Talen Horton-Tucker

BIOGRAPHY

Talen Horton-Tucker was born on November 25, 2000, in Chicago, Illinois. He is a guard in the NBA.

Talen Horton-Tucker went to St. Matthias School from first grade to eighth grade. He played on the basketball team there from 4th grade until he graduated. He was always one of the stars on the team and his classmates often told him he would make it to the NBA. Horton-Tucker played at Simeon Career Academy where he helped the Wolverines to three-straight City Championships. His number 5 was later retired at St. Matthias after he was accepted into Iowa State.

As a freshman, Horton-Tucker averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals in 27 minutes per game. Horton-Tucker declared for the 2019 NBA draft after his freshman season. A few days later teammate Lindell Wigginton declared as well. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc. 

On June 20, 2019, Horton-Tucker was selected 46th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic while later the draft right was acquired by the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for a 2020 second round pick and cash considerations. On July 13, 2019, Horton-Tucker signed with the Los Angeles Lakers.

He made his NBA debut on December 8, 2019, against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He received a larger role during the NBA Bubble as the Lakers had clinched the best record in the Western Conference and even started in the regular-season finale. On September 12, 2020, Horton-Tucker scored 9 points in 10 minutes off the bench in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals, helping the Lakers secure a 119-96 victory against the Houston Rockets and advance into the next round. Horton-Tucker won an NBA championship when the Lakers defeated the Miami Heat in the 2020 NBA Finals in 6 games. He became the second-youngest player in NBA history to win a championship, at 19 years and 322 days.

After a strong preseason, Horton-Tucker became a regular rotational player in the 2020-21 regular season. On January 10, 2021, he scored a career-high 17 points off the bench in the team's 120–102 win over the Houston Rockets. On February 4, 2021, he scored 17 points off the bench in the team's 114-93 win over the Denver Nuggets. On March 15, 2021, he scored a new career-high 18 points and recorded a career-high 10 assists in the team's 128-97 win over the Golden State Warriors.

n August 25, 2022, Horton-Tucker was traded, alongside Stanley Johnson, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Patrick Beverley.