Taj Jami Gibson (born June 24, 1985) is an American professional

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 (appro ...

player for the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team ...

of the

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

(NBA). He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

USC Trojans The USC Trojans (also Southern California Trojans) are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles. While the men's teams are nicknamed the ...

and was selected 26th overall by the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

in the

2009 NBA draft The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at The Theater at Madison Square Garden 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 p ...

. A

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to center (basketball), centers and are typi ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, Gibson previously played for the Bulls,

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

New 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 Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

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 Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays i ...

, and

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

Early life

Gibson was born on June 24, 1985, in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. He attended P.S. 67 Charles A. Dorsey School in Brooklyn's

Fort Greene Fort Greene is a neighborhood in the northwestern part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Flushing Avenue and the Brooklyn Navy Yard to the north, Flatbush Avenue Extension and Downtown Brooklyn to the w ...

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. His ...

. During his senior year in 2006, he attended Calvary Christian in

San Fernando, California San Fernando (Spanish language, Spanish for "Ferdinand III of Castile, St. Ferdinand") is a General-law municipality, general-law city in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It ...

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 ...

, where he was a member of the

Phi Kappa Psi Phi Kappa Psi (), commonly known as Phi Psi, is an American collegiate social fraternity that was founded at Jefferson College in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania in 1852. The fraternity has over ninety chapters at accredited four-year colleges and uni ...

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 (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2009–2017)

Gibson declared for the

, and was selected 26th overall by the

. 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, where the Rookie team won for the first time since

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

. 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. Taj Gibson Chicago Bulls 2009

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 season ...

, 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 for the New Taipei Kings of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He unexpectedly led a winning turnaround with the New York Knick ...

DeMarcus Cousins DeMarcus Amir Cousins (born August 13, 1990) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Mets de Guaynabo of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional. Nicknamed "Boogie", he played college basketball for the Kentucky Wildcats, ...

, and

Kyrie Irving Kyrie Andrew Irving ( ; , ; born March 23, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was named the Rookie of the Year after being selected by the Cleveland Cav ...

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, were 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. Nicknamed "J-Crossover", he is regarded as one of the best ball handlers in ...

. 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 Douglas Richard McDermott (born January 3, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). While playing college basketball for the Creighton Bluejays, McDermott led the ...

and an unprotected 2018 second-round draft pick, to the

in exchange for

Joffrey Lauvergne Joffrey Lauvergne (born 30 September 1991) is a French professional basketball player for LDLC ASVEL of the French LNB Élite and the EuroLeague. He was drafted 55th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2013 NBA draft, who then traded his ...

Anthony Morrow Anthony Jarrad Morrow (born September 27, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player and executive who was most recently an executive for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college b ...

, and

Cameron Payne Cameron Payne (born August 8, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Murray State and was selected 14th overall by the Oklahoma ...

Minnesota Timberwolves (2017–2019)

On July 10, 2017, Gibson signed with the

, reuniting himself with coach

Tom Thibodeau Thomas Joseph Thibodeau Jr. ( ; born January 17, 1958), nicknamed "Thibs" ( ), is an American basketball coach who was most recently the head coach for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He served as an assistant co ...

. 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 Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

New York Knicks (2019–2022)

On July 9, 2019, Gibson signed with his hometown team the

. 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 (2022–2023)

On July 19, 2022, Gibson signed with the

. On September 15, 2023, Gibson re-signed with the Wizards, but was waived on October 23.

Return to New York (2023–2024)

On December 15, 2023, Gibson signed a one-year deal with the

, returning for a second stint with the franchise. However, he was waived on January 7, 2024. After two weeks, Gibson signed consecutive 10-day contracts on January 30 and February 10 respectively.

Detroit Pistons (2024)

On March 6, 2024, Gibson signed a 10-day contract with the

followed by a rest-of-season contract on March 16.

Charlotte Hornets (2024–present)

On July 13, 2024, Gibson signed a 1-year, $3.3M contract with the

. On April 9 2025, Gibson played his 1000th NBA game, in a loss to the Toronto Raptors. He finished with 2 points and 5 rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 70 , , 26.9 , , .494 , , , , .646 , , 7.5 , , .9 , , .6 , , 1.3 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 19 , , 21.8 , , .466 , , .125 , , .676 , , 5.7 , , .7 , , .7, , 1.3 , , 7.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 0 , , 20.4 , , .495 , , , , .622 , , 5.3 , , .7 , , .4 , , 1.3 , , 7.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 5 , , 22.5 , , .485 , , .000 , , .679 , , 5.3 , , .9 , , .4 , , 1.4 , , 8.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 8 , , 28.7 , , .479 , , .000 , , .751 , , 6.8 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , 1.4 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 62 , , 17 , , 27.3 , , .502 , , , , .717 , , 6.4 , , 1.1 , , .6 , , 1.2 , , 10.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 73 , , 55 , , 26.5 , , .526 , , .000 , , .692 , , 6.9 , , 1.5 , , .6 , , 1.1 , , 8.6 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 55 , , 55 , , 27.3 , , .521 , , .167 , , .714 , , 6.9 , , 1.1 , , .5 , , .9 , , 11.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

, 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 U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , style="background:#cfecec;", 82* , , 33.2 , , .577 , , .200 , , .768 , , 7.1 , , 1.2 , , .8 , , .7 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 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 (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, 62 , , 56 , , 16.5 , , .584 , , .286 , , .732 , , 4.3 , , .8 , , .4 , , .5 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 45 , , 3 , , 20.8 , , .627 , , .200 , , .727 , , 5.6 , , .8 , , .7 , , 1.1 , , 5.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 52 , , 4 , , 18.2 , , .518 , , .395 , , .808 , , 4.4 , , .6 , , .4 , , .8 , , 4.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, 49 , , 2 , , 9.8 , , .520 , , .333 , , .714 , , 1.9 , , .7 , , .3 , , .2 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2, , style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 1 , , 10.3 , , .304 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 1.8 , , .6 , , .1 , , .4 , , 1.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, 4 , , 0 , , 9.8 , , .571 , , .500 , , , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .3 , , .3 , , 4.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte most commonly refers to: *Charlotte (given name), a feminine form of the given name Charles ** Princess Charlotte (disambiguation) ** Queen Charlotte (disambiguation) *Charlotte, North Carolina, United States, a city * Charlotte (cake) ...

, 37 , , 11 , , 11.1 , , .495 , , .500 , , .600 , , 3.2 , , .6 , , .2 , , .5 , , 2.9 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,002 , , 461 , , 23.0 , , .517 , , .266 , , .712 , , 5.7 , , .9 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 8.4

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 29.0 , , .421 , , , , .545 , , 7.0 , , .6 , , .2 , , .6 , , 7.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 16 , , 0 , , 17.8 , , .566 , , .000 , , .600 , , 4.1 , , .6 , , .3 , , 1.4 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 6 , , 0 , , 22.8 , , .457 , , , , .682 , , 6.5 , , .7 , , .7 , , 1.7 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 0 , , 17.2 , , .470 , , .000 , , .727 , , 3.0 , , .3 , , .3 , , .5 , , 6.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 30.8 , , .561 , , , , .750 , , 6.2 , , .4 , , .4 , , 2.4 , , 18.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 2 , , 23.0 , , .472 , , , , .700 , , 5.5 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , 1.0 , , 7.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 23.6 , , .600 , , , , .875 , , 3.6 , , .6 , , .2 , , .0 , , 9.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 5 , , 24.6 , , .636 , , , , 1.000 , , 4.0 , , .4 , , .2 , , .4 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 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 may refer to: Education United States * Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico * University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina ** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina * ...

, 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;",

, 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;",

, 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

References

External links

USC Trojans bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gibson, Taj 1985 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Brooklyn Centers (basketball) Charlotte Hornets players Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players Detroit Pistons players Minnesota Timberwolves players New York Knicks players Oklahoma City Thunder players Power forwards USC Trojans men's basketball players Washington Wizards players

Early life

College career

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2009–2017)

Oklahoma City Thunder (2017)

Minnesota Timberwolves (2017–2019)

New York Knicks (2019–2022)

Washington Wizards (2022–2023)

Return to New York (2023–2024)

Detroit Pistons (2024)

Charlotte Hornets (2024–present)

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

See also

References

External links