Justin Aaron Jackson (born March 28, 1995) is an American 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 for the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of t ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played basketball in the Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA) and later went on to play

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

with the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to individuals from the state of North Carolina, the ''Tar Heel ...

. The

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three or swingman, is one of the five positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than power forwards and centers but taller, larger, and stronger t ...

took part in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, and was named co-MVP along with

Jahlil Okafor Jahlil Obika Okafor (pronounced ; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Capitanes de Ciudad de México of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 ...

. Jackson was picked fifteenth overall by the

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 ...

in the

2017 NBA draft The 2017 NBA draft was held on June 22, 2017, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association (NBA) teams took turns selecting U.S. college basketball players and other eligible players, including international players. ...

before being traded to the

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

on draft night. He won an NBA championship with the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

in 2021.

High school career

Jackson played

for Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA), a nonprofit Christian service organization created to serve home school families and students in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

and the surrounding area. He led the Warriors to a national championship in the 2012 season, and won the Sullivan Award, which is awarded to the top homeschool basketball player of the year. He continued to shine in his final year, averaging 31.5 points and 9.1 rebounds in his successful last season. Jackson became known as one of the most potent

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

athletes in the nation which promptly triggered a highly publicized recruitment. He was given offers by Baylor, Georgetown,

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, or TAMU) is a public, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System in 1948. As of late 2021, T ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

, and

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 ...

. Jackson was rated a five-star recruit by

Rivals.com Rivals.com is a network of websites that focus mainly on college football and basketball recruiting in the United States. The network was started in 1998 and employs more than 300 personnel. History Rivals.com was founded in 1998 by Jim Heckma ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

, and 247Sports.com. Eventually, the

signed with North Carolina. He was marked as one of the top players in the Class of 2014. Following his years with HCYA, Jackson was named to the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game on January 29, 2014. After scoring the first few points of the game, the

recruit was named co-MVP with

. Jackson ended with 23 points off 11-of-12 shooting, making him the game's top scorer. He also won the Jack Daly Award for sportsmanship.

College career

In his freshman season, Jackson was selected to the ACC All-Freshman team and helped his team reach the championship of the 2015 ACC tournament. In his sophomore season, Jackson helped his team win the 2016 ACC tournament and reach the 2016 national championship. In his junior season, Jackson won ACC Player of the Year, was selected as First-team All ACC, and was named a consensus first-team All-American in 2017. Jackson scored sixteen points and picked up four rebounds in the Tar Heels' sixth championship title in the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. On April 13, 2017, Jackson declared for the

Professional career

Sacramento Kings (2017–2019)

Jackson was selected with the 15th overall pick in the

by the

. He was traded on draft day, along with Harry Giles, to the

in exchange for

Zach Collins Zach Collins (born November 19, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He was drafted by the Sacramento ...

. On July 8, 2017, he signed a 4-year, $13.5 million rookie scale contract with the Kings. On October 26, 2018, the Kings exercised Jackson's $3.3 million team option for the 2019–20 season.

Dallas Mavericks (2019–2020)

On February 6, 2019, Jackson was traded, along with

Zach Randolph Zachary McKenley Randolph (born July 16, 1981) is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Z-Bo", the 2-time NBA All-Star played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans before being drafted in the 2001 NBA draft by ...

, to the

Dallas Mavericks The Dallas Mavericks (often referred to as the Mavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Dallas. The Mavericks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference (NBA), Western Conferenc ...

in exchange for

Harrison Barnes Harrison Bryce Jordan Barnes (born May 30, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the North Carolina Tar Heels before being sele ...

. On September 24, the Mavericks exercised Jackson's $5 million team option for the 2020–21 season.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2020–2021)

On November 27, 2020, Jackson,

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He won an NBA championship in his first stint with the Lakers in 2009 ...

, a 2023 second-round pick (from either Dallas or Miami), and a 2026 second-round pick were traded to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

in a three-team trade involving the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division and play their home games at Li ...

. On April 5, 2021, he was waived by the Thunder after 33 appearances.

Milwaukee Bucks (2021)

On April 21, 2021, Jackson signed a

two-way contract A two-way contract is a professional sports contract that stipulates that an athlete's salary is dependent upon the league in which the athlete is assigned to play. This is opposed to a one-way contract that would pay the same salary regardless of ...

with the

. He went on to win an NBA championship with the Bucks on July 20, 2021, playing 5 games and averaging 1.2 points per game throughout the 2021 NBA Playoffs. On August 1, the Bucks declined to extend a $1.8 million qualifying offer to Jackson, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Texas Legends (2021)

On October 15, 2021, Jackson returned to the

, but was waived a day later. On October 23, he signed with the

Texas Legends The Texas Legends are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Frisco, Texas, and are affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks. The Legends play their home games at the Comerica Center. The team began as the Colorado ...

as an affiliate player, playing 10 games and averaging 22.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.

Boston Celtics (2021)

On December 18, 2021, Jackson signed a 10-day contract with the

Phoenix Suns (2022)

On December 29, 2021, Jackson was reacquired and activated by the

after his 10-day contract expired. However, he didn't play a game for the team before the Legends started playing again. Jackson took up professional horse racing after the season ended. On January 5, 2022, Jackson signed a 10-day COVID-19 hardship exemption contract with the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference Pacific Division. The Suns are the only team in t ...

after waiving

Emanuel Terry Emanuel Jonh Terry (born August 21, 1996) is an American professional basketball player for Pallacanestro Trieste of the Italia Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball at Lincoln Memorial University, where he was a Division II A ...

from the team. During the three games he initially played with the Suns, he averaged 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.7 minutes per game in that contract.

Return to the Legends (2022)

After his 10-day contracts expired, Jackson was reacquired by the

Return to Phoenix (2022)

On February 1, 2022, Jackson signed a second 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns, this time under an injury exemption. Jackson was then later released on February 10, 2022.

Third stint with the Legends (2022–2022)

On February 12, 2022, Jackson was reacquired by the

Second stint with the Celtics (2022–Present)

On October 15, 2022, Jackson was signed to the Celtics roster to open the 2022-2023 season following a standout performance in the Summer League.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 68 , , 41 , , 22.1 , , .442 , , .308 , , .722 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .4, , .2 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, 52 , , 3 , , 20.8 , , .424 , , .346 , , .779 , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , .4 , , .3 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, 29 , , 11 , , 18.3 , , .484 , , .372 , , .724 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .0 , , 8.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 3 , , 16.1 , , .396 , , .294 , , .840 , , 2.4 , , .8 , , .2 , , .2 , , 5.5 , - , style="text-align:left;" rowspan="2", , style="text-align:left;",

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat of Oklahoma County, it ranks 20th among United States cities in population, a ...

, 33 , , 3 , , 16.5 , , .406 , , .306 , , .857 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , .5 , , .1 , , 7.2 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;",

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

† , 1 , , 0 , , 33.0 , , .333 , , .333 , , .500 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 9.0 , - , rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , – , , 1.000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, 6 , , 0 , , 5.8 , , .357, , .333, , – , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 255 , , 61 , , 18.7 , , .426 , , .321 , , .799 , , 2.5 , , 1.1 , , .4 , , .2 , , 6.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 3 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .167 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 3 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .167 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.3

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2014–15 , style="text-align:left;",

, 38 , , 37 , , 26.7 , , .477 , , .304 , , .710 , , 3.7 , , 2.3 , , .5 , , .5 , , 10.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2015–16 , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 38 , , 28.4 , , .472 , , .298 , , .667 , , 3.9 , , 2.8 , , .6 , , .4 , , 12.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", 2016–17 , style="text-align:left;",

, 40 , , 39 , , 32.0 , , .443 , , .370 , , .748 , , 4.7 , , 2.8 , , .8 , , .2 , , 18.3 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 118 , , 114 , , 29.1 , , .460 , , .340 , , .712 , , 4.1 , , 2.6 , , .6 , , .4 , , 14.0

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bio

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Justin 1995 births Living people 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players from Houston Boston Celtics players Dallas Mavericks players McDonald's High School All-Americans Milwaukee Bucks players North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players Oklahoma City Thunder players Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Phoenix Suns players Portland Trail Blazers draft picks Reno Bighorns players Sacramento Kings players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from the Houston metropolitan area Texas Legends players United States men's national basketball team players