Taj Gibson played the first 8-plus seasons of his career with Chicago after being drafted No. 26 overall in 2009.
Veteran NBA center Taj Gibson officially closed the chapter on his playing career and started his coaching career on Monday after 17 seasons in the league.
Gibson, who announced his retirement on social media, will join the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach on Tiago Splitter’s coaching staff.
Today is a very emotional day for me.
After 17 seasons in the NBA, I can honestly say I gave this game everything I had.
Basketball gave me the opportunity to live a dream. As a kid from Brooklyn, NY, I was lucky to get a chance to display my talent on the biggest stage. From… pic.twitter.com/tQAgHoUYl6
— Taj Gibson (@TajGibson) September 14, 2026
“After 17 seasons in the NBA, I can honestly say I gave this game everything I had,” Gibson said on social media. “But this isn’t goodbye to basketball. It’s the beginning of a new chapter.”
Gibson started his career in Chicago in 2009 and played eight-plus seasons with the Bulls as the team’s hard-nosed leader off the bench. He played with seven different franchises (Oklahoma City, Minnesota, New York, Washington, Detroit, Charlotte and Memphis) over the final nine seasons of his career.
Gibson retires with career averages of 8.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.0 blocks over 1,012 games.
Chicago will always love Taj 🫡
Congrats on retirement, @TajGibson! pic.twitter.com/roCcna7DaM
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) September 14, 2026
