Player Bio

Talen Jalee Horton-Tucker was born in Chicago on November 25, 2000 to Shirley Horton and Marlin Tucker. He attended St. Matthias Elementary School, where he had his No. 5 jersey retired. Horton-Tucker attended high school at Simeon Career Academy. As a senior, he averaged 20.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. He led Simeon to three straight City Championships. Horton-Tucker garnered a number of accolades during his high-school career. He was named a USA Today All-USA Boys Basketball Third-Team All-American and was selected USA Today Illinois Player of the Year. He was also an All-USA Illinois Boys Basketball First-Team Selection and was the Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Year. Learn more about Horton-Tucker by following him on Twitter at @Thortontucker and on Instagram at @5talen. After leading Simeon High School in Chicago to three straight Illinois state titles, Horton-Tucker went to Iowa State to play for coach Steve Prohm. Despite spending just one season with the Cyclones, the 6-foot-4 guard showed off a diverse array of skills, providing 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. He started all but one game (on Senior Night). Horton-Tucker had a breakout game against Illinois in the Maui Invitational with 26 points, 14 rebounds and six assists. He scored 20 points or more five times during the season but never eclipsed the 26-point mark again. The guard helped the Cyclones win the Big 12 Tournament Championship with averages of 11.7 points and 4.0 rebounds. After the season, Tucker-Horton declared for the 2019 NBA Draft and was chosen by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 46th overall pick.