People, Locations, Episodes

Trent Tucker, Athlete, and Administrator born

Trent Tucker

Trent Tucker was born on this date in 1959. He is a retired Black basketball player, administrator, and community activist.

Born in Tarboro, N.C., he is the youngest of four children. Tucker started playing basketball when he was seven and graduated from Northwestern High School in Flint, MI.  His family life was instrumental in the values he adopted as an adult. His mother and father insisted on good school work and community values. Tucker enrolled at the University of Minnesota on a basketball scholarship in 1978. His team won a Big 10 Conference Championship in his senior year.

Drafted sixth in the first round by the National Basketball Association (NBA) in 1982, Tucker started his career with the New York Knicks and played 11 seasons as a professional ballplayer. He played in 61 playoff games and holds the Chicago Bulls record for most 3-pointers in one game. Tucker ranks fifth in 3-point field goal percentage in the history of the entire NBA.

After retiring from sports in 1993, Tucker worked as a “broadcast analyst” for the Minnesota Timberwolves and was heard on KFAN radio. Also, since his retirement, Tucker has been very active in the Minnesota communities as an educator and philanthropist. His basketball camp (named after him) has been an annual event for nearly 20 years in Minneapolis to serve his community.

In 1998, he started his own non-profit dedicated to empowering youth to make positive choices, increase self-respect, and develop a vision for the future. His Youth Program is an after-school program that works with students in grades six to eight using corporate facilities. Students in the program meet twice weekly during the school year and go on monthly field trips. These students remain in the program through grade eight. At-risk youth come from the inner city and the suburbs as well.

Tucker is sensitive to vulnerable youth growing up in communities that do not provide opportunities to develop a vision for their future. For this reason, he believes that many youths are failing in school, becoming involved in negative activities, and, if not given opportunities to succeed, will give up hope for the future. The Trent Tucker Non-profit is making a difference in the lives of countless young people.

In 2005, he finished his degree at the University of Minnesota. In 2007, Tucker joined the University of Minnesota as a Community Outreach and Youth Development Coordinator.  He was also the athletic director of Minneapolis Public School until 2018.

To become a Professional Athlete.