Jim Tucker (basketball)
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 11, 1932 Paris, Kentucky |
| Died | May 14, 2020 (aged 87) Jacksonville, Florida |
| Nationality | American |
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) |
| Listed weight | 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Paris Western (Paris, Kentucky) |
| College | Duquesne (1951–1954) |
| NBA draft | 1954: 3rd round, 24th overall pick |
| Selected by the Syracuse Nationals | |
| Playing career | 1954–1957 |
| Position | Power forward |
| Number | 14, 17 |
| Career history | |
| 1954–1957 | Syracuse Nationals |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Career statistics | |
| Points | 407 (4.1 ppg) |
| Rebounds | 349 (3.5 rpg) |
| Assists | 52 (.5 apg) |
| Stats at NBA.com | |
| Stats at Basketball Reference | |
James D. Tucker (December 11, 1932 – May 14, 2020) was an American professional basketball player.
Biography
[edit]Tucker attended Paris Western High School in Paris, Kentucky.[1] A 6' 7" forward from Duquesne University, Tucker played three seasons (1954–1957) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Syracuse Nationals. He averaged 4.1 points per game in his career and won a league championship in 1955.
Tucker and teammate Earl Lloyd were also the first two African Americans to play on an NBA championship team.[2]
After the NBA he played with the Harlem Magicians, The Allentown Jets, and the Easton Madisons of the Eastern Professional Basketball League.[3]
In 2018, a short documentary titled "Let 'Em Know You're There" told the story of Jim's professional basketball career and eventual battle with Alzheimer's disease. The documentary won a 2019 Mid-Atlantic Emmy.
Tucker died on May 14, 2020, from complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 87.[4]
Career statistics
[edit]| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
NBA
[edit]Source[5]
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954–55† | Syracuse | 20 | 14.4 | .336 | .711 | 4.9 | .6 | 5.3 |
| 1955–56 | Syracuse | 70 | 12.8 | .348 | .795 | 3.3 | .5 | 3.8 |
| 1956–57 | Syracuse | 9 | 13.2 | .386 | .000 | 2.2 | .0 | 3.9 |
| Career | 99 | 13.1 | .349 | .762 | 3.5 | .5 | 4.1 | |
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955† | Syracuse | 9 | 6.6 | .296 | .889 | 1.7 | .1 | 2.7 |
| 1956 | Syracuse | 6 | 12.0 | .382 | .750 | 4.2 | .3 | 5.3 |
| Career | 15 | 8.7 | .344 | .824 | 2.7 | .2 | 3.7 | |
References
[edit]- ^ "Paris Western star, Duquesne All-American Jim Tucker has died". WKYT. May 23, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
- ^ Paul Kuharsky. "Pioneer Lived Out His Hoop Dreams". Black Athlete Sports Network.
- ^ https://www.cnyhistory.org/jim-tucker/
- ^ Rohrbach, Ben (May 19, 2020). "Remembering Jim Tucker, the trailblazing NBA champion who died at age 87". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
- ^ "Jim Tucker NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
External links
[edit]- Career statistics from NBA.com and Basketball Reference