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Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional
Gibson played at the
On July 10, 2017, Gibson signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, reuniting himself with coach Tom Thibodeau. He became the second NBA player ever to wear No. 67, in honor of his Brooklyn elementary school, P.S. 67. On November 22, 2017, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 124–118 win over the
USC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Taj 1985 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Minnesota Timberwolves players New York Knicks players Oklahoma City Thunder players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Brooklyn USC Trojans men's basketball players Washington Wizards players
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player for the Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...
of 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 S ...
(NBA). Gibson played 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 ...
for the USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC), located in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ' ...
and was selected 26th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...
. The power forward played mostly a sixth man role off the bench for the Bulls before being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017, later signing with the Minnesota Timberwolves the same year. In 2019, he signed with the Knicks.
Early life and high school career
Gibson was born on June 24, 1985, inBrooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
. He attended P.S. 67 Charles A. Dorsey School in Brooklyn's Fort Greene neighborhood. Gibson began his high school career at Brooklyn's High School of Telecommunication Arts and Technology. He then attended Stoneridge Prep as a sophomore and junior in Tarzana, California
Tarzana is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Tarzana is on the site of a former ranch owned by author Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is named after Burroughs' fictional jungle hero, Tarzan.
History ...
. During his senior year in 2006, he attended Calvary Christian in San Fernando, California.
College career
Gibson played at the University of Southern California
The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in C ...
, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. As one of the oldest freshmen in the country at age 21 in 2007 he was named to the Pac-10 All-Freshman team. He helped beat rival UCLA in 2008. Gibson was named to the 2009 All-Pac 10 Tournament Team by helping the Trojans
Trojan or Trojans may refer to:
* Of or from the ancient city of Troy
* Trojan language, the language of the historical Trojans
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Les Troyens'' ('The Trojans'), an opera by Berlioz, premiered part 1863, part 1890 ...
win the Pacific-10 tournament championship at the Staples Center
Crypto.com Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Los Angeles. Adjacent to the L.A. Live development, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along Figueroa Street. The arena opened on October 17, 1999; it was ...
.
Professional career
Chicago Bulls (2009–2017)
Gibson declared for the2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...
, and was selected 26th overall by the Chicago Bulls. Along with fellow draft pick James Johnson, he signed with the Bulls in July 2009. Gibson was the starting power forward for most of his rookie season with the Bulls and impressed many people with his high energy and good defense. During the All-Star Weekend, Gibson played in the Rookie Challenge
The Rising Stars Challenge is a basketball exhibition game held by the National Basketball Association (NBA) on the Friday before the annual All-Star Game as part of the All-Star Weekend. The current format to be used in 2022 includes first- and ...
, where the Rookie team won for the first time since 2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
. The Bulls made the playoffs, securing the 8th seed in the Eastern Conference. Gibson averaged 7.6 points per game and 7.0 rebounds while the Bulls lost to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round. At the end of his first season, he was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
During the 2010 off-season, the Bulls signed power forward Carlos Boozer
Carlos Austin Boozer Jr. (born November 20, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. The two-time NBA All-Star played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, and Los Angeles Lakers, and then spent his last seas ...
, who was expected to start at the beginning of the season rather than Gibson. But Boozer broke his hand before the pre-season, and Gibson started the first 15 games of the season. After Boozer's return, Gibson moved into a bench role for most of the season. He was selected as a starter for the Sophomore squad in the 2011 NBA Rising Stars challenge at the All-Star weekend, which the Rookie team won 148–140. Gibson played 18 minutes and recorded 8 points. At the end of the season, the Bulls made the playoffs as the first seed in the Eastern Conference. On May 10, 2011, Gibson helped his team take a 3–2 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinals against Atlanta, making all of his 11 points in the fourth quarter.
In May 2012, Gibson was named to the US Select Team, joining Jeremy Lin
Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born August 23, 1988) is a Taiwanese-American professional basketball player who last played for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the Ne ...
, DeMarcus Cousins
DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wild ...
, and Kyrie Irving in practicing with the US Olympic Team in preparation for the 2012 Summer Olympics
The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...
in London. On October 31, 2012, Gibson signed a multi-year rookie scale contract extension with the Bulls. Playing mostly a bench role in 2013–14, Gibson averaged 13 points and 6.8 rebounds on the season and was among the league leaders in blocked shots per game. He finished second in the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award, losing to Jamal Crawford
Aaron Jamal Crawford (born March 20, 1980) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 2000 to 2020. He is regarded as one of the best ball handlers in NBA history,. He was nam ...
. On June 16, 2015, Gibson underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left ankle and was ruled out for four months. During the 2015–16 season, he appeared in 73 games and averaged 8.6 points and 6.9 rebounds.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2017)
On February 23, 2017, Gibson was traded, along with Doug McDermott and an unprotected 2018 second-round draft pick, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange forJoffrey Lauvergne
Joffrey Lauvergne (born 30 September 1991) is a French professional basketball player for ASVEL of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroLeague.. He was drafted 55th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2013 NBA draft, who then traded his rights ...
, Anthony Morrow
Anthony Jarrad Morrow (born September 27, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who is an executive for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Georgia Tech. He ...
, and Cameron Payne
Cameron Payne (born August 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Murray State, and was selected 14th overall by the Oklahoma Cit ...
.
Minnesota Timberwolves (2017–2019)
On July 10, 2017, Gibson signed with the Minnesota Timberwolves, reuniting himself with coach Tom Thibodeau. He became the second NBA player ever to wear No. 67, in honor of his Brooklyn elementary school, P.S. 67. On November 22, 2017, he scored a season-high 24 points in a 124–118 win over the Orlando Magic
The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The franchise was establ ...
. On February 15, 2018, Gibson scored a season-high 28 points against the Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Lakers play their ...
.
New York Knicks (2019–2022)
On July 9, 2019, Gibson signed with theNew York Knicks
The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associat ...
. On November 19, 2020, the Knicks waived Gibson. On January 7, 2021, Gibson re-signed with the Knicks.
He was waived again on July 8, 2022.
Washington Wizards (2022–present)
On July 19, 2022, Gibson signed with theWashington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...
.
Career statistics
NBA
Regular season
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, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
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, -
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, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
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, 62 , , 17 , , 27.3 , , .502 , , , , .717 , , 6.4 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , 10.3
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, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, 73 , , 55 , , 26.5 , , .526 , , .000 , , .692 , , 6.9 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 8.6
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, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
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, 56 , , 55 , , 27.2 , , .523 , , .167 , , .714 , , 6.9 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .9 , , 11.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, 23 , , 16 , , 21.2 , , .497 , , 1.000 , , .718 , , 4.5 , , .6 , , .6 , , .7 , , 9.0
, -
, 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 ...
, 82 , , 82 , , 33.2 , , .577 , , .200 , , .768 , , 7.1 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .7 , , 12.2
, -
, 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 ...
, 70 , , 57 , , 24.1 , , .566 , , .324 , , .757 , , 6.5 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .6 , , 10.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 62 , , 56 , , 16.5 , , .584 , , .286 , , .732 , , 4.3 , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 6.1
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 45 , , 3 , , 20.8 , , .627 , , .200 , , .727 , , 5.6 , , .8 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , 5.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;",
, style="text-align:left;", New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 52 , , 4 , , 18.2 , , .518 , , .395 , , .808 , , 4.4 , , .6 , , .4 , , .8 , , 4.4
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 896 , , 447 , , 24.5 , , .518 , , .257 , , .713 , , 6.1 , , 1.0 , , .6 , , 1.0 , , 9.0
Playoffs
, - , style="text-align:left;",2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
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, subdivision_type = Country
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, 5 , , 5 , , 29.0 , , .421 , , , , .545 , , 7.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , .6 , , 7.6
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, 16 , , 0 , , 17.8 , , .566 , , .000 , , .600 , , 4.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , 1.4 , , 5.9
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, 6 , , 0 , , 22.8 , , .457 , , , , .682 , , 6.5 , , .7 , , .7 , , 1.7 , , 9.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, 12 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .470 , , .000 , , .727 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , .5 , , 6.5
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, 5 , , 0 , , 30.8 , , .561 , , , , .750 , , 6.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , 2.4 , , 18.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2015
File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
, style="text-align:left;", Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
, 12 , , 2 , , 23.0 , , .472 , , , , .700 , , 5.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 7.4
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, style="text-align:left;", Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...
, 5 , , 5 , , 23.6 , , .600 , , , , .875 , , 3.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .0 , , 9.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
, 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 ...
, 5 , , 5 , , 24.6 , , .636 , , , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , .4 , , 6.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...
, style="text-align:left;", New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, 5 , , 3 , , 27.6 , , .600 , , — , , 1.000 , , 7.0 , , .8 , , 1.6 , , 1.0 , , 5.0
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 71 , , 20 , , 22.3 , , .519 , , .000 , , .709 , , 4.9 , , .6 , , .4 , , 1.0 , , 7.8
College
, - , style="text-align:left;", 2006–07 , style="text-align:left;",USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
, 37 , , 37 , , 32.4 , , .558 , , , , .623 , , 8.7 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , 1.9 , , 12.2
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2007–08
, style="text-align:left;", USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
, 33 , , 32 , , 32.1 , , .580 , , , , .594 , , 7.8 , , 1.3 , , .7 , , 2.5 , , 10.8
, -
, style="text-align:left;", 2008–09
, style="text-align:left;", USC
USC most often refers to:
* University of South Carolina, a public research university
** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses
**South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program
* University of ...
, 35 , , 35 , , 33.7 , , .601 , , , , .659 , , 9.0 , , 1.3 , , 1.0 , , 2.9 , , 14.3
, - class="sortbottom"
, style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career
, 105 , , 104 , , 32.7 , , .580 , , , , .629 , , 8.5 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 2.4 , , 12.4
See also
*References
External links
USC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Taj 1985 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from New York City Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Minnesota Timberwolves players New York Knicks players Oklahoma City Thunder players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from Brooklyn USC Trojans men's basketball players Washington Wizards players