TRENT Tucker won an NBA championship with Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls but will always be remembered for a different reason.

Tucker spent 11 seasons in professional basketball and played 663 games with the New York Knicks.

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Trent Tucker with New York a year after hitting an infamous game winnerCredit: Getty

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Trent Tucker in his lone year with Michael Jordan’s NBA best Chicago BullsCredit: Getty
But a single successful shot linked Tucker with NBA history and created a new rule that has become associated with Tucker’s name.

On January 15, 1990 the Knicks shooting guard sank a crazy 3-pointer that gave New York a last-second 109-106 victory over Jordan’s Bulls.

“I can remember the play just like it was yesterday,” Tucker previously told New York magazine.

“The play was designed to throw a lob pass to Patrick Ewing, but Michael Jordan read the play, and he took away that first option. And at that time, we didn’t have a second option.

Tucker added: “I just kind of improvised and knew that Mark Jackson was up against the five-second count on the sideline.

“I ran in front of him, and he gave me a little flip pass, and I turned and shot the ball as quickly as I could. And lucky for us on that day the ball went in.”

Chicago coach Phil Jackson rightfully complained that there was no way Tucker could have successfully made the long-range shot with only 0.1 seconds left in the game.

Eventually the NBA adjusted its rules, stipulating that 0.3 seconds must be left in a game for a full shot to be attempted.

Thus, the Trent Tucker rule was born.

Tip-ins and lobs can count with less time.

But the Trent Tucker rule ensures that a player must have enough available time to receive a pass and complete the motion of a shot before the final buzzer sounds.

“If basketball stays around for a long time, somehow, some way, my name will always be mentioned in that situation,” Tucker said.

Tucker, a 6ft 5ins guard, played for the Knicks from 1982 to 1991.

New York was playoff regulars during Tucker’s tenure, including multiple appearances in the Eastern Conference semifinals under coaches that included Hubie Brown and Rick Pitino.

A late-career move to Chicago also changed the arc of Tucker’s career.

The Bulls were on top of the NBA world in 1992, featuring Scottie Pippen, Jordan and Jackson, who once complained there was no way that Tucker could have successfully made a game winner against Chicago with 0.1 seconds left on the shot clock.

Tucker played in 69 games for the 1992-93 Bulls.

Three years after being at the heart of the new Trent Tucker Rule, the ex-Knick became a member of an NBA champion Chicago squad with Jordan at the lead.