Ex-NBA champion announces his retirement

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Ex-NBA champion announces his retirement

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated May 8, 2026 5:51 PM ET

We have officially seen the last in the NBA of Pops Junior.

Veteran NBA forward PJ Tucker announced in a post to Instagram this week that he is formally retiring from the league. Tucker is calling it quits after 14 total seasons in the NBA.

“20 years being my job but 40 plus years of not being able to fathom doing anything other than it,” wrote Tucker in his caption. “So here’s to retiring from the NBA… because I will NEVER stop ballin.”

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A post shared by PJ Tucker (@pjtucker)

Tucker, now 41 years old, was known as one of the NBA’s best rugged role players. Though just 6-foot-5, Tucker would regularly play as a small-ball 5 (particularly for the Houston Rockets from 2017-21) and did all the dirty work defensively and on the glass in order to help his team win.

Also a 36.6 percent career three-point shooter who specialized in corner shots, Tucker won a championship as a starting forward on the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021. He last played for the New York Knicks in 2025 as a late-season addition and went unsigned during the 2025-26 NBA campaign.

While Tucker’s final years in the NBA were marred a little bit by some public disagreements with his teams, his reputation is secure as one of the top blue-collar players of his generation. Now Tucker, who also played overseas from 2007-12, is calling it a day with over $90 million in NBA career earnings as well as a championship ring.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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