ANTHONY TUCKER | Position: Forward Born: 4/4/69, Washington, D.C. College: Georgetown; Wake Forest Height: 6' 8" Weight: 220 lbs. Stats |
Background: A native of Washington, D.C., forward Anthony Tucker took a winding route to the NBA before landing a spot as a reserve with the Washington Bullets in 1994–95. A graduate of McKinley Tech High School in D.C., Tucker played the 1987–88 season at Georgetown University before leaving the area to finish his collegiate career at Wake Forest. Passed over in the 1992 NBA Draft, he began a two-year odyssey that took him through two countries and a devastating injury before he latched on with the Bullets in 1994–95.
In Tucker’s second season at Wake Forest (his junior year) he played guard and forward alongside Rodney Rogers and Chris King, averaging 11.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists. He shot .545 from the field that season. In his senior year at Wake he averaged 12.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists.
Without immediate NBA prospects, Tucker signed to play professionally in Germany. Early in the 1992–93 season, however, he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee and missed the rest of the year. After rehabilitating the knee and playing a bit in South America in 1993–94, Tucker attended the Bullets’ summer league and training camp as a long shot. When Washington’s top draft pick, Juwan Howard, remained unsigned at the start of the 1994–95 campaign, the Bullets kept Tucker on the roster. He remained on the team and made solid contributions for most of the season. In fact, Tucker was one of only two non-drafted rookies (Phoenix’s Trevor Ruffin was the other) to appear in the NBA Rookie Game at the 1995 All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.
Transactions: Never drafted by an NBA franchise. Signed by the Washington Bullets as a rookie free agent on 10/7/94. Waived by the Bullets on 4/19/95.
1994-95: Returning from travels in Europe and South America, Tucker joined the Washington Bullets for his first NBA season. A long shot to make the team in training camp, Tucker earned a spot on the roster when top draft pick Juwan Howard remained unsigned on opening day. Tucker then performed well enough to stay with the Bullets for most of the year. At midseason he was one of only two undrafted rookies (along with Trevor Ruffin) to appear in the NBA Rookie Game at All-Star Weekend.
Tucker saw action in 62 games with the Bullets, including 13 starts, and posted season averages of 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. He appeared in as many or more contests than all but five other players on the team, which suffered from injury problems throughout the year.
Facing the possibility of losing Tucker in the Expansion Draft, the Bullets waived him on April 19, hoping to re-sign him for 1995–96.
| Sea. | Team | G | Min. | FG | 3Pt. | FT | Reb. | Ast. | Stl. | Blk. | Tot. | PG |
| 94-95 | Washington | 62 | 982 | .457 | .000 | .614 | 170 | 68 | 46 | 11 | 243 | 3.9 |
| 95-96 | New York | 0 | 0 | --- | --- | --- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Career Totals: | 62 | 982 | .457 | .000 | .614 | 170 | 68 | 46 | 11 | 243 | 3.9 | |
| 1996 Playoffs: | 0 | 0 | --- | --- | --- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| Playoff Totals: | 0 | 0 | --- | --- | --- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |
| All-Star Totals: | 0 | 0 | --- | --- | --- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |