Tripucka grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey, and was a three-year starter from 1974 to 1977 for the Bloomfield High School boys' basketball team. In three varsity seasons he scored 2,278 points, including 1,045 during his senior campaign, and his jersey was retired by Bloomfield High School. Tripucka also was a four-year starter at Notre Dame, and led the Irish in scoring each year. He also helped lead them to the NCAA Tournament in each of his four years.
NBA career
Detroit Pistons
Tripucka was selected 12th overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 1981 NBA draft. He proved to be a prolific scorer, averaging 21.6 points per game, and he made the All-Star team in his rookie year. The following season Tripucka had his best season as a professional, averaging a career-best 26.5 points and 4.1 assists per game. He played in only 58 games, however. In his third season with the Pistons, Tripucka continued to play well, averaging 21.3 points per game, and qualified for the All-Star team a second time in three seasons. He helped lead the Pistons to their first playoff appearance since the 1976–77 season, but they were eliminated in five games in the first round. The following season Tripucka played in only 55 games and averaged 19.1 points per game. He did start all 9 playoff games, however, and helped the Pistons advance to the second round. The 1985–86 season, Tripucka's fifth, was another successful one. He missed only one game during the regular season, averaged 20 points per game, and helped lead the Pistons to a third straight post-season appearance. In the playoffs, however, the Pistons were eliminated in the first round.
Utah Jazz
After five successful seasons in Detroit, the Pistons traded Tripucka and teammate Kent Benson to the Utah Jazz for Adrian Dantley and future draft picks. Tripucka and Jazz coach Frank Layden didn't get along with each other; at the time, Layden was beginning to build the team around the talents of John Stockton and Karl Malone, and Tripucka was upset at his lack of involvement in the offense. He had two lackluster seasons with the franchise, averaging only 9.1 points per game during his two seasons with the team. The Jazz qualified for the playoffs during both of those seasons, but he didn't make much of an impact. During the 1988 NBA playoffs, he would only appear in two games.
Charlotte Hornets
After two frustrating seasons with the Jazz, he was traded to the Charlotte Hornets for Mike Brown. In his first season with the Hornets, he returned to his All-Star form, leading the Hornets with 22.6 points per game. In a game between the Hornets and the Jazz in 1989, shortly after Layden resigned as the Jazz's coach, Karl Malone expressed his devotion to Layden by writing "FRANK" on the heels of his sneakers. In a mock gesture, Tripucka responded by writing "DICK" on the back of his shoes. The move was seen as a jab at Layden and Malone, who Tripucka felt ran him out of Utah. In Tripucka's second season with the Hornets, he averaged 15.6 points per game, but the team struggled, finishing one game behind their inaugural season's record. The 1990–91 season, Tripucka's third with the Hornets and tenth overall, saw him average career lows with only 7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, as he came off the bench. Following the season, Tripucka retired from the NBA.
In 2000, Tripucka was named to the National Polish-American Hall of Fame, and the Star-Ledger named Tripucka the "New Jersey Boys' Basketball Player of the Century". In 2008, he was named to the "50 Greatest Pistons" team. Tripucka shares the record for most points scored in his first road playoff game, with 40. He is one of six Pistons to have scored 40 or more in a playoff game, along with Dave Bing, Isiah Thomas, Jerry Stackhouse, Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton.
