Former Knick and NBA veteran P.J. Tucker announced his retirement on Thursday, bringing an end to a professional basketball career that lasted nearly two decades, News.Az reports, citing ESPN.
Tucker, 41, appeared in three games for the New York Knicks during what became his final NBA season last year. Throughout his career, he also played for the Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets, Milwaukee Bucks, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers.
“[Twenty] years being my job but 40 plus years of not being able to fathom doing anything other than it. So here’s to retiring from the NBA… because I will NEVER stop ballin,” Tucker wrote on Instagram alongside a collection of photos from different stages of his NBA journey.
The highlight of Tucker’s NBA career came in 2021 when he helped the Milwaukee Bucks capture the NBA championship.
He was traded from the Houston Rockets to Milwaukee ahead of the trade deadline and went on to play in 20 regular-season games and 23 playoff contests for the Bucks.
During that postseason run, Tucker averaged 4.3 points while playing 29.6 minutes per game.
Tucker was initially selected by the Toronto Raptors with the 35th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft after leaving college. However, he struggled to secure regular playing time and later spent time in the G League.
The Raptors waived him near the end of his rookie season in March, and Tucker was unable to immediately land another NBA opportunity. That setback led to a five-year stretch playing overseas in Israel, Ukraine, Greece, Italy and Germany.
He eventually returned to the NBA in 2012 with the Phoenix Suns.
Across his NBA career, Tucker played in 886 games and averaged 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 0.3 blocks per game.
