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 (appro ...

player who last played for the Texas Legends of the

NBA G League The NBA G League, or simply the G League, is a professional basketball league in North America that serves as the Minor league#Basketball, developmental league of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The league comprises 31 teams; as of ...

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

Jahlil Okafor Jahlil Obika Okafor (; born December 15, 1995) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Noblesville Boom of the NBA G League. He played his freshman season of college basketball for the 2014–15 Duke Blue Devils men's baske ...

. He played

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

for the

North Carolina Tar Heels The North Carolina Tar Heels (also Carolina Tar Heels) are the college sports in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The name Tar Heel is a nickname used to refer to ...

from 2015 to 2017. In 2017, Jackson was named a consensus first-team All-American and won an NCAA championship as a member of the Tar Heels. A

small forward The small forward (SF), also known as the three, is one of the five Basketball position, positions in a regulation basketball game. Small forwards are typically shorter, quicker, and leaner than Power forward (basketball), power forwards and Cent ...

, Jackson was chosen 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 Northwest Division (N ...

as the fifteenth overall pick 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 Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Confere ...

on draft night. As of August 2023, Jackson had played for the Kings, 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 Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Divisi ...

, 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 Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Confer ...

, 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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

, 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 Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, and the

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA), We ...

over the course of his six-year NBA career. He won an NBA championship with the Bucks in 2021. Jackson has also played for the

Stockton Kings The Stockton Kings are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Stockton, California, and are affiliated with the Sacramento Kings. The Kings play their home games at the Adventist Health Arena and compete in the G ...

and the Texas Legends of the

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 List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

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, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

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

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one of the largest universities by enrollme ...

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

Texas A&M Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

, and Washington. Jackson was rated a five-star recruit by Rivals.com,

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

, 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 The 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament involved 68 teams playing in a single-elimination tournament to determine the men's National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college basketball national champion for the 20 ...

. 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. 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 men's basketball, Michigan State Spartans bef ...

, to the

in exchange for

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

. On September 24, 2019, the Mavericks exercised Jackson's $5 million team option for the 2020–21 season. On February 19, 2020, ''Bleacher Report'' named Jackson the worst defensive small forward in the NBA.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2020–2021)

On November 27, 2020, Jackson,

Trevor Ariza Trevor Anthony Ariza (born June 30, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who spent 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). A small forward, Ariza played college basketball for one season with the UCLA Bruins ...

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

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 Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

. 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 o ...

with the

. After playing in one regular-season game for the Bucks, he went on to win an NBA championship with the team on July 20, 2021; Jackson appeared in five playoff games, averaging 1.2 points per game throughout the

2021 NBA Playoffs The 2021 NBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 2020–21 season. With the COVID-19 pandemic impacting the NBA for the second consecutive year, the regular season was reduced to 72 games for each tea ...

. 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 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 Texas Legends 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

after waiving Emanuel Terry 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 Texas Legends.

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.

Third stint with the Legends (2022)

On February 12, 2022, Jackson was reacquired by the Texas Legends.

Return to the Celtics (2022–2023)

On October 15, 2022, Jackson was signed to the

roster to open the 2022–23 season following a standout performance in the Summer League. On February 9, 2023, Jackson and two future second-round picks were traded to the

in exchange for

Mike Muscala Michael Peter Muscala (/muˈSKĂ luh/; born July 1, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Atlanta Hawks, Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklah ...

. Jackson was waived by the Thunder the next day.

Fourth stint with the Legends / Minnesota Timberwolves (2023–2024)

On February 24, 2023, the Texas Legends re-acquired Jackson and on February 22, 2024, he signed a 10-day contract with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves (often referred to as the Wolves or T-wolves) are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Divisio ...

. On March 3, he returned to the Legends.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

, 68 , , 41 , , 22.2 , , .442 , , .308 , , .722 , , 2.8 , , 1.1 , , .4, , .2 , , 6.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

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

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

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

Oklahoma City Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

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

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 32.6 , , .333 , , .333 , , .500 , , 6.0 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 9.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 2.0 , , .000 , , , , 1.000 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 6 , , 0 , , 5.8 , , .357, , .333, , , , 1.2 , , .3 , , .0 , , .0 , , 2.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 23 , , 0 , , 4.7 , , .259 , , .250 , , .500 , , .7 , , .4 , , .2 , , .2 , , .9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, 2 , , 0 , , .4 , , , , , , , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 280 , , 61 , , 17.6 , , .423 , , .319 , , .796 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , .3 , , .2 , , 6.0

Playoffs

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

2020 The year 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 even ...

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

, 3 , , 0 , , 5.3 , , .167 , , .000 , , .500 , , 1.0 , , .0 , , .0 , , .0 , , 1.3 , - , style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;",

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

† , style="text-align:left;",

, 5 , , 0 , , 3.0 , , .600 , , .000 , , , , .4 , , .2 , , .2 , , .0 , , 1.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 8 , , 0 , , 3.8 , , .364 , , .000 , , .500 , , .6 , , .1 , , .1 , , .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 sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen 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 Minnesota Timberwolves 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 Texas Legends players United States men's national basketball team players