Former Rockets forward P.J. Tucker's long-awaited path to an NBA title

Former Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker has beaten all of his former Rockets teammates to help the Milwaukee Bucks win their first title since 1971. Tucker is a 6'5 player who can play multiple positions on the court and is a 9-year NBA vet out of the University of Texas.

Tucker was drafted in 2006 in the 2nd round by the Toronto Raptors (pick #35). On January 5, 2007, the Toronto Raptors announced that P.J. Tucker would be sent to the Colorado 14ers of the NBA Development League.

On February 6, 2007, he went to play in Europe from 2008-12 and returned to the NBA and played for the Phoenix Suns for the 2012-13 season. Tucker would spend the next 4 1/2 years in Phoenix, before being sent back to the team that drafted him, the Toronto Raptors, where he would finish out the 2016-2017 season in Toronto.

Former Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker's long-awaited path to an NBA title

In the summer of 2017. P.J. Tucker signed a a 4-year $32 million deal with the. Houston Rockets. Tucker's Rockets career got started off with a bang, as he helped the Rockets win their season-opening game vs. the Golden State Warriors.

Tucker scored 20 points and the Rockets ultimately won 122-121. With Tucker manning the fort defensively, the Houston Rockets made deep playoff runs from 2017-2020, with a few epic battles against the Warriors in the playoffs.

On March 11, 2021, as the NBA trade deadline approached, P.J. and the Houston Rockets agreed that he would no longer play until both sides could find the right team and situation to trade him to. This of course came not long after James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

On March 19, 2021. P.J. Tucker was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks for D.J. Augustin and D.J. Wilson, and both teams exchanged draft capital. Tucker made his Bucks' debut on March 20th, with a 120-113 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Tucker played a vital role in the playoffs, especially in the 2nd round vs. the Brooklyn Nets, by defending Kevin Durant. Tucker held him to a a mere 11-of-28 from the field (37%).

The Bucks won in 7 games , and moved onto the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Atlanta Hawks. Tucker made some late 3-point shots to help the Bucks win in 6 games and move on to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1974.

On July 20, 2021, P.J. Tucker and the Milwaukee Bucks defeated the Phoenix Suns in 6 games and won their first NBA Championship since 1971. Congratulations to the former Houston Rockets forward P.J. Tucker.