“Taj Gibson: A Journey from Brooklyn to the NBA at 38”

In the 2022-23 season, the 41-year-old Heat team spirit Udonis Haslem announced his retirement, and the 39-year-old Warriors veteran Andre Iguodala, who played only 8 games, also has a high probability of hanging up his sneakers at the end of the season.

If there is no accident, the 39-year-old LeBron James will become the league’s oldest player in the 23-24 season, which also means that if he does not choose to retire after the contract ends, then the 38-year-old Taj Gibson will become the league’s second-oldest player.

To be honest, under the current style of playing three-pointers, a restricted player like Taj Gibson who is not tall but has no three-point ability is really the only one remaining.

I’m from Brooklyn, New York.
My first job was as a mover for a moving company.
There, I learned how to be a man and how to manage my finances.
When I was 12 years old, I realized that basketball might be my future.

Like many players from New York, Gibson came from a modest family background, which led him to work as a mover for a moving company in high school to supplement his family income. For such a player, making it to the NBA is tantamount to having a reversal of fate. Therefore, from a very young age, Gibson regarded playing basketball as his whole life, and even skipped classes several times to fight bullfights with others on the street. I’m making up for my schoolwork. Let him be 21 years old when he entered the university, making him the oldest “freshman”.

At the time, I didn’t think I could play in the NBA.
I just miss college and go to college to play.
Fortunately, USC wanted me.

However, compared to his academic struggles, Gibson’s talent in basketball is quite outstanding. Perhaps it was cultivated in street basketball in the past. Gibson is full of fighting spirit as soon as he plays, and he is not afraid of any challenges. At the same time, because he regards basketball as the only The way out made him very serious in training. He was once thought to be too thin and lacking in confrontation when he entered school. Regardless of whether he cooperates with DeMar DeRozan or the later genius OJ Mayo, Gibson can pay a certain amount of performance in the interior, allowing the team to win the Pacific League championship in the 2007-08 season. (Extended reading: The regrettable top three picks in the 2008 draft (2)-OJ Mayo)

“A consistent and efficient player with good flexibility and mobility.”
“For a player in the penalty area, his mid-range and rebound judgment is very good.”
“But also by the standards of a box player, he’s too short and too thin, which could limit him at higher levels.”

In terms of physical condition, the height of 6 feet 9 inches (about 206 centimeters) belongs to the figure of a striker, but it has to be carried to the penalty area. In 2009, when the penalty area players were still one inch long and one inch strong, Gibson The opening conditions of the team are actually quite unfavorable, because he has to compete for rebounds with a bunch of players who are a head taller than him when he plays in the penalty area.

To make matters worse, the Bulls that selected him with the 26th overall pick picked James Johnson at the 16th overall. His position and play style overlapped, but Johnson was two years younger than Gibson. In terms of dribbling and passing, Johnson obviously has more potential than Gibson. This makes Gibson not only have to face the challenges of the external environment, but also must compete internally to prove that he can stay in this league.

Judging from the performance in the first year, Gibson undoubtedly played a successful rookie season. Although he is short, his aggressive attitude and solid defensive skills and awareness allowed him to gain the trust of the coach in the first year. He played in 82 games with full attendance and started 70 games. He averaged 26.9 minutes, 9 points, 7.5 rebounds (the highest among rookies this year), and 1.3 blocks per game, which made him selected to the first rookie team of the year.

And his competitor Johnson, because of his overweight and lazy training attitude, only averaged 11 minutes of playing time per game, scoring 3.9 points and 2 rebounds. (Extended reading: Martial artist delayed by basketball! James Johnson’s basketball road from all-around striker to tough guy bodyguard)

the man who influenced his career

He was a little out of focus on the court.
This is understandable.
Sometimes when I give a play, he doesn’t know what to do.
But we still want to communicate with him and hope that he will come through.

During the offseason, Gibson ushered in changes both on and off the court. First, the Bulls signed star forward Charlos Boozer and coached Tom Thibodeau, which meant Gibson not only went from starting in the paint to being a sixth man off the bench, but also had to readjust to the new coach’s system.