Rayjon Tucker

Rayjon Tucker's Biography

Rayjon Tucker, a prominent professional basketball player, was borne on September 24, 1997. Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Tucker is currently playing for Virtus Bologna, a team in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) and the EuroLeague. Tucker’s career started as a humble student-athlete and blossomed into an international success story.

As a young man, Tucker attended Northside Christian Academy, where he excelled in basketball. His senior year saw him average impressive stats, including 24 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 3 blocks per game. His skills and leadership were instrumental in leading the Knights to the state championship game. After graduation, he had multiple offers to play college basketball from esteemed institutions like Virginia Tech, Boston College, VCU, Clemson, and Auburn. But he chose to play for the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles.

With the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, Tucker began to set the foundation for his professional career. Despite only starting one game, he averaged 6.2 points and 3.1 rebounds in his freshman year. As a sophomore, these averages grew to 7.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game. At the end of this season, Tucker announced his intention to transfer to University of Arkansas-Little Rock.

Transfer rules required Tucker to sit out for a season, but when he returned to the court, his performance was stronger than ever. He averaged an impressive 20.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game, which earned him a spot on the second team All-Sun Belt Conference. After this season, Tucker made the decision to join a higher-level program and declared for the 2019 NBA draft. Despite receiving offers from colleges such as Auburn, West Virginia, Kansas, and Iowa State.

Tucker was unselected in the 2019 NBA draft but opted to play for the Milwaukee Bucks NBA Summer League team. His showing in the Summer League – averaging 10.2 points and 3.6 rebounds across five games – led to the Bucks signing Tucker on an Exhibit 10 contract. Later that year, he was waived by the Bucks and transferred to their NBA G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd. His impressive stats in Wisconsin average 23.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 0.9 steals per game led to a contract with the Utah Jazz, highlighting his rise in the league.

With the Utah Jazz, Tucker made his NBA debut against the Detroit Pistons, contributing to a 104–81 win. After a stint with the Salt Lake City Stars, in November 2020, Tucker was traded to Cleveland Cavaliers but was subsequently waived.

In the following year, Tucker joined the Philadelphia 76ers on a two-way contract. He split his time with the 76ers and their NBA G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. However, in August 2021, Tucker was waived by the 76ers.

Continuing his professional journey, Tucker signed up with the Wisconsin Herd for the 2021–22 NBA G League Season. He had brief runs with the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets before returning to the Wisconsin Heard in early 2022. Tucker’s performance remained impressive, scoring 31 points with six rebounds in a game against Lakeland Magic, and accumulating an average of 21.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.3 steals in 27 games.

Following this season, Tucker had short stints with the Milwaukee Bucks and played for the team in the 2022 NBA Summer League. Later that year, his career took an international turn when he signed with Melbourne United for the 2022-23 NBA season. The following year he moved to Europe, signing with Reyer Venezia in Italy for the 2023-24 LBA season.

Rayjon Tucker’s journey from a promising student-athlete in North Carolina to a professional basketball player in the Euroleague is a testament to his dedication, resilience, and undeniable talent. Despite facing hurdles and detours, Tucker’s career trajectory continues to rise, cementing his status as an exceptional talent in the world of basketball.