Justin Jackson (basketball, born 1995)
Justin Aaron Jackson (born March 28, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. He played basketball in the Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA) and later he committed to play college basketball with the North Carolina Tar Heels after being rated as the eighth-best player of his class by ESPN Recruiting Nation. The small forward took part in the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game, and was named Co-MVP along with Jahlil Okafor.
![]() Jackson with UNC in 2017 | |||||||||||
| No. 44 – Texas Legends | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||
| League | NBA G League | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | March 28, 1995 Houston, Texas | ||||||||||
| Nationality | American | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | Homeschool Christian Youth (Houston, Texas) | ||||||||||
| College | North Carolina (2014–2017) | ||||||||||
| NBA draft | 2017 / Round: 1 / Pick: 15th overall | ||||||||||
| Selected by the Portland Trail Blazers | |||||||||||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
| 2017–2019 | Sacramento Kings | ||||||||||
| 2017–2018 | →Reno Bighorns | ||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Dallas Mavericks | ||||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Oklahoma City Thunder | ||||||||||
| 2021 | Milwaukee Bucks | ||||||||||
| 2021–present | Texas Legends | ||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||
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| Stats | |||||||||||
| Stats | |||||||||||
Medals
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High school career
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Jackson played basketball for Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA), a nonprofit Christian service organization created to serve home school families and students in Houston and the surrounding area.[1] 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.[2] Jackson became known as one of the most potent high school athletes in the nation which promptly triggered a highly publicized recruitment. He was given offers by Baylor, Georgetown, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Washington. Jackson was rated a five-star recruit by Rivals.com, ESPN, and 247Sports.com. Eventually, the small forward signed with North Carolina. He was marked as one of the top players in the Class of 2014.[3][4][5]
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 North Carolina recruit was named co-MVP with Jahlil Okafor. 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.[6]
College career
In his three-year college career, 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 2017 NBA draft.[7]
Professional career
Sacramento Kings (2017–2019)
Jackson was selected with the 15th pick of the 2017 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers and was traded on draft day to the Sacramento Kings. Portland sent Jackson and 20th pick Harry Giles to the Kings in exchange for 10th pick Zach Collins.[8] Throughout Jackson's time with the Kings, he received multiple assignments to the Reno Bighorns, the Kings' minor league affiliate in the NBA G League.
Dallas Mavericks (2019–2020)
On February 6, 2019, Jackson was traded, along with Zach Randolph, to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Harrison Barnes.[9][10]
Oklahoma City Thunder (2020–2021)
On November 27, 2020, Jackson, Trevor Ariza, a 2023 second-round pick (from either Dallas or Miami), and a 2026 second-round pick were traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team trade involving the Detroit Pistons.[11] On April 5, 2021, he was waived by the Thunder after 33 appearances.[12]
Milwaukee Bucks (2021)
On April 21, 2021, Jackson signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks.[13] He went on to win an NBA championship with the Milwaukee Bucks on July 20, 2021. Jackson did not appear for the Bucks in the playoffs.
Texas Legends (2021–present)
He returned to the Mavericks on October 15, 2021, but was waived a day later.[14] On October 23, he signed with the Texas Legends as an affiliate player.[15]
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field goal percentage | FT% | Free throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | Bold | Career high |
| † | Won an NBA championship |
Regular season
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017–18 | Sacramento | 68 | 41 | 22.1 | .442 | .308 | .722 | 2.8 | 1.1 | .4 | .2 | 6.7 |
| 2018–19 | Sacramento | 52 | 3 | 20.8 | .424 | .346 | .779 | 2.8 | 1.3 | .4 | .3 | 6.7 |
| 2018–19 | Dallas | 29 | 11 | 18.3 | .484 | .372 | .724 | 2.3 | 1.0 | .3 | .0 | 8.2 |
| 2019–20 | Dallas | 65 | 3 | 16.1 | .396 | .294 | .840 | 2.4 | .8 | .2 | .2 | 5.5 |
| 2020–21 | Oklahoma City | 33 | 3 | 16.5 | .406 | .306 | .857 | 2.2 | 1.5 | .5 | .1 | 7.2 |
| 2020–21† | Milwaukee | 1 | 0 | 33.0 | .333 | .333 | .500 | 6.0 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | 9.0 |
| Career | 248 | 61 | 19.1 | .427 | .321 | .797 | 2.5 | 1.1 | .4 | .2 | 6.6 | |
Playoffs
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Dallas | 3 | 0 | 5.3 | .167 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 |
| Career | 3 | 0 | 5.3 | .167 | .000 | .500 | 1.0 | .0 | .0 | .0 | 1.3 | |
College
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014–15 | North Carolina | 38 | 37 | 26.7 | .477 | .304 | .710 | 3.7 | 2.3 | .5 | .5 | 10.7 |
| 2015–16 | North Carolina | 40 | 38 | 28.4 | .472 | .298 | .667 | 3.9 | 2.8 | .6 | .4 | 12.7 |
| 2016–17 | North Carolina | 40 | 39 | 32.0 | .443 | .370 | .748 | 4.7 | 2.8 | .8 | .2 | 18.3 |
| Career | 118 | 114 | 29.1 | .460 | .340 | .712 | 4.1 | 2.6 | .6 | .4 | 14.0 | |
References
- "The life of Justin Jackson". USA Today. December 10, 2013. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- "Justin Jackson Bio". GoHeels.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- "Justin Jackson". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- "Justin Jackson". ESPN. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- "Justin Jackson". 247Sports.com. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- Johnson, Chris. "2014 McDonald's All-American game: Okafor, Jackson take home MVP honors". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved July 16, 2014.
- Goodman, Jeff. "Justin Jackson leaves UNC after junior season to enter NBA draft". ESPN. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
- "Portland Trail Blazers acquire draft rights to Zach Collins". National Basketball Association. June 23, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
- "Kings Acquire Forward Harrison Barnes". National Basketball Association. February 6, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- "Mavericks acquire Justin Jackson and Zach Randolph". Mavs.com. February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
- "Thunder Acquires Trevor Ariza, Justin Jackson and Two Second-Round Draft Picks". National Basketball Association. November 27, 2020.
- "Thunder Waives Justin Jackson". NBA.com. April 5, 2021. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Justin Jackson To Two-Way Contract". NBA.com. April 21, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- "Mavericks add two familiar faces". Mavs.com. October 15, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2021.
- "Legends Draft Three, Announce Training Camp Roster". NBA.com. October 23, 2021. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to Justin Jackson. |
- Career statistics and player information from NBA.com
and Basketball-Reference.com 
- North Carolina Tar Heels bio
- USA Basketball bio
