He played college basketball for the USC Trojans and was selected 26th overall by the Chicago Bulls in the 2009 NBA draft.

A power forward/center, Gibson previously played for the Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves, New York Knicks, Washington Wizards, and Detroit Pistons.

Gibson played at the University of Southern California, where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity.

[4] 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.

[5] During the 2010 off-season, the Bulls signed power forward Carlos Boozer, who was expected to start at the beginning of the season rather than Gibson.

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.

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.

[9] 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.

[12] On February 23, 2017, Gibson was traded, along with Doug McDermott and an unprotected 2018 second-round draft pick, to the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for Joffrey Lauvergne, Anthony Morrow, and Cameron Payne.

[26] On December 15, 2023, Gibson signed a one-year deal with the New York Knicks, returning for a second stint with the franchise.