Cedric Lamar Jackson (born March 5, 1986) is an American former professional
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
player. He played two years of college basketball for
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...
, where he made a notable game-winning full-court shot against
Syracuse
Syracuse may refer to:
Places Italy
*Syracuse, Sicily, or spelled as ''Siracusa''
*Province of Syracuse
United States
*Syracuse, New York
**East Syracuse, New York
**North Syracuse, New York
*Syracuse, Indiana
* Syracuse, Kansas
*Syracuse, Miss ...
and helped the Vikings past Wake Forest in the first round of the
2009 NCAA Tournament
The 2009 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament was a single-elimination tournament in which 65 schools competed to determine the national champion of the men's NCAA Division I college basketball as a culmination of the 2008–09 basketball ...
.
As a pro, Jackson made a name for himself playing for the
New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...
in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL). Over four seasons with the Breakers, he guided the club to four grand final appearances and three championships. He was crowned the NBL's Most Valuable Player in 2013, garnered Grand Final MVP honors in 2013 and 2015, and was named to the All-NBL First Team in 2012, 2013 and 2015. He led the NBL in assists in each of his four seasons with the Breakers, becoming the only player in NBL history to lead the league in assists in his first four seasons in the league.
High school and college career
As a high school freshman living in
Medical Lake, Washington
Medical Lake is a small city in Spokane County, eastern Washington, United States. At the 2010 census, the population was 5,060. The city is the site of a psychiatric hospital, Eastern State Hospital, and of Fairchild Air Force Base, two major e ...
, Jackson attended
Medical Lake High School
Medical Lake High School is a four-year Public school (government funded), public secondary school in Medical Lake, Washington, Medical Lake, Washington (state), Washington, the sole traditional high school in the Medical Lake School District (#326 ...
in 2000–01, where he steered the Cardinals to within a point of a trip to the state tournament. He was enrolled as a sophomore at Ferris High before his Air Force-obligated family moved east. Jackson subsequently enrolled at
Northern Burlington County Regional High School
Northern Burlington County Regional High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school that serves students in ninth through twelfth grades from four communities in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States, as part of the Northern ...
in
Columbus, New Jersey
Columbus is an unincorporated community located within Mansfield Township in Burlington County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08022.St. John's University in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
. On April 4, 2006, it was announced that Jackson was transferring from St. John's to
Cleveland State
Cleveland State University (CSU) is a public research university in Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 and opened for classes in 1965 after acquiring the entirety of Fenn College, a private school that had been in operation since 1923. ...
. His decision was based in part on a desire for more playing time. After sitting out the 2006–07 season due to NCAA transfer regulations, Jackson starred at Cleveland State, helping them make two straight postseason appearances in 2008 and 2009. In 71 games for the Vikings over two seasons, Jackson averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game.
Professional career
NBA, D-League and Italy (2009–11)
After going undrafted in the
2009 NBA draft
The 2009 NBA draft was held on June 25, 2009, at the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, the National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players and other eli ...
NBA Development League
The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is the National Basketball Association's (NBA) official List of developmental and minor sports leagues, minor league basketball organization. The league was known as the National Basketball Development ...
for the 2009–10 season. In 34 games, he averaged 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Between January and April, Jackson had multiple stints in the NBA with the
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...
,
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
and
Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast D ...
. In 12 NBA games during the 2009–10 season, Jackson averaged 1.7 points and 1.2 assists per game.
After spending preseason with the Cavaliers, Jackson re-joined the BayHawks for the 2010–11 season. On December 29, 2010, he was traded by Erie to the
Idaho Stampede
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...
. In 50 games during the 2010–11 season, Jackson averaged 13.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game.
On April 18, 2011, Jackson signed with Italian team Enel Brindisi. He played two games for Brindisi, totalling 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists.
New Zealand Breakers (2011–13)
On August 12, 2011, Jackson signed with the
New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...
for the 2011–12 NBL season. He helped the Breakers win the minor premiership with a 21–7 record before guiding them to the NBL Grand Final, where they defeated the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle".
Afte ...
2–1. Jackson was the club's MVP, finished fourth in the NBL MVP voting, and was named in the All-NBL First Team. Jackson also led the league in both assists (6.4) and steals (2.5) per game during the regular season.
After playing for the
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Division ( ...
during the
2012 NBA Summer League
The 2012 NBA Summer League was a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2012 NBA Draft. It took place in Orlando, Florida from July 9 to 13 and in Las Vegas, Nevada from July 13 to 22, 2012. Damian Lillard (Portland Trail Blazers) an ...
, Jackson re-signed with the Breakers for the
2012–13 NBL season
The 2012–13 NBL season was the 35th season of competition since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams contested the league. The regular season was played between 5 October 2012 and 24 March 2013, followed by a post-season which invo ...
in August. On November 30, 2012, Jackson recorded his first career triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the
Melbourne Tigers
Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena.
The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...
. It was only the second triple-double recorded since the NBL went to 40-minute games at the start of the 2009–10 season. On February 5, 2013, Jackson was named Player of the Week for Round 17, picking up his fourth NBL weekly award of the season. On March 24, Jackson was named the NBL's Most Valuable Player for the 2012–13 season. He also earned All-NBL First Team honors for the second straight year, and led the league in assists (7.1) and steals (2.8) for the second straight year. The Breakers were minor premiers once again with a 24–4 record before returning to the NBL Grand Final, where Jackson won his second championship with a 2–0 defeat of the Wildcats. Jackson subsequently earned Grand Final MVP honors.
Slovenia (2013–14)
After playing for the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern Conference Southeast Division (NBA), Southe ...
and
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...
during the
2013 NBA Summer League
The 2013 NBA Summer League is a pro basketball league run by the NBA just after the 2013 NBA draft. It gives newly drafted players a chance to test their skills against each other, and to give them a feel for professional basketball. All 30 NBA ...
, Jackson signed a one-year deal with
Union Olimpija
Košarkarski klub Olimpija ( en, Olimpija Basketball Club) was a men's professional basketball club based in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Olimpija has won 23 National League championships, including eight consecutive titles between 1992 and 1999. They ...
of the
Slovenian Basketball League
The Premier A Slovenian Basketball League ( sl, 1. slovenska košarkarska liga), abbreviated as 1. SKL and known as the Liga Nova KBM due to sponsorship reasons, is the top-level professional men's basketball league in Slovenia. The league, opera ...
on August 3, 2013. He endured several injuries during the season, leading to the club terminating his contract on March 6, 2014. He averaged just 4.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 14
Adriatic League
The ABA League, renamed to the ABA League First Division in 2017, is the 1st-tier regional men's professional basketball league that originally featured clubs from the former Yugoslavia (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, North Mac ...
games, and 5.9 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 13 Eurocup games.
Second Breakers stint (2014–16)
On July 17, 2014, Jackson signed a two-year deal with the
New Zealand Breakers
The New Zealand Breakers (also known as the Sky Sport Breakers for sponsorship reasons) are a New Zealand professional basketball team based in Auckland. The Breakers compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at ...
, returning to the club for a second stint. In December 2014, Jackson earned Player of the Week honors for Round 10. On January 18, 2015, Jackson recorded his second career triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists in an 88–75 win over
Melbourne United
Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena.
The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...
. His third career triple-double came on February 12 in a loss to the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
, with 11 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists. Following his 22 points and game-winner against the
Perth Wildcats
The Perth Wildcats are an Australian professional basketball team based in Perth, Western Australia. The Wildcats compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at RAC Arena, known colloquially as "The Jungle".
Afte ...
on February 15, he was named Player of the Week for Round 19. He was also named Player of the Month for February. For the third time in three seasons, Jackson earned All-NBL first team honors and led the league in assists (6.0) per game. After finishing second with a 19–9 record, the Breakers went on to reach the NBL Grand Final, where they defeated the
Cairns Taipans
The Cairns Taipans are an Australian professional basketball team based in Cairns, Queensland. The Taipans compete in the National Basketball League (Australia), National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at the Cairns Conventio ...
2–0, with Jackson claiming his third championship and second Grand Final MVP award. In the grand final series, he scored 22 points in game one and 15 points in game two. He became the first player in NBL history to win three NBL championships from his first three seasons. Following the NBL season, he had a 13-game stint in Puerto Rico with Mets de Guaynabo.
On October 11, 2015, in his 99th NBL game, Jackson recorded his fourth career triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 14 assists in the Breakers' 89–81 win over the
Townsville Crocodiles
The Townsville Crocodiles were an Australian professional men's basketball team based in the North Queensland city of Townsville. They competed in the National Basketball League (NBL) and played their home games at the Townsville Entertainmen ...
. Jackson garnered 77 wins over his first 99 games in the NBL (77.7%), a mark that ranks first in NBL history. In his 100th game played just three days later against the
Illawarra Hawks
The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...
, Jackson had a career-worst performance. In 28 minutes of action, he failed to make a field goal, going 0-of-7 from the field, 0-of-3 from three-point range, and 1-of-5 from the free throw line. On November 8, he recorded his fifth career triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss to Melbourne United. Jackson played most of January with a toe and Achilles heel injury. He responded to his poor form in the team's first game of February, recording a season-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 106–84 win over the
Adelaide 36ers
The Adelaide 36ers, also known as the Sixers, are an Australian professional men's basketball team in the National Basketball League (NBL). The 36ers are the only team in the league representing the state of South Australia and are based in th ...
, keeping the Breakers' playoff chances alive. With seven 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and six assists, Jackson became the first NBL player to record such stats since
John Rillie
John Peter Rillie (born 4 November 1971) is an Australian basketball coach and former player. He currently serves as head coach of the Perth Wildcats of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played 16 seasons in the NBL between 1995 and 2010 ...
did so in 1998. The Breakers finished the regular season in fourth place with a 16–12 record and defeated first-seeded Melbourne United 2–0 in the semi-finals to return to the NBL Grand Final, where they were defeated 2–1 by the Perth Wildcats. Having starred in a series-levelling game two win in Auckland, Jackson had a poor performance in game three against the Wildcats, going scoreless on five attempts and fouling out early in the last term. He appeared in all 33 games for the Breakers in 2015–16, averaging 12.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game.
Following the NBL season, Jackson had a six-game stint in Puerto Rico with
Atléticos de San Germán
Atléticos de San Germán is a basketball club of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN) based in San Germán, Puerto Rico.
Founded in the 1930s after the amalgamation of the old San Germán team and the Farmacia Martín team, the team is one of ...
. After not being able to match several offers from other NBL clubs, the Breakers were forced to part ways with Jackson during the off-season.
Melbourne United (2016)
On May 10, 2016, Jackson signed a two-year deal with
Melbourne United
Melbourne United is an Australian professional basketball team based in Melbourne, Victoria. United compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games at John Cain Arena.
The team made their debut in the NBL in 1984 as ...
. He made his debut for United in their season opener on October 7, recording 14 points, 13 rebounds and six assists in a 76–71 loss to the Breakers in Auckland. On November 9, United made the decision to release Jackson for strategic reasons, after they started the season 3–6. In nine games for United, he averaged 10.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Despite being released so early in the season, Jackson's 5.56 assists per game was the statistical leader for that category at the end of the season.
Yakima SunKings (2018)
In February 2018, Jackson joined the Yakima SunKings of the NAPB. He led the SunKings to their first championship in 11 years. In 13 games, he averaged 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Illawarra Hawks (2018–2019)
On July 5, 2018, Jackson signed with the
Illawarra Hawks
The Illawarra Hawks (formerly the Wollongong Hawks and The Hawks) is an Australian professional basketball team based in Wollongong, New South Wales. The Illawarra Hawks compete in the National Basketball League (NBL) and play their home games ...
for the
2018–19 NBL season
The 2018–19 NBL season was the 41st season of the National Basketball League since its establishment in 1979. A total of eight teams have contested the league. The regular season had been played between October 2018 and February 2019, followed ...
. In 28 games, he averaged 8.0 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
Erie
Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
San Antonio
("Cradle of Freedom")
, image_map =
, mapsize = 220px
, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, s ...
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...