P. J. Tucker facts for kids
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Tucker with the Houston Rockets in 2019
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| No. 17 – Los Angeles Clippers | |
|---|---|
| Power forward / small forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | May 5, 1985 Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S. |
| High school | William G. Enloe (Raleigh, North Carolina) |
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | Texas (2003–2006) |
| NBA Draft | 2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 35th overall |
| Selected by the Toronto Raptors | |
| Pro career | 2006–present |
| League | NBA |
| Career history | |
| 2006–2007 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2007–2008 | Hapoel Holon |
| 2008–2010 | BC Donetsk |
| 2010 | Bnei HaSharon |
| 2010–2011 | Aris Thessaloniki |
| 2011 | Montegranaro |
| 2011 | Piratas de Quebradillas |
| 2011–2012 | Brose Bamberg |
| 2012–2017 | Phoenix Suns |
| 2017 | Toronto Raptors |
| 2017–2021 | Houston Rockets |
| 2021 | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2021–2022 | Miami Heat |
| 2022–2023 | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2023–present | Los Angeles Clippers |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Anthony Leon "P. J." Tucker Jr. (born May 5, 1985) is an American professional basketball player. He plays for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Tucker is known for being a strong defender. He won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. He also won championships and MVP awards in basketball leagues overseas.
Contents
Early Life and College Basketball
Tucker went to William G. Enloe High School in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 2003, he was named North Carolina Player of the Year. His jersey number was later retired, which is a big honor!
He played three seasons at the University of Texas at Austin. During his time with the Longhorns, he scored 1,169 points. He also had 714 rebounds and 170 assists. After missing part of his second year due to schoolwork, Tucker became a second-team All-American. He was also named the Big 12 Player of the Year in his third year.
Professional Basketball Journey
Starting in the NBA and Playing Overseas
The Toronto Raptors picked Tucker in the 2006 NBA draft. He signed a two-year deal with them. During his first season, he also played for the Colorado 14ers in the NBA Development League. The Raptors later let him go in March 2007.
After leaving the Raptors, Tucker played for several teams outside the NBA.
- In 2007–08, he played for Hapoel Holon in Israel. He won the MVP award and led his team to the league title. This was a big deal because Holon broke Maccabi Tel Aviv's long winning streak. He was also the Finals MVP that year.
- From 2008 to 2010, he played for BC Donetsk in Ukraine. He helped the team reach third place in their first year in the league. He was also a Ukrainian SuperLeague All-Star.
- He briefly played for Bnei HaSharon in Israel in 2010.
- He then played for Aris BC in Greece (2010–2011) and Sutor Basket Montegranaro in Italy (2011).
- In 2011–12, Tucker joined Brose Baskets Bamberg in Germany. He helped them win the German championship and was named the Finals MVP.
Return to the NBA: Phoenix Suns
In 2012, Tucker returned to the NBA and signed with the Phoenix Suns. In his first game back, he scored 10 points. He quickly became an important player for the Suns.
On February 8, 2014, he had 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds against the Golden State Warriors. He was the first Suns player since 2007 to have such high numbers in points, rebounds, and steals. On April 6, Tucker scored a career-high 22 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
In 2014, he signed a new contract with the Suns. He continued to play well, setting new career highs in points and assists in 2016. He was the only Suns player to play in all 82 games during the 2015–16 season. In September 2016, he had back surgery but returned in time for the new season.
Back to Toronto and Houston Rockets
On February 23, 2017, Tucker was traded back to the Toronto Raptors. In his first game back, he had 10 rebounds. He made his playoff debut on April 15, 2017, after playing 418 games in the NBA. The Raptors won their first playoff series but were later defeated.
On July 6, 2017, Tucker signed with the Houston Rockets. In his first game with the Rockets, he scored 20 points. He continued to be a strong player, especially with his three-point shots. In the 2019 playoffs, he set a new playoff career high with 19 points. He later scored 22 points in a Western Conference Finals game.
In March 2021, Tucker and the Rockets agreed that he would stop playing for the team. This happened as the team was making changes.
Winning a Championship with the Milwaukee Bucks
On March 19, 2021, Tucker was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. He quickly became a key player for the team. In the Eastern Conference Semifinals, he played a big part in guarding star player Kevin Durant. The Bucks won that series.
In the Eastern Conference Finals, Tucker helped the Bucks win and reach the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974. On July 20, 2021, Tucker and the Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Finals. This was Tucker's first NBA Championship and the Bucks' first championship since 1971! Even though he only played a short time for the Bucks, he became a fan favorite.
Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, and Los Angeles Clippers
After winning the championship, Tucker signed with the Miami Heat in August 2021. He continued to play well, tying his career-high in points in December.
On July 6, 2022, Tucker signed with the Philadelphia 76ers. He played a big role for them, especially with his rebounding. On February 25, 2023, he had a season-high 16 rebounds.
On November 1, 2023, Tucker was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. He joined the team along with James Harden.
NBA Career Statistics
| Legend | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | Toronto | 17 | 0 | 4.9 | .500 | .000 | .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 |
| 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 |
| 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 | |
Playoffs
| 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 | |
Personal Life and Hobbies
P. J. Tucker's full name is Anthony Leon Tucker Jr. His father called him "Pop Junior," which is where his nickname P. J. comes from. He lived in Germany for some time as a child because his father was in the Army.
Tucker is married to Tracey Tucker, and they have three children.
Love for Sneakers and Fashion
P. J. Tucker is a huge "sneakerhead"! This means he loves collecting sneakers. He owns thousands of pairs, which he keeps in different places. In 2016, SLAM magazine called him the number one sneakerhead in the NBA. This is because he has so many shoes, and they are very special and rare. Some of his shoes are "player edition" pairs, made for famous NBA players like Shawn Marion. He also has rare pairs designed by rapper Fat Joe.
In 2020, Tucker worked with eBay to help them sell more shoes. He showed off between 700 and 1,000 of his best sneakers in something called the 'Sneaker Loft'. This collection included a very rare pair of Nike SB Dunk Ben & Jerry's "Chunky Dunky" that he bought on eBay. Tucker started using eBay when he was in college, thanks to his teammate Royal Ivey.
Tucker also loves fashion. In an interview, he said that dressing well is part of his everyday life. He believes that if he looks good, he plays good. He takes his time to get dressed and cares about how he looks.
See also
In Spanish: P. J. Tucker para niños
