Jim Tucker (basketball)

Jim Tucker
Personal information
Born(1932-12-11)December 11, 1932
Paris, Kentucky
DiedMay 14, 2020(2020-05-14) (aged 87)
Jacksonville, Florida
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Listed weight185 lb (84 kg)
Career information
High schoolParis Western (Paris, Kentucky)
CollegeDuquesne (1951–1954)
NBA draft1954: 3rd round, 24th overall pick
Selected by the Syracuse Nationals
Playing career1954–1957
PositionPower forward
Number14, 17
Career history
1954–1957Syracuse Nationals
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points407 (4.1 ppg)
Rebounds349 (3.5 rpg)
Assists52 (.5 apg)
Stats at NBA.com Edit this at Wikidata
Stats at Basketball Reference

James D. Tucker (December 11, 1932 – May 14, 2020) was an American professional basketball player.

Biography

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

Legend
  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

Source[5]

Regular season

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

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

  1. ^ "Paris Western star, Duquesne All-American Jim Tucker has died". WKYT. May 23, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2023.
  2. ^ Paul Kuharsky. "Pioneer Lived Out His Hoop Dreams". Black Athlete Sports Network.
  3. ^ https://www.cnyhistory.org/jim-tucker/
  4. ^ Rohrbach, Ben (May 19, 2020). "Remembering Jim Tucker, the trailblazing NBA champion who died at age 87". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 20, 2020.
  5. ^ "Jim Tucker NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 12, 2023.