Alando Forest Tucker (born February 11, 1984) is an American former collegiate

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach and former professional basketball player who played for the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

(NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, th ...

men's basketball team, where he became its all-time leading scorer with a total of 2,217 points. From 2007 to 2017, Tucker had a 10-year career in professional basketball which included playing for the Phoenix Suns and

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

for three years in the NBA. His last team was the Hapoel Eilat of the

Israeli Premier League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

in 2017, before going on retirement. In 2019, he became the interim assistant coach for his alma mater's men's basketball team at UW-Madison, a position he held until April 2021.

High school career

Tucker attended Lockport Township High School in

Lockport, Illinois Lockport is a city in Will County, Illinois, United States, located 30 miles southwest of Chicago. Per the 2020 census, the population was 26,094. The city was incorporated in 1853. It is situated along the Illinois and Michigan (I&M) Canal, an ...

. He averaged 21.6 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior. He was one of only two juniors to be named to the ''Herald News'' AA all-area team. As a senior Tucker earned all-state honors averaging 22.2 points while hauling in 7.7 rebounds and dishing 5.7 assists per game. He scored 35 points against Joliet Township, the number one ranked team in the state. After seeing drugs and gang violence from up close throughout his childhood, Tucker and his older brother Antonio made a pact to stay clean and away from substances such as drug, tobacco, and alcohol, as well as tattoos.

Collegiate career

Tucker started off his

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

career in 2002–03 starting 27 of 32 games as a freshman. He averaged 12.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game, which helped the Badgers achieve 24 wins, a Big Ten title, and a Sweet 16 at the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament during that season. In 2003–04, Tucker played in just four games because of a right foot injury. He applied for and received a

medical redshirt Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically, a student's athletic eligibility in a given sport is four seasons, aligning with the ...

after the season. During the 2004–05 season, Tucker started 30 out of 31 games. He led the Badgers in scoring with 15.2 points. He also averaged 6.1 rebounds. At the end of the 2006–07 regular season, Tucker averaged 19.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists. For the 2006–07 season, Tucker and the Badgers achieved 30 wins and earned their first ever #1 AP ranking in the school's history. On February 10, 2007, Tucker reached the 2,000-point mark in his collegiate career in a game against Iowa. He was the second Wisconsin Badger to ever accomplish this, after

Michael Finley Michael Howard Finley (born March 6, 1973) is an American former professional basketball player who is the Vice President of Basketball Operations for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played 15 seasons in the ...

. On March 10, 2007, Tucker broke the all-time

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

scoring record (2,147 points) previously held by

. During this time, he also broke Finley's UW vertical jump record. Tucker's collegiate career ended on March 18, 2007, when the Badgers lost to the

UNLV The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public land-grant research university in Paradise, Nevada. The campus is about east of the Las Vegas Strip. It was formerly part of the University of Nevada from 1957 to 1969. It includes th ...

Runnin' Rebels 74–68 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Tucker finished with 17 points on 4–11 shooting from the field and 8–13 from the line. He also had seven rebounds. In his final season, he was named Big Ten Player of the Year, an NCAA 1st Team All-American, and received Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. He also set school marks at the time for games played (134), starts (126), minutes played (4,297), field goals (798), free throws (520), free throw attempts (817), offensive rebounds (769), and overall points scored (2,217). Tucker graduated from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United Stat ...

on May 19, 2007 with a bachelor's degree in Life Sciences Communication. In 2018, he was inducted to UW Athletic's Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in basketball.

Pro career

NBA career

Tucker was selected 29th overall in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns.

First Albuquerque Thunderbirds assignment

After appearing in two games for Phoenix, Tucker was assigned to the Suns' NBA Development League affiliate

Albuquerque Thunderbirds Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding in ...

on November 27, 2007. His performances include a 25-point, 12-rebound effort in a 92–84 loss to

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

on December 1, 40 points (on 15-of-25 shooting, including 4-of-4 three-pointers) in a 109–102 win over Bakersfield on December 14, and 32 points in a 100–97 victory over Anaheim on December 15. Tucker was recalled by the Suns on December 18.

Second Albuquerque Thunderbirds assignment

On January 11, 2008, he was reassigned to Albuquerque, and recalled ten days later. His performances include a team-high 33 points and 10 rebounds in a 123–117 win over Austin on January 12, 39 points in a 92–91 win over

Rio Grande Valley The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...

on January 13, a game-high 26 points (on 11-of-19 field goals) in a 98–81 loss to

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

on January 15, and a game-high 29 points in a 104–84 loss to

Dakota Dakota may refer to: * Dakota people, a sub-tribe of the Sioux ** Dakota language, their language Dakota may also refer to: Places United States * Dakota, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Dakota, Illinois, a town * Dakota, Minnesota, ...

on January 19.

Third Albuquerque Thunderbirds assignment

He was assigned a third time on March 13, 2008. In 21 total games (19 starts), he averaged 27.7 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists. Tucker's performances in his third assignment include scoring a Thunderbirds season-high 42 points in a 116–100 victory over

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

on March 16, a 38-point effort in a 119–104 win over

Tulsa Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...

on March 20, 33 points (including 14 in the final quarter) in a 114–108 win over Tulsa on March 21, 38 points in a 119–115 loss to

on March 30, and 34 points in a 118–112 victory over Tulsa on April 5. Tucker was recalled to the Suns on April 7. He received Honorable Mention for D-League Performer of the Week for March 17, 2008.

Iowa Energy

Tucker was assigned to the Suns' new D-League affiliate

Iowa Energy Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

on December 26, 2008. He was recalled on January 2, 2009, after playing two games with the Energy. His Iowa season-high was a 13-point effort in a 107–101 win over

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

on December 28.

Minnesota Timberwolves

On December 29, 2009, Tucker was traded along with a second round pick and cash considerations to the

for Jason Hart. He was waived by the Timberwolves on March 22, 2010.

Texas Legends

In November 2011, Tucker was selected by the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

with the second pick in the NBA D-League Draft. However, Tucker decided to play in Spain instead.

Milwaukee Bucks

On October 1, 2012, Tucker signed with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

. He was waived by the team on October 27, 2012.

International career

In April 2010 he signed with pro team Gallitos de Isabela in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. On August 11, 2010 he signed a contract with the Russian club Lokomotiv Kuban from

Krasnodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southe ...

, Russia. In November 2011, Tucker signed with CB Gran Canaria in Spain. In February 2013, Tucker signed with BK Inter Bratislava in Slovakia. He won a championship in the same year. In September 2013, he signed with

Lukoil Academic BC Academic Metropol Region ( bg, БК "Академик" Метропол-Рийджън) is a reestablished Bulgarian professional basketball club based in the capital Sofia. In April 2022, Academic has been reborn and rebranded by the new ow ...

where he averaged 16.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. On November 28, 2014 he signed with French club

SOMB Boulogne-sur-Mer Stade Olympique Maritime Boulonnais, commonly known as SOMB, is a French professional basketball club based in Boulogne-sur-Mer, France. The team currently plays in the French third division, the Nationale Masculine 1. History SOMB was founded on ...

. On July 7, 2015 he has signed with LNB Pro A side

SLUC Nancy Stade Lorrain Université Club Nancy Basket, commonly referred to as SLUC Nancy Basket, is a French professional basketball club based in Nancy. The club currently competes in the LNB Pro A, the top league in France, and holds two league titles. S ...

. He averaged 10.9 points in 7 LNB matches before he moved to Israel. On November 11, 2015, Tucker signed with Maccabi Kiryat Gat of the

. On June 23, 2016, Tucker signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League. He went on to become Hapoel's first ever American captain in the 80-years of history of the team. On August 2, 2017, Tucker signed with Hapoel Eilat for the 2017–18 season. However, on November 14, 2017, Tucker was released by Eilat after appearing in six games.

Achievements and awards

* Broke

's UW school record for UW's All Time Leading Scorer with 2,217 points. * Broke

Devin Harris Devin Lamar Harris (born February 27, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. Harris attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Harris was selected with the fifth pick in the 2004 NBA draft by the Washington Wizards. E ...

's UW school record for most points in a single season. * Broke Michael Finley's UW school record for vertical leap as a freshman by jumping 38 inches. * 2002–03 – Set UW record for offensive rebounds (86) for a freshman * 2002–03 –

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

All-Freshman Team * 2004–05 – Big Ten and Syracuse Regional all-tournament teams * 2004–05 – Consensus third-team All-Big Ten selection * 2005–06 – First team All-Big Ten selection * 2006–07 – Consensus first team All-Big Ten selection * 2006–07 – Big Ten Player of the Year * 2006–07 – First Team All-American (

National Association of Basketball Coaches The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, is an American organization of men's college basketball coaches. It was founded in 1927 by Phog Allen, head men's basketball coach at the University ...

) * 2006–07 – First Team All-American (

The Sporting News The ''Sporting News'' is a website and former magazine publication owned by Sporting News Holdings, which is a U.S.-based sports media company formed in December 2020 by a private investor consortium. It was originally established in 1886 as a pr ...

) * 2006–07 –

Senior CLASS Award The Senior CLASS Award is awarded to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in 10 NCAA Division I sports. An acronym for "Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School," the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

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, 30 , , 1 , , 9.4 , , .430 , , .348 , , .788 , , 1.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , .0 , , 4.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 0 , , 6.5 , , .433 , , .143 , , .762 , , .6 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 3.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

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Coaching career

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tucker was first invited by UW—Madison to join as Director of Student-Athlete Engagement in February 2017, a position in which he oversaw health and safety policies for athletes and staff. After two years in this role, on July 31, 2019 he was announced as interim assistant coach on for the Badgers for the 2019–20 season. He was hired by head coach Greg Gard to fill the role of Howard Moore, who left his position as assistant coach after being involved in a car accident that left him with serious injuries. Tucker was known for his ability to develop close relationships with the players, which led him to remain as interim assistant coach throughout the 2020–21 season, enjoying popularity among players and fans alike. Following the conclusion of the 2020–21 season, Tucker applied to become a full-time assistant coach, but Wisconsin officials decided to part ways with him. Allegations surfaced in local media surrounding Tucker's desire to take over the head coaching job, but he later dismissed these as rumors and denied any accusations of wrongdoing. He finished his 2-year stint with a Big Ten Conference Championship for the 2019 regular season and a 39-23 record.

Personal life

During his stint at Hapoel Tel Aviv, Tucker partnered with an Israeli “Hoops for Kids International” non-for-profit organization for speaking engagements, basketball clinics, and mentorship to impoverished children throughout the Middle East. He remains passionate about philanthropy and giving back to the community. He currently resides with his wife, Krystal, and their three sons in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he is a member of the Board of Directors for the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...

' local committee.

Notes

External links

*
ESPN Player Card
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tucker, Alando 1984 births Living people African-American basketball players Albuquerque Thunderbirds players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Bulgaria American expatriate basketball people in France American expatriate basketball people in Israel American expatriate basketball people in Russia American expatriate basketball people in Slovakia American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players Basketball players from Illinois BK Inter Bratislava players CB Gran Canaria players Hapoel Eilat basketball players Hapoel Tel Aviv B.C. players Iowa Energy players Liga ACB players Maccabi Kiryat Gat B.C. players Minnesota Timberwolves players PBC Lokomotiv-Kuban players PBC Academic players People from Lockport, Illinois Phoenix Suns draft picks Phoenix Suns players Shooting guards SLUC Nancy Basket players Small forwards SOMB Boulogne-sur-Mer players Sportspeople from Joliet, Illinois Texas Legends players Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball coaches Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball players 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people