P.J. Tucker was the 35th overall pick by Toronto in the 2006 NBA Draft. Following his rookie season, he spent five seasons playing overseas before returning to the NBA to play for Phoenix in 2012-13. Since that point, Tucker played more games than any other player, including 241 consecutive games played entering 2020-21. He signed as a free agent with Houston on 7/6/17 and has since appeared in 236 games with 188 starts. Tucker has received multiple votes for the NBA All-Defensive team in six of the past seven seasons. Entering 2020-21, he averaged 7.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.2 steals in 654 career games with 478 starts.

Tucker was an early entry candidate for the 2006 NBA Draft following his junior season at Texas. For his career, he averaged 13.4 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 52.6% from the floor. As a junior, Tucker helped the Longhorns reach the Elite 8 and was named Big 12 Player of the Year as well as earning Big-12 All-Defensive team honors.