Tucker, Milwaukee Bucks win 2021 NBA Championship

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. – Former University of Texas star P.J. Tucker is the latest Longhorn for Life to earn the title of 'NBA Champion' after the Milwaukee Bucks claimed the 2021 crown. Milwaukee closed out the NBA Finals with a 105-98 win against the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 on Tuesday evening.

Tucker is the seventh former UT player to win an NBA Championship. This marks the seventh time in the last 10 years that a former Texas player has been a member of an NBA Championship team.

Tucker began the 2020-21 regular season with the Houston Rockets, starting all 32 games and averaging 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in 30.0 minutes per contest. After being traded to the Bucks on March 19, he played in 20 games (1 start) for Milwaukee in the regular season and averaged 2.6 points and 2.8 rebounds in 19.9 minutes per contest. Tucker came off the bench in each of the four games during Milwaukee's first-round sweep of the Miami Heat and was inserted into the starting lineup for the final 19 contests of the NBA Playoffs. In 23 games played during the 2021 NBA Playoffs, Tucker averaged 4.8 rebounds, 4.3 points and 1.1 assists in 29.6 minutes per contest.

Slater Martin won five NBA titles during his Hall of Fame career, including four championships with the Minneapolis Lakers (1950, 1952, 1953 and 1954) and one with the St. Louis Hawks (1958). Dexter Pittman was inactive but with the Miami Heat's 2012 NBA Championship team, while Cory Joseph played with the San Antonio Spurs' 2015 NBA Championship team.

Tristan Thompson averaged a double-double in The Finals while helping the Cleveland Cavaliers win the 2016 NBA Championship. Kevin Durant led the Golden State Warriors to back-to-back NBA titles in 2017 and 2018 and was also honored as the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player in both years. Avery Bradley was on the Los Angeles Lakers' 2020 NBA Championship team, but he did not join the Lakers in Orlando for the NBA Restart.

Former Texas Players on NBA Championship Team Rosters

Year	Player	Team
1950	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers
1952	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers
1953	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers
1954	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers
1958	Slater Martin	St. Louis Hawks
2012	Dexter Pittman	Miami Heat
2014	Cory Joseph	San Antonio Spurs
2016	Tristan Thompson	Cleveland Cavaliers
2017	Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors
2018	Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors
2020	Avery Bradley	Los Angeles Lakers
2021	Milwaukee Bucks	P.J. Tucker

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics

Tucker, Milwaukee Bucks win 2021 NBA Championship