Talen Horton-Tucker is an American professional basketball player who plays shooting guard for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
Because of his accomplishments with Simeon, leading the Wolverines to three consecutive City Championships, the youngster attracted a lot of attention.
Horton-Tucker committed to Iowa State after finishing his illustrious high school career and played for one season before joining the NBA.
On Nov 20, 2018, he had his breakout performance at the Maui Invitational, scoring 26 points, 6 assists, and 14 rebounds in a win over Illinois.
With scouts watching players like Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett, among others, Horton-Tucker’s performance immediately caught the attention of the NBA teams.
The Orlando Magic drafted Horton-Tucker in the 2019 NBA draft and he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Later, the shooting guard was traded to Utah Jazz.
Talen Horton-Tucker received a 72 overall rating from NBA2K creators in the 2021 edition. In NBA 2022, after his performance improved, his rating increased to 76.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Talen Jalee Horton-Tucker |
| Known As | Talen Horton-Tucker |
| Nickname | The Sponge |
| Birth Date | November 25, 2000 |
| Birth Place | Chicago, Illinois |
| Residence | Not Available |
| Religion | Christianity |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | African American |
| Education | Simeon (Chicago, Illinois) and Iowa State (2018–2019) |
| Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
| Father’s Name | Marlin Tucker |
| Mother’s Name | Shirley Horton |
| Siblings | Not Available |
| Age | 23 Years Old |
| Height | 6’4″/1.93 m/193 cm |
| Weight | 106 kg/234 lb. |
| Eye Color | Brown |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Body Type | Athletic |
| Profession | Basketball Player |
| Marital Status | Single |
| Girlfriend | Not Available |
| Children | None |
| Active since | 2019–present |
| Teams |
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| Achievements |
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| Endorsements | Nike |
| Net Worth | $1-$4 million |
| Salary | $10.2 million |
| NBA Draft Pick | 2019 / Round: 2 / Pick: 46th overall |
| Position | Shooting Guard |
| League | NBA |
| Merch | Rookie Card |
| Social Media | Instagram, Twitter |
| Last Update | April 2024 |
Early Life
Horton-Tucker is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Smith, his school coach, never imagined he’d end up at Simeon as he grew up to become one of Chicago’s best eighth-graders.
The shooting guard was a huge fan of Simeon and Derrick Rose. The athlete said he looked up to all the older kids he saw at the Uplift Community High School gym in Uptown.
Future standouts at Lincoln Park and Whitney Young, such as Derrick Randolph and Greg Tucker, went head-to-head with the best Chicago had to offer.
Tucker, who graduated from Lincoln Park High School in 2010, eventually invited Horton-Tucker to play on the older kids’ court.
They grew close — he wasn’t family, but he felt like it, and according to Horton-Tucker, Tucker taught him to be proud of his basketball roots.
Early Career
Horton–Tucker was a member of the Simeon Career Academy basketball team, where he helped the Wolverines win three consecutive City Championships.
The athlete committed to Iowa State in October 2017 over schools like Illinois and Xavier. Talen was a four-star recruit, according to ESPN.
In a win over Illinois on November 20, 2018, Horton–Tucker scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds.
With 27 minutes per game as a freshman, he averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals.
After his freshman year, Horton–Tucker declared for the 2019 NBA draft.
2019 NBA Draft
The Orlando Magic selected Horton–Tucker with the 46th overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft on June 20, 2019.
He was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft night in exchange for a 2020 second-round draft pick and cash considerations.
Horton–Tucker signed with the Los Angeles Lakers on July 13, 2019, and was assigned to the Lakers’ NBA G league affiliate.
On December 8, 2019, he made his NBA debut against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
During the NBA Bubble, when the Lakers had clinched the best record in the Western Conference, he was given a bigger role and even started the regular-season finale.
Talen scored 9 points in 10 minutes off the bench in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals on September 12, 2020, to help the Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 119–96 and advance to the next round.
When the Lakers beat the Miami Heat in six games in the NBA Finals in 2020, Horton-Tucker won his first championship.
At 19 years and 322 days, he became the second-youngest player in NBA history to win a championship.
Regular Rotational Player
After a strong preseason, Talen Horton-Tucker became a regular rotational player in the 2020–21 regular season.
He scored his then career-high 17 points off the bench in the team’s 120–102 win over the Houston Rockets on January 10, 2021.
The shooting guard came off the bench to score 17 points in the team’s 114–93 win over the Denver Nuggets on February 4.
In the team’s 128–97 victory over the Golden State Warriors on March 15, he set his then-new career-high 18 points and 10 assists.
Horton-Tucker was suspended for one game on April 8 for leaving the bench during a fight between the Los Angeles Lakers vs. the Toronto Raptors.
He hit the game-winning three-pointer in a 101–99 overtime win over the New York Knicks on May 11.
On October 11, 2021, it was declared that Talen would be out for at least four weeks due to surgery to repair torn ligaments in his right thumb.
Utah Jazz
The Lakers traded Horton-Tucker, alongside Stanley Johnson, to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Patrick Beverley.
His debut for the Jazz came in a 123-102 win over the Nuggets on October 19, where he scored 3 points and 2 steals.
Age, Height & Weight
Talen was born on November 25, 2000, which makes him 23 years old.
Horton-Tucker stands at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) tall with a wingspan of 7 feet 1 inch (2.15 meters) and weighs 106 kg (234 pounds).
With his size and length, the shooting guard can defend almost any position on the court.
He has excellent defensive instincts, toughness, and length, as well as the ability to deflect the ball, and has made some incredible plays.
The Jazz shooting guard was born under the zodiac sign of Sagittarius. People born under this sign are believed to have a visionary soul. They appear to be loners, but they seek ways to connect with others.
Family
Shirey Horton and Marlin Tucker are the proud parents of the NBA player, Talen Horton-Tucker.
Growing up, his parents were his role models, encouraging him to play basketball.
His mother worked as an elementary school teacher at McCutcheon Elementary and Nash Elementary on the North and West Sides.
She knew the kids in the neighborhood, and if Horton-Tucker did something wrong, his mother would be the first to know.
Horton-Tucker reflects on his childhood, which he describes as “under the spotlight,” knowing that it helped him lay the groundwork for a bright future.
Losing Loved Ones
Marlin Tucker, Talen’s father, died of a heart attack in late April 2016, just two days before his 42nd birthday.
The next day, mourning Horton-Tucker competed in an Indianapolis tournament showing his dedication towards this sport.
The former Simeon point guard Lt. Saieed Ivey, who was one of the reasons Horton-Tucker chose Simeon, was brutally shot and killed outside a Los Angeles apartment complex in his freshman year at East Los Angeles College in the early morning hours of June 9.
It happened just days before Iowa State University offered the Jazz shooting guard a full scholarship.
Four months later, Greg Tucker, his cousin, was shot in the head and killed in what appeared to be an arbitrary drive-by on the North Side.
Horton-Tucker struggled with the deaths of his loved ones, according to Smith, and went through a period where he wasn’t himself as a person or a player.
Relationships
Horton-Tucker keeps his personal life away from the limelight and hasn’t revealed much about it to the public.
He is, however, rumored to have a girlfriend, though no confirmation has been provided.
On his prom night, the former Lakers guard was seen with a woman named Kharaan, and the two are rumored to be dating.
His Instagram features a picture of a beautiful little princess, who appears to be his daughter.
However, we are not able to confirm if she is the daughter of Talen, and information about the girl’s mother is still in the blinds.
Net Worth
After signing a 2-year rookie contract worth $2.4 million with the Lakers, Talen agreed to a three-year/$30.78 million deal on August 6, 2021.
The 23-year-old, in his three seasons with the Lakers, earned around $12 million. After being traded to the Jazz, he bagged $10,260,000 in the 2022-23 season.
Earning a total of $33,140,147 so far in his career, Talen is estimated to have a net worth of $1 million to $4 million.
For the 2023-24 season, the shooting guard is expected to earn $11,020,000 as a base salary.
Since his rookie year in the league, Horton-Tucker has been wearing Nike sneakers. The former Lakers player has worn Nike Kobe V, VII, and VIII, as well as Kyrie Irving’s signature sneakers.
LeBron James Impressed By Talen Horton-Tucker
After seeing one high school game from Talen, LeBron James told his agent, Rich Paul, that he should start managing Horton-Tucker.
In training camp, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said he’s seen “nothing but greatness” from his former teammate. He made an impression during the preseason and in his limited playoff appearances for the Lakers.
He’s started to rise in the collective mind of the basketball community, where he’s on the verge of becoming a legend.
Playing Style
On a fast break, Horton-Tucker takes the ball and slices through the defense before hurling down a monstrous one-handed tomahawk dunk.
It’s something he’s done so many times throughout his NBA career that it’s starting to feel like a habit.
When you watch Tucker compete, you get the impression he’s a young man with a chip on his shoulder who wants to prove himself.
Talen plays with a level of aggression that has been compared to Kobe Bryant‘s or Paul Pierce’s killer instincts in the past.
Despite the highlights and star-studded performances, Talen pronounced his presence among some of the country’s top players. Perhaps this is why Chicago has embraced him so warmly.
We’ve seen glimpses of his impressive plays, acknowledged what he’s capable of, and we can’t wait to see him wreak havoc in the coming seasons.
Motivation To Excel
Talen’s journey hasn’t been easy, to say the least. Others may have succumbed if they had been through similar circumstances, but Talen persisted.
After you get past his tough exterior and on-court toughness, you’ll find a quiet young man who has had to mature much more quickly than the average adolescent.
Talen’s grandmother, Paulette Horton, died at the age of 13 after a nearly year-long battle with colon cancer.
One of the lessons Talen has learned and put into practice is to set an example for his community’s youth, just as his grandmother did before him.
Talen’s journey has been filled with heartbreak and pain, but his story is far from over. The athlete is already a Chicago legend and ready to take on even greater challenges.
Social Media Presence
Talen Horton-Tucker is apparently not much of a social media guy. However, the shooting guard finds time to post pictures of his basketball games, keeping his followers entertained and updated every once in a while.
He is available on Instagram under the handle @5talen and Twitter @Thortontucker.
Instagram: 361k followers
Twitter: 77.8k followers
Popularity
Only starting his NBA career in 2019, he is already an NBA champion and has gained his fair share of fans from all around the world.
The above graph illustrates the fluctuating popularity of Talen Horton-Tucker based on Google searches in the United States over a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Talen Horton-Tucker injured?
Horton-Tucker suffered an ankle injury on January 8, 2023. Besides, during his time with the Lakers in the 2021-22 season, he underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his right thumb.
Is Talen Horton-Tucker a starter?
Talen Horton-Tucker is included in the starting lineup for the Utah Jazz alongside Ochai Agbaji, Lauri Markkanen, Simone Fontecchio, and Kelly Olynyk.
Who is Talen Horton-Tucker's wife?
Horton-Tucker is reportedly not married.
