Gregory Jackson (August 2, 1952 – May 1, 2012) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He won a collegiate national championship at

Guilford College Guilford College is a private liberal arts college in Greensboro, North Carolina. Guilford has both traditional students and students who attend its Center for Continuing Education (CCE). Founded in 1837 by members of the Religious Society o ...

and later played in 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 St ...

(NBA). Jackson, a 6'0" point guard from Samuel J. Tilden High School in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He attended West Columbus High School 1969–1970, Cerro Gordo, NC. He helped lead West Columbus to its first and only NCHSAA 2A State Basketball Tournament championship. He played his college basketball at Guilford College in

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

. There he teamed in the backcourt with future NBA All-Star Lloyd Free (now World B. Free) to lead the Quakers to the 1973

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its st ...

national championship A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

. After his college career was over, Jackson was drafted in the fifth round of the

1974 NBA draft The 1974 NBA draft was the 28th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The draft was held on May 28, 1974, before the 1974–75 season. In this draft, 18 NBA teams took turns selecting amateur U.S. college basketball players ...

(86th pick overall) by his hometown New York Knicks. His tenure with the Knicks would prove to be brief, as he played only 5 games before being waived on October 28, 1974. Later in the season, he was signed by the Phoenix Suns, where he finished the season. For the year he averaged 3.7 points and 2.0 assists over 49 games. In the offseason, Jackson was traded to the

Washington Bullets 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 Southeast Division. The team plays ...

, but never played in the NBA again. During his playing career, Jackson also played for the Allentown Jets of the Eastern League. Following the close of his professional career, Jackson became a community leader in Brooklyn as the long-time manager of the Brownsville Recreational Center. In this capacity he ran numerous programs aimed at keeping inner-city youths off the streets and focused toward positive efforts ranging from sports to the arts. Jackson died on May 1, 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Greg 1951 births 2012 deaths Allentown Jets players American men's basketball players Guilford Quakers men's basketball players Lehigh Valley Jets players New York Knicks draft picks New York Knicks players Phoenix Suns players Point guards Samuel J. Tilden High School alumni Basketball players from Brooklyn