41-Year-Old PF Retires and Will Become an Assistant Coach for the 26-27 Chicago Bulls

Shams Charania reported that after 17 seasons, 41-year-old power forward Taj Gibson is retiring from the NBA. However, he is returning to the Chicago Bulls as an assistant coach under Chicago’s head coach, Tiago Splitter, to begin his coaching career. Over the course of his 17-year career, the 2010 All-Rookie First Team forward played on eight teams, most notably the Bulls, where he started his career and was part of playoff teams that featured Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer, and head coach Tom Thibodeau. Now, Gibson is back where he first started to begin his coaching career.

The Bulls selected Gibson with the 26th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft. The 41-year-old would be played in Chicago until 2017, when he was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder alongside Doug McDermott and a 2018 unprotected second-round pick. A few months later, the 2010 All-Rookie First Team forward signed a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, reuniting with Thibodeau. After his two-year deal in Minnesota, Gibson signed a two-year contract with the New York Knicks, where he was waived multiple times but continued to sign with New York until the 2022 offseason, when the 41-year-old signed a deal with the Washington Wizards. He would be waived by Washington and then re-signed with the Knicks on consecutive 10-day contracts. When New York chose not to re-sign Gibson to another 10-day contract, he signed with the Detroit Pistons. In 2024, the 2010 All-Rookie First Team forward agreed to a deal with the Charlotte Hornets, then signed with the Memphis Grizzlies in February of 2026 to end his playing career.

In 1,012 career games, Gibson averaged around eight points, six rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block per game. The best year of his career was arguably in 2013-2014, when the 41-year-old averaged 13 points, seven rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block per game. During his 17-year career, the 2010 All-Rookie First Team forward made the playoffs nine times. While he may not be a bona fide Hall of Famer, Gibson was an extremely versatile veteran who, later on in his career, impacted a ton of younger players with his toughness and grit. It should be interesting how the 41-year-old will fit into Splitter’s coaching scheme.