Taj Gibson facts for kids
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Gibson with the Washington Wizards in 2022
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| Free agent | |
|---|---|
| Center / power forward | |
| Personal information | |
| Born | June 24, 1985 New York City, New York, U.S. |
| High school |
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| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Listed weight | 232 lb (105 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College | USC (2006–2009) |
| NBA Draft | 2009 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26th overall |
| Selected by the Chicago Bulls | |
| Pro career | 2009–present |
| Career history | |
| 2009–2017 | Chicago Bulls |
| 2017 | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2017–2019 | Minnesota Timberwolves |
| 2019–2022 | New York Knicks |
| 2022–2023 | Washington Wizards |
| 2023–2024 | New York Knicks |
| 2024 | Detroit Pistons |
| 2024–2025 | Charlotte Hornets |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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Taj Jami Gibson is an American professional basketball player. He was born on June 24, 1985. He last played for the Charlotte Hornets in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Taj played college basketball for the USC Trojans. The Chicago Bulls picked him 26th in the 2009 NBA draft. Taj plays as a power forward or center. He has also played for many other teams. These include the Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, and Detroit Pistons.
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Early Life and School
Taj Gibson was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 24, 1985. He went to P.S. 67 Charles A. Dorsey School in Brooklyn. This school is in the Fort Greene neighborhood. Taj started his high school basketball career in Brooklyn. He attended the High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology. Later, he moved to California. He went to Stoneridge Prep for two years. For his senior year in 2006, he attended Calvary Christian.
College Basketball Career
Taj Gibson played college basketball at the University of Southern California (USC). He was part of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. In 2007, at age 21, he was one of the oldest freshmen. He was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. In 2008, he helped his team beat their rival, UCLA.
In 2009, Taj helped the Trojans win the Pacific-10 tournament championship. This big win happened at the Staples Center. Because of his great play, he was named to the All-Pac 10 Tournament Team.
Professional Basketball Journey
Playing for the Chicago Bulls (2009–2017)
Taj Gibson decided to join the 2009 NBA draft. The Chicago Bulls chose him as the 26th pick. He signed with the Bulls in July 2009. Taj started as a power forward for most of his first season. People were impressed by his high energy and strong defense.
During the All-Star Weekend, Taj played in the Rookie Challenge. His Rookie team won for the first time since 2002. The Bulls made it to the playoffs that year. They were the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Taj averaged 7.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game. The Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. After his first season, he was chosen for the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
In 2010, the Bulls signed Carlos Boozer. He was expected to be the starting power forward. But Boozer broke his hand before the season. So, Taj started the first 15 games. After Boozer returned, Taj mostly played from the bench. He was chosen to start for the Sophomore team in the 2011 NBA Rising Stars challenge. The Rookie team won that game 148–140. Taj played 18 minutes and scored 8 points.
At the end of the 2011 season, the Bulls were the top team in the Eastern Conference. On May 10, 2011, Taj helped his team take a 3–2 lead. This was in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta. He scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter.
In May 2012, Taj was named to the US Select Team. He practiced with the US Olympic Team. This was to help them get ready for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. On October 31, 2012, Taj signed a new contract with the Bulls. In the 2013–14 season, he mostly played off the bench. He averaged 13 points and 6.8 rebounds. He was also one of the best in the league at blocking shots. He finished second for the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award.
On June 16, 2015, Taj had surgery on his left ankle. He was out of play for four months. During the 2015–16 season, he played in 73 games. He averaged 8.6 points and 6.9 rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2017)
On February 23, 2017, Taj Gibson was traded. He went to the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was traded along with Doug McDermott.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2017–2019)
On July 10, 2017, Taj signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He joined coach Tom Thibodeau again. Taj became only the second NBA player to wear jersey number 67. He chose this number to honor his elementary school, P.S. 67. On November 22, 2017, he scored 24 points. This was his season-high in a win against the Orlando Magic. On February 15, 2018, Taj scored 28 points. This was his season-high against the Los Angeles Lakers.
New York Knicks (2019–2022)
On July 9, 2019, Taj Gibson signed with his hometown team, the New York Knicks. On November 19, 2020, the Knicks let Taj go. But on January 7, 2021, Taj signed with the Knicks again. He was waived again on July 8, 2022.
Washington Wizards (2022–2023)
On July 19, 2022, Taj Gibson signed with the Washington Wizards. He re-signed with the Wizards on September 15, 2023. However, he was waived on October 23, 2023.
Return to New York (2023–2024)
On December 15, 2023, Taj Gibson signed a one-year deal. He returned to the New York Knicks for a second time. But he was waived again on January 7, 2024. Two weeks later, Taj signed two 10-day contracts. These were on January 30 and February 10, 2024.
Detroit Pistons (2024)
On March 6, 2024, Taj Gibson signed a 10-day contract. This was with the Detroit Pistons. He then signed a contract for the rest of the season on March 16, 2024.
Charlotte Hornets (2024–2025)
On July 13, 2024, Taj Gibson signed a 1-year contract. This was with the Charlotte Hornets. The contract was worth $3.3 million.
On April 9, 2025, Taj played his 1000th NBA game. This game was a loss to the Toronto Raptors. He finished with 2 points and 5 rebounds. He played 16 minutes off the bench.
Career Statistics
NBA Regular Season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009–10 | Chicago | 82* | 70 | 26.9 | .494 | — | .646 | 7.5 | .9 | .6 | 1.3 | 9.0 |
| 2010–11 | Chicago | 80 | 19 | 21.8 | .466 | .125 | .676 | 5.7 | .7 | .7 | 1.3 | 7.1 |
| 2011–12 | Chicago | 63 | 0 | 20.4 | .495 | — | .622 | 5.3 | .7 | .4 | 1.3 | 7.7 |
| 2012–13 | Chicago | 65 | 5 | 22.5 | .485 | .000 | .679 | 5.3 | .9 | .4 | 1.4 | 8.0 |
| 2013–14 | Chicago | 82 | 8 | 28.7 | .479 | .000 | .751 | 6.8 | 1.1 | .5 | 1.4 | 13.0 |
| 2014–15 | Chicago | 62 | 17 | 27.3 | .502 | — | .717 | 6.4 | 1.1 | .6 | 1.2 | 10.3 |
| 2015–16 | Chicago | 73 | 55 | 26.5 | .526 | .000 | .692 | 6.9 | 1.5 | .6 | 1.1 | 8.6 |
| 2016–17 | Chicago | 55 | 55 | 27.3 | .521 | .167 | .714 | 6.9 | 1.1 | .5 | .9 | 11.6 |
| Oklahoma City | 23 | 16 | 21.2 | .497 | 1.000 | .718 | 4.5 | .6 | .6 | .7 | 9.0 | |
| 2017–18 | Minnesota | 82* | 82* | 33.2 | .577 | .200 | .768 | 7.1 | 1.2 | .8 | .7 | 12.2 |
| 2018–19 | Minnesota | 70 | 57 | 24.1 | .566 | .324 | .757 | 6.5 | 1.2 | .8 | .6 | 10.8 |
| 2019–20 | New York | 62 | 56 | 16.5 | .584 | .286 | .732 | 4.3 | .8 | .4 | .5 | 6.1 |
| 2020–21 | New York | 45 | 3 | 20.8 | .627 | .200 | .727 | 5.6 | .8 | .7 | 1.1 | 5.4 |
| 2021–22 | New York | 52 | 4 | 18.2 | .518 | .395 | .808 | 4.4 | .6 | .4 | .8 | 4.4 |
| 2022–23 | Washington | 49 | 2 | 9.8 | .520 | .333 | .714 | 1.9 | .7 | .3 | .2 | 3.4 |
| 2023–24 | New York | 16 | 1 | 10.3 | .304 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.8 | .6 | .1 | .4 | 1.0 |
| Detroit | 4 | 0 | 9.8 | .571 | .500 | — | 2.3 | .5 | .3 | .3 | 4.5 | |
| 2024–25 | Charlotte | 37 | 11 | 11.1 | .495 | .500 | .600 | 3.2 | .6 | .2 | .5 | 2.9 |
| Career | 1,002 | 461 | 23.0 | .517 | .266 | .712 | 5.7 | .9 | .5 | 1.0 | 8.4 | |
NBA Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Chicago | 5 | 5 | 29.0 | .421 | — | .545 | 7.0 | .6 | .2 | .6 | 7.6 |
| 2011 | Chicago | 16 | 0 | 17.8 | .566 | .000 | .600 | 4.1 | .6 | .3 | 1.4 | 5.9 |
| 2012 | Chicago | 6 | 0 | 22.8 | .457 | — | .682 | 6.5 | .7 | .7 | 1.7 | 9.5 |
| 2013 | Chicago | 12 | 0 | 17.2 | .470 | .000 | .727 | 3.0 | .3 | .3 | .5 | 6.5 |
| 2014 | Chicago | 5 | 0 | 30.8 | .561 | — | .750 | 6.2 | .4 | .4 | 2.4 | 18.2 |
| 2015 | Chicago | 12 | 2 | 23.0 | .472 | — | .700 | 5.5 | 1.0 | .3 | 1.0 | 7.4 |
| 2017 | Oklahoma City | 5 | 5 | 23.6 | .600 | — | .875 | 3.6 | .6 | .2 | .0 | 9.8 |
| 2018 | Minnesota | 5 | 5 | 24.6 | .636 | — | 1.000 | 4.0 | .4 | .2 | .4 | 6.2 |
| 2021 | New York | 5 | 3 | 27.6 | .600 | — | 1.000 | 7.0 | .8 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 5.0 |
| Career | 71 | 20 | 22.3 | .519 | .000 | .709 | 4.9 | .6 | .4 | 1.0 | 7.8 | |
College Statistics
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | USC | 37 | 37 | 32.4 | .558 | — | .623 | 8.7 | 1.5 | .5 | 1.9 | 12.2 |
| 2007–08 | USC | 33 | 32 | 32.1 | .580 | — | .594 | 7.8 | 1.3 | .7 | 2.5 | 10.8 |
| 2008–09 | USC | 35 | 35 | 33.7 | .601 | — | .659 | 9.0 | 1.3 | 1.0 | 2.9 | 14.3 |
| Career | 105 | 104 | 32.7 | .580 | — | .629 | 8.5 | 1.4 | .7 | 2.4 | 12.4 | |
See also
In Spanish: Taj Gibson para niños
