Based on his height and measurements — 6-4 with a 7-2 wingspan — Bulls guard/forward Talen Horton-Tucker should have been a football player.
But because of his age and weight — he weighed more than most kids his age — he would have had to play two grade levels up, so he pivoted to basketball.
Horton-Tucker, who played high school ball at Simeon, has lived many lives in his NBA career. He has been a champion (as a rookie with the Lakers in 2020) and a starter, but he also has been yanked in and out of
rotations.
After his contract with the Jazz expired, he conferred with his agents and family and decided that, at 24, it was time to return to Chicago.
‘‘It made more sense,’’ Horton-Tucker told the Sun-Times. ‘‘Where else would be better to try to reinvent myself? There’s no other place to do it than home.’’
After being a one-and-done player at Iowa State, Horton-Tucker was selected by the Magic with the 46th pick of the 2019 NBA Draft and traded to the Lakers. He was traded to the Jazz in 2022, joining a team in transition. He opened last season in their starting lineup but was replaced after eight games.
‘‘With Utah, I learned how to not take things personally, understanding it’s a business to basketball,’’ Horton-Tucker said. ‘‘Being able to be around my family and my mom, you know, she’s built me to be mentally strong. She never wanted anybody to mentally break me.’’
Her teachings would prove to be prudent, as Horton-Tucker dealt with the reality that basketball was no longer just a game but his vocation. His mom instilled in him a confidence and conviction in his talents, but it’s still hard for him to reconcile that basketball is more of a business than he had anticipated.
‘‘It’s definitely hard,’’ Horton-Tucker said. ‘‘It’s still hard to this day. But, you know,
experience is the best teacher. You grow up and go through situations and experience things and learn how to maneuver with them when they come up again.’’
Horton-Tucker bet on himself by signing a partially guaranteed contract with the Bulls and ended up winning a roster spot out of training camp. He believed in his talent, but he needed an opportunity. He is averaging 6.2 points and two rebounds in 12.3 minutes this season.
‘‘I don’t think he should have been here,’’ guard Lonzo Ball told the Sun-Times. ‘‘I don’t know how he ended up here, but thank God that [he’s] here. We talk all the time, like, ‘We don’t know how you got here, but we’ll take you.’ ’’
Horton-Tucker stared at the various Bulls logos that adorn the team’s practice facility and still can’t believe he’s wearing the jersey of his hometown team. Being away from Chicago, however, was necessary for Horton-Tucker to continue to mature. Being away helped him appreciate home even more.
‘‘It’s so crazy for me being here in Chicago [and] playing for the Bulls,’’ Horton-Tucker said. ‘‘I remember when [former Simeon star Jabari Parker] was on the Bulls, and I used to come back, come in here and work out at night in the summer. I never thought that I’d be playing here.’’
