeable future.[78] On February 1, 2025, Tucker,Mo Bamba, a 2030 second-round pick and cash considerations were traded to theUtah Jazz in exchange forDrew Eubanks andPatty Mills.[79] On February 6, 2025, Tucker was traded to theToronto Raptors in a five-team trade, includingJimmy Butler to the Warriors.[80] On February 28, 2025, he was waived by the Raptors.[81]
On March 10, 2025, theNew York Knicks signed Tucker to a 10-day contract.[82] On March 20, the Knicks signed Tucker to a new 10-day contract. He was waived by the team on March 30. On March 31, he officially signed to a two-year deal with the team, with a player option on the 2025-26 season, making him eligible for the playoffs.[83]
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won anNBA championship | * | Led the league |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Toronto | 17 | 0 | 4.9 | .500 | — | .571 | 1.4 | .2 | .1 | .0 | 1.8 |
| 2012–13 | Phoenix | 79 | 45 | 24.2 | .473 | .314 | .744 | 4.4 | 1.4 | .8 | .2 | 6.4 |
| 2013–14 | Phoenix | 81 | 81 | 30.7 | .431 | .387 | .776 | 6.5 | 1.7 | 1.4 | .3 | 9.4 |
| 2014–15 | Phoenix | 78 | 63 | 30.6 | .438 | .345 | .727 | 6.4 | 1.6 | 1.4 | .3 | 9.1 |
| 2015–16 | Phoenix | 82* | 80 | 31.0 | .411 | .330 | .746 | 6.2 | 2.2 | 1.3 | .2 | 8.0 |
| 2016–17 | Phoenix | 57 | 17 | 28.5 | .415 | .338 | .792 | 6.0 | 1.3 | 1.5 | .2 | 7.0 |
| 2016–17 | Toronto | 24 | 4 | 25.4 | .406 | .400 | .688 | 5.4 | 1.1 | 1.3 | .2 | 5.8 |
| 2017–18 | Houston | 82* | 34 | 27.8 | .390 | .371 | .717 | 5.6 | .9 | 1.0 | .3 | 6.1 |
| 2018–19 | Houston | 82* | 82* | 34.2 | .396 | .377 | .695 | 5.8 | 1.2 | 1.6 | .5 | 7.3 |
| 2019–20 | Houston | 72 | 72 | 34.3 | .415 | .358 | .813 | 6.6 | 1.6 | 1.1 | .5 | 6.9 |
| 2020–21 | Houston | 32 | 32 | 30.0 | .366 | .314 | .783 | 4.6 | 1.4 | .9 | .6 | 4.4 |
| 2020–21† | Milwaukee | 20 | 1 | 19.8 | .391 | .394 | .600 | 2.8 | .8 | .5 | .1 | 2.6 |
| 2021–22 | Miami | 71 | 70 | 27.9 | .484 | .415 | .738 | 5.5 | 2.1 | .8 | .2 | 7.6 |
| 2022–23 | Philadelphia | 75 | 75 | 25.6 | .427 | .393 | .826 | 3.9 | .8 | .5 | .2 | 3.5 |
| 2023–24 | Philadelphia | 3 | 3 | 22.1 | .400 | .400 | — | 4.7 | .0 | 1.0 | .7 | 2.0 |
| 2023–24 | L.A. Clippers | 28 | 7 | 15.0 | .356 | .367 | 1.000 | 2.5 | .6 | .5 | .2 | 1.6 |
| Career | 883 | 666 | 28.2 | .425 | .366 | .750 | 5.4 | 1.4 | 1.1 | .3 | 6.6 | |
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Toronto | 10 | 1 | 25.1 | .367 | .321 | .625 | 5.7 | 1.1 | .6 | .3 | 5.0 |
| 2018 | Houston | 17 | 17 | 33.5 | .481 | .467 | .667 | 6.5 | 1.3 | .6 | .8 | 8.9 |
| 2019 | Houston | 11 | 11 | 38.7 | .455 | .456 | .826 | 7.5 | 1.7 | 1.7 | .7 | 11.4 |
| 2020 | Houston | 12 | 12 | 34.5 | .398 | .373 | — | 7.2 | 1.5 | 1.1 | .3 | 7.9 |
| 2021† | Milwaukee | 23* | 19 | 29.6 | .388 | .322 | .750 | 5.8 | 1.1 | 1.0 | .1 | 4.3 |
| 2022 | Miami | 18 | 18 | 28.3 | .495 | .451 | .688 | 5.7 | 1.8 | .8 | .3 | 7.9 |
| 2023 | Philadelphia | 11 | 11 | 26.7 | .373 | .350 | .667 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 1.2 | .3 | 4.9 |
| 2024 | L.A. Clippers | 2 | 1 | 15.3 | .667 | .750 | — | 1.5 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 5.5 |
| Career | 104 | 90 | 30.5 | .436 | .404 | .722 | 5.8 | 1.4 | .9 | .4 | 7.0 | |
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 his long-term girlfriend Tracey in 2010. They have three children.
Tucker is a self-proclaimed "sneakerhead" and owns thousands of pairs of sneakers, stored in several locations across the country.[84] 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 asShawn Marion,Michael Finley,Josh Howard andEddie Jones, as well as some rareTerror Squad pairs designed by the rapperFat Joe.[85]
In 2020, Tucker signed a short-term content deal witheBay to help them boost their sales.[86] The 'Sneaker Loft' showcased between 700 and 1,000 of Tucker's most premium pairs. The collection included a pair ofNike SB Dunk Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Dunky" that he purchased on eBay for $2,000.[86] 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.[87]
In a June 2021 interview withGQ, 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."[88]
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