Life in the NBA can change in a flash. This is the lesson the former Los Angeles Lakers star is trying to learn.
NBA players need to consistently earn Keep. Playing in the best basketball league in the world means that the stars have to show they belong.
And while superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry don’t really need to worry about their place in the league, the same cannot be said about Fringe players.
For players who have lost their spot in the NBA, the next best option is to go to Europe and find a way to rebuild their fairness and return.
That’s exactly what the former Los Angeles Lakers star is expected to do. For the player LeBron James once praised, it was a long fall from grace.
Recently we learned that former LA Lakers star Taren Horton Tucker is approaching a deal with Fenerbafe after his contract with the Chicago Bulls expired.
What once felt like a promising career has come to an unexpected and disappointing turn. Horton-Tucker was considered a future star and won a $30 million contract with the Lakers in 2021.
One of Horton-Tucker’s biggest fans was Lebron James. Thatt was signed to Klutch Sports and was represented by Rich Paul, an agent of James and longtime friends.
And after a great performance by the Lakers in 2020, LeBron James took him to social media and called Taren Horton Tucker a special talent.
Talen Horton-Tucker’s trip to Fenerbahce may seem like the end of his hopes of becoming an NBA star, but that doesn’t have to be.
If Horton-Tucker is using the opportunity to improve the game and remind league executives of why league executives were considered one of the most powerful prospects in the NBA.
A short stint in Europe allowed THT to return to the NBA in the future to open up a way to pick up his career from where he left off.
Horton-Tucker has control over his own future, so the choice is up to him. If he treats this as a bright opportunity, he can find success again.