#17 Power Forward

P.J. Tucker

Height / Weight
6' 5" / 245 lbs
Born
May 5, 1985 (38)
College
Texas
NBA Draft
2nd Round, 35th Overall, 2006
Nationality
American
SEASON STATS
2023-2024
PTS
1.6
-2.0
Rebounds
2.8
-1.1
Assists
0.5
-0.3
PER
6.42
-0.25
PLAYER INFO
Full Name: P.J. Tucker
Nickname: Pop Junior
Place of Birth: Raleigh, North Carolina
Education: Texas
Parents: Anthony Sr. and Alesha Tucker
Spouse: Tracy Tucker

P.J. Tucker Biography Details, Age, Net Worth, and Basketball Career

P.J. Tucker is a pro basketball player who currently plays power forward for the Houston Rockets. Tucker was born Anthony Leon Tucker Jr. on May 5, 1985, in Raleigh, North Carolina. He attended high school in Raleigh and played college basketball at Texas before being selected 35th overall by the Toronto Raptors in the 2006 NBA Draft. Tucker briefly played for the Raptors before spending several years playing in Europe, only to return to the NBA in 2012 as a member of the Phoenix Suns.

The unique arc of Tucker’s career is emblematic of his unique skill set. Despite being listed at 6’5’’, Tucker has the skill set of a big man. He excels more rebounding that he does scoring. However, he was ultimately able to carve out a role in the NBA, playing several seasons for the Suns, having a brief return to the Raptors, and ultimately signing a four-year, $32 million contract with the Rockets in 2017.

P.J. Tucker Basketball Career

High School Career (William G. Enloe High School)

P.J. Tucker was born in Raleigh, North Carolina, but spent part of his childhood in Germany while his father served in the Army. The family eventually returned to Raleigh, where Tucker attended William G. Enloe High School.

As a junior in 2002, Tucker was named North Carolina Player of the Year. 

College Career (Texas)

Tucker played college basketball at Texas under head coach Rick Barnes. As a freshman, he started 16 of 33 games for the Longhorns, averaging 10.4 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while helping Texas reach the Sweet 16. Academic issues limited Tucker to just 17 games during his sophomore season, although he averaged 13.7 points and eight rebounds per game when he did play.

Tucker was able to make up for it during his junior season, averaging 16.1 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. He was named Big 12 Player of the Year and a Second-Team All-American. Meanwhile, the Longhorns won a share of the Big 12 title and reached the Elite Eight.

NBA Career

Tucker left Texas after his junior season and was the 35th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. After the draft, he signed a two-year deal with the Toronto Raptors but only appeared in 17 games during his rookie season, totaling 83 minutes of playing time. In March 2007, the Raptors waived Tucker.

Unable to find a job in the NBA for the 2007-08 season, Tucker signed with Hapoel Holon in Israel. He ended up winning MVP of the Israeli Premier League and helping his team win the league title, snapping a 14-year championship streak by Maccabi Tel Aviv. Tucker spent the next year and a half playing for BC Donetsk in Ukraine and was named an all-star in 2009. When the team folded, he finished out the 2009-10 season back in Israel. Tucker would go on to have stints in Greece, Montenegro, Puerto Rico, and Germany. In 2012, he helped Brose Bamberg win the German Cup and German League championships.

In the summer of 2012, Tucker passed on an offer to play in Russia to play in the NBA Summer League with the Phoenix Suns, who ended up offering him a two-year contract. During his second year in Phoenix, Tucker started 81 games for the Suns, averaging 9.4 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. His performance earned him a three-year, $16.5 million contract the following summer. In February 2017, toward the end of the contract, Tucker was traded to the Raptors for Jared Sullenger and draft picks. 

Following his brief return to Toronto, Tucker hit the free-agent market and signed a four-year, $32 million contract with the Houston Rockets. Tucker quickly settled in as an important role player with the Rockets, helping Houston win back-to-back Southwest Division championships in 2018 and 2019. Tucker was at his best during the 2019 playoffs, averaging 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.

P.J. Tucker Net Worth, Salary, Endorsements & Career Earnings

As of 2020, P.J. Tucker has an estimated net worth of around $13 million. It’s unclear how much money he made while playing overseas for five years. He didn’t have a salary in the NBA that exceeded $1 million until the 2014-15 season. 

However, he’s starting to make up for lost time with the four-year, $32 million contract he signed with the Rockets in 2017. That contract will more than double his total earnings during his NBA career. When that contract expires following the 2020-21 season, he will have made close to $50 million in salary from NBA teams. Tucker has also had an endorsement deal with Nike throughout his career.

P.J. Tucker signed a two-year, $900,000 deal with the Toronto Raptors in 2006.

P.J. Tucker signed a two-year, $1.6 million deal with the Phoenix Suns in 2012.

P.J. Tucker signed a three-year, $16.5 million deal with the Phoenix Suns in 2014.

P.J. Tucker signed a four-year, $32 million deal with the Houston Rockets in 2017.

P.J. Tucker Personal Life

P.J. Tucker was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to Anthony Tucker Sr. and Aleshia Tucker. The family spent time in Germany when Tucker was growing up while Tucker Sr. served in the army. Today, Tucker is married to his longtime girlfriend, Tracy. The couple has three children.

P.J. Tucker Fun Facts

  • During the 2017-18 season, P.J. Tucker used 106 different pairs of sneakers over 99 games, spending over $200,000 on shoes.
  • If P.J. Tucker is having a bad game, he will change his shoes at halftime.
  • In college, P.J. Tucker got his first debit card so he could open an eBay account and buy shoes after watching teammate Royal Ivey constantly buy new sneakers on eBay.
  • After playing in Europe for so long, P.J. Tucker speaks Hebrew.
  • P.J. Tucker is friends with one of the players he idolized and modeled his game after, Bruce Bowen.
  • In middle school, P.J. Tucker was teammates with Shavlik Randolph, who was later his teammate with the Phoenix Suns. However, the two played against each other in high school, going to rival schools in Raleigh, North Carolina.
  • P.J. Tucker’s real first name is Anthony; however, growing up, his father called him “Pop Junior,” which is why he’s called P.J.
Career stats
2023-2024
LAC
2022-2023
PHI
2021-2022
MIA
2020-2021
MIL
2019-2020
HOU
2018-2019
HOU
2017-2018
HOU
2016-2017
TOR
2015-2016
PHO
2014-2015
PHO
2013-2014
PHO
2012-2013
PHO
Season Team G MIN FG% 3P% FT% REB AST BLK STL PTS
2023-2024
25 15.6 33.3 34.5 100.0 2.8 0.5 0.3 0.5 1.6
2022-2023
75 25.6 42.7 39.3 82.6 3.9 0.8 0.2 0.5 3.5
2021-2022
71 27.9 48.4 41.5 73.8 5.5 2.1 0.2 0.8 7.6
2020-2021
52 25.9 37.3 33.6 75.0 3.9 1.2 0.4 0.8 3.7
2019-2020
72 34.3 41.5 35.8 81.2 6.6 1.6 0.5 1.1 6.9
2018-2019
82 34.2 39.6 37.7 69.5 5.8 1.2 0.5 1.6 7.3
2017-2018
82 27.8 39.0 37.1 71.7 5.6 0.9 0.3 1.0 6.1
2016-2017
81 27.6 41.4 35.7 77.4 5.8 1.2 0.2 1.5 6.7
2015-2016
82 31.0 41.1 33.0 74.6 6.2 2.2 0.2 1.3 8.0
2014-2015
78 30.6 43.8 34.5 72.7 6.4 1.6 0.3 1.4 9.1
2013-2014
81 30.7 43.1 38.7 77.6 6.5 1.7 0.3 1.4 9.4
2012-2013
79 24.2 47.3 31.4 74.4 4.4 1.4 0.2 0.8 6.4
Recent Games
Wed 3/27
Mon 3/25
Fri 3/22
Wed 3/20
Sun 3/17
Fri 3/15
Sun 3/10
Wed 2/28
Sun 2/25
Fri 2/23
Date Opp RESULT MIN PTS OR DR REB AST STL BLK TO
Wed 3/27
W 108-107
3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Mon 3/25
L 133-116
11 0 0 2 2 0 1 0 1
Fri 3/22
W 125-117
8 3 0 2 2 1 0 0 0
Wed 3/20
W 116-103
25 0 0 7 7 1 2 0 0
Sun 3/17
L 110-93
20 3 2 2 4 0 1 0 0
Fri 3/15
L 104-112
24 6 0 2 2 0 0 3 1
Sun 3/10
L 124-117
25 7 4 2 6 2 0 1 1
Wed 2/28
L 116-112
11 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 1
Sun 2/25
L 123-107
5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Fri 2/23
W 101-95
14 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 0

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