James D. Tucker (December 11, 1932 – May 14, 2020) was an American professional basketball player.
Biography Tucker attended Paris Western High School in Paris, Kentucky. A 6' 7" forward from Duquesne University, Tucker played three seasons (1954–1957) in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Syracuse Nationals. He averaged 4.1 points per game in his career and won a league championship in 1955.
Tucker and teammate Earl Lloyd were also the first two African Americans to play on an NBA championship team.Paul Kuharsky. "Pioneer Lived Out His Hoop Dreams". Black Athlete Sports Network.
After the NBA he played with the Harlem Magicians. He played in the Eastern Professional Basketball League (EPBL) for the Allentown Jets, Baltimore Bullets and the Easton Madisons from 1958 to 1960. Tucker won an EPBL championship with the Madisons in 1960.
In 2018, a short documentary titled "Let 'Em Know You're There" told the story of Jim's professional basketball career and eventual battle with Alzheimer's disease. The documentary won a 2019 Mid-Atlantic Emmy.
Tucker died on May 14, 2020, from complications from Alzheimer's disease at age 87.
Career statistics
NBA Source
Regular season Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG † Syracuse 20 14.4 .336 .711 4.9 .6 5.3 Syracuse 70 12.8 .348 .795 3.3 .5 3.8 Syracuse 9 13.2 .386 .000 2.2 .0 3.9Career 99 13.1 .349 .762 3.5 .5 4.1
Playoffs Year Team GP MPG FG% FT% RPG APG PPG 1955† Syracuse 9 6.6 .296 .889 1.7 .1 2.7 1956 Syracuse 6 12.0 .382 .750 4.2 .3 5.3Career 15 8.7 .344 .824 2.7 .2 3.7
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