Bucks fans celebrate PJ Tucker's impact on team after retirement post

· Yahoo Sports

PJ Tucker might have only been a member of the Milwaukee Bucks for four months but he has legendary status in these parts.

Acquired in March 2021 in a trade with the Houston Rockets, Tucker provided a "dawg" mentality and toughness as the Bucks made their way to the NBA championship.

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His workmanlike and never-back-down style of play made him an instant fan favorite and his celebration during the Bucks' championship parade is one of the lasting moments from that glorious day. After 20 seasons and eight teams, Tucker announced his retirement from the NBA on May 7, two days after his 41st birthday.

"20 years being my job but 40 plus years of not being able to fathom doing anything other than it. 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)

He played in 43 total games with the Bucks, including 23 in the playoffs, 19 of which were starts. Tucker could knock down a corner three now and again but he was here because he was a defensive enforcer, something that was on display when he went face to face with then-Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant in the Eastern Conference semifinals, a series the Bucks won in seven games.

During the team's championship parade, while grasping the Larry O'Brien Trophy and a giant bottle of Champagne, Tucker recalled a moment with Bucks officials that had the entire crowd in a frenzy.

"It’s crazy, I came here they like you gotta be the dawg," Tucker said. "Man, we got dawgs. I got here, we already got dawgs, they just don’t know how to be dawgs. And we gonna be dawgs. We got dawgs, you hear me. Milwaukee, we dawgs.⁠"

Tucker stopped in many local establishments as he walked the streets of downtown, basking in the moment and taking photos with any fan who wanted one.

After the season, the Bucks chose not to make him a priority in free agency and he would sign with the Miami Heat.

Before he returned with the Heat to play the Bucks early that next season, Tucker told the Journal Sentinel how much the fan support meant to him.

“I’ll always love Milwaukee,” he said. “I’ll love the people of Milwaukee forever. They embraced me so much from day one when I first got there to the day I left; they were always there, they always had my back. That’s not something you get right away. You don’t normally get the trust and the love of the city so fast. It was an amazing experience and journey.”

He added: "Just to see people come out every single day. Literally I mean couldn’t go anywhere. You couldn’t buy a beer. You couldn’t buy a dinner. People were just always taking care of you and love you. Going to my favorite place, Steny’s to get chicken wings, like that just turned into a whole deal because then people found out that was my spot so they would be there. There was people everywhere. But the love, the love that resonated and shined through more than anything.”

After one season with the Heat, Tucker went on to also play for the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers and New York Knicks to end his career.

Tucker last played at the end of the 2025 season.

The Bucks celebrated Tucker's presence and impact with the team on social media on May 8.

"Forever a dog. Forever a champ. Congratulations on your retirement, P.J.!"

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About his Champagne chug, in which he doused over himself and then spit out as if he was impersonating WWE wrestler Triple H, the Bucks wrote, "iconic."

Bucks fans celebrate PJ Tucker

Fans also reminisced about Tucker:

Bucks NBA championship photos

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Bucks fans react to PJ Tucker's retirement with appreciation, love

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