A 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) shooting guard, Tucker attended the University of Minnesota from 1978 to 1982, leading them to a Big Ten Conference championship in his senior year.

On 30 November 1982, in his NBA debut, Tucker outscored the opposing Utah Jazz 17–11 in the third quarter.

[2] On January 15, 1990, when Tucker was with New York, with 0.1 of a second remaining in a game against the Chicago Bulls, he got off a wild three-point shot before the buzzer and made the basket.

After Bulls' coach Phil Jackson vociferously complained following the game, the NBA immediately established a rule, which states that 0.3 needs to be on the clock in order for a player to get a shot off whether they make it or not.

[3] After retiring, Tucker worked as a broadcast analyst for Minnesota Timberwolves basketball games.