The National Basketball Association is full of different personalities and characters. Every player can’t stand out. Even team superstars need the support of other players in their team. And that support is “PJ” Tucker, an eccentric power forward who plays for the Miami Heat as of the 2021-22 season. He has a vivid personality and it’s loved by the media. Let’s dive into the life of PJ Tucker!
Anthony Leon Tucker Jr
Anthony Leon “PJ” Tucker Jr was born on May the 5th, 1985. He was raised in North Carolina and attended Enloe High School in Raleigh. His love for basketball was visible from a young age, as he was named North Carolina Player of the Year.
Where Did PJ Tucker Go to College?
Tucker attended the University of Texas, in Austin. Students have to have good grades to play college basketball and PJ wasn’t performing the best academically. He couldn’t play for most of his sophomore season. In his junior year, he was selected to the Second All-American Team.
PJ Tucker – National Basketball Association
PJ Tucker made his dream come true to become an American professional basketball player. He was drafted as the 35th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors. He signed a two-year deal but couldn’t keep up with the Raptors and was sent to the Colorado 14ers, Toronto’s D League affiliate which was under the patronage of head coach Joe Wolf.
He was supposed to spend his whole rookie season in the NBA Development League (now called G-League) but got back with the Raptors for a short time. Ultimately his place in the team belonged to Luke Jackson. It turned out that Tucker’s greatest success was to be met abroad.
PJ Tucker – International Success
Tucker played for the 2007-08 season in Israel. He led Hapoel Holon to the victory and got the MVP trophy. He also became Israeli Premier League Finals MVP.
For next season, Tucker changed not only the team but also the country in which he played. With the BC Donetsk team, he won the league title of Ukrainian Superleague All-Star. Tucker was able to score the most points per game in the league despite injuring his knee towards the end of the year. He planned to stay with BC Donetsk for a little longer but the team bankrupted. Tucker went back to Israel for the remaining time of the season.
He tried his hand in Greece for a while but another win waited for him in Germany. He signed a one-year deal with Brose Baskets and won championships with them as well as Finals MVP honors.
PJ Tucker – Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets
Tucker went back to the NBA in 2012, signing with Phoenix Suns. It was by far the longest he stayed with one team. The beginning wasn’t very promising, but he found his groove in November when he scored career-high 15 points.
Tucker re-signed with the Suns on July 23, 2014, to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million, despite being a restricted free agent for a while. He was suspended without pay for the first three games of the 2014-15 season because of his criminal charges. He pled guilty to driving under influence. He got back with more motivation as he scored career-high 24 points for the Suns and took part in every single game of the season as the only player to do so.
As many players do, he was injured and had to undergo serious surgery. He lost his first-squad privileges and spent most of the 2016-17 season on the bench. Later, he was traded back to Toronto Raptors. Returning to Toronto meant a first career playoff start for Tucker. But, similarly to 2012, he didn’t stay with them for long.
In July of 2017, he signed a 32-million dollar contract with the Houston Rockets. The team finally gave Tucker the opportunity to shine. It turned out that he was quite good at shooting three-pointers. The team went to Western Conference Finals but bowed down to the dynastic Golden State Warriors. He was not consistent with his play and unfortunately at the dawn of the 2020-21 season, he recorded career lows, not career highs.
PJ Tucker – Milwaukee Bucks
PJ’s private with Kevin Durant turned out to be a blessing for the Milwaukee Bucks. After PJ’s trade, the team matched up with their biggest opponent, Brooklyn Nets. PJ and Kevin are friends in real life, so their duel was rather fun, despite creating outbursts of emotions in both of the players.
Tucker guarded Durant so closely that the Nets couldn’t score. Thanks to this effort, the Milwaukee Bucks jumped over their biggest obstacle. They jumped as far as the NBA finals! Milwaukee Bucks won their first championships since 1971 and PJ became a fan favorite in Milwaukee.
PJ Tucker – Miami Heat
For the 2021-22 season, PJ Tucker changed the colors again. This time he joined the Miami Heat and as of the start of the season, he is doing pretty well. He scores almost as good as his career high and it’s safe to say that we will see more from him that season.
How much money has PJ Tucker made in the NBA?
Let’s be honest, Tucker is not the best nor the most consistent player in the NBA. He has other qualities for which the public loves him. PJ Tucker is known for his fashionable outfits. Slam Magazine named Tucker the number one sneakerhead of the NBA for his footwear choices. It’s not only about his number of basketball shoes even though he has numerous closets in various locations in the country, it’s about the value.
He is a real collector, mostly concerned about the quality of what he wears. For example, he owns shoes advertised by former NBA players or worn by old-school legends. And he certainly has the money to enlarge his collection with his estimated net worth being 13 million dollars and his all-time estimated earnings adding up to 56 million dollars.
Who did the Bucks trade P.J. Tucker for?
On Friday, Houston made a trade with Milwaukee, sending Tucker and Rodions Kurucs to the Bucks in return for D.J. Augustin, D.J. Wilson, and the Bucks’ first-round pick in 2023.
