Background and career
Anthony Leon "P.J." Tucker Jr. (born May 5, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Regarded as a reliable corner three-point shooter and perimeter defender all throughout his career, Tucker won an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns. Outside his NBA career, he was also the 2008 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP, and Israeli Basketball Premier League Finals MVP and also won championships in the Israeli Super League in 2008 with Hapoel Holon, the German League and the German Cup in 2012 with Brose Bamberg.
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.
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.
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.
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.
After Donetsk bankrupted, Tucker returned to Israel in March 2010 and signed for Bnei HaSharon until the end of the season.
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
