Tucker to represent Longhorns in the NBA Finals

AUSTIN, Texas — Former University of Texas star P.J. Tucker (Milwaukee Bucks) will play in the 2021 NBA Finals, scheduled to begin on Tuesday, July 6 in Phoenix. This marks the 11th consecutive year that a former UT player has been on the roster of a team in the NBA Finals.

Texas is the only school in the country that has had a former player on a team roster in the NBA Finals in each of the last 11 years. Tucker will make his first appearance in the NBA Finals.

A total of 10 former University of Texas players have been on a roster of a participating team in the NBA Finals. Joining Tucker on this list is Slater Martin (seven appearances), Kevin Durant and Tristan Thompson (both with four appearances), Cory Joseph and Dexter Pittman (both with two appearances), and Avery Bradley, Daniel Gibson, Royal Ivey and Chris Mihm (each with one appearance).

Six former Longhorns - Martin, Durant, Pittman, Joseph, Thompson and Bradley – have been a part of an NBA Championship team. Martin won five 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). Pittman was inactive but with the Miami Heat's 2012 NBA Championship team, while Joseph played on the San Antonio Spurs' 2015 NBA Championship team. Thompson earned a NBA Championship ring in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and Durant won back-to-back NBA Championships in 2017 and 2018 with the Golden State Warriors. Bradley was on the Los Angeles Lakers' 2020 NBA Championship team, but he did not join the Lakers in Orlando for the NBA Restart.

Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns will air on ABC at 8 p.m. Central on Tuesday, July 6.

Former Texas Players on Rosters of Teams in the NBA Finals

Year	Player	Team	Result
1950	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers	Won
1952	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers	Won
1953	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers	Won
1954	Slater Martin	Minneapolis Lakers	Won
1957	Slater Martin	St. Louis Hawks	Lost
1958	Slater Martin	St. Louis Hawks	Won
1960	Slater Martin	St. Louis Hawks	Lost
2007	Daniel Gibson	Cleveland Cavaliers	Lost
2008	Chris Mihm	Los Angeles Lakers	Lost
2011	Dexter Pittman	Miami Heat	Lost
2012	Kevin Durant	Oklahoma City Thunder	Lost
2012	Royal Ivey	Oklahoma City Thunder	Lost
2012	Dexter Pittman	Miami Heat	Won
2013	Cory Joseph	San Antonio Spurs	Lost
2014	Cory Joseph	San Antonio Spurs	Won
2015	Tristan Thompson	Cleveland Cavaliers	Lost
2016	Tristan Thompson	Cleveland Cavaliers	Won
2017	Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors	Won
2017	Tristan Thompson	Cleveland Cavaliers	Lost
2018	Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors	Won
2018	Tristan Thompson	Cleveland Cavaliers	Lost
2019	Kevin Durant	Golden State Warriors	Lost
2020	Avery Bradley	Los Angeles Lakers	Won
2021	P.J. Tucker	Milwaukee Bucks	-

The University of Texas at Austin Athletics