Jim Jackson (basketball)

James Jackson
James Jackson
Born	October 14, 1970 (age 56); Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Professional basketball player (retired), basketball commentator
Years active	1992–2006 (NBA player)
Known for	Playing for 12 NBA teams; basketball commentator for Fox Sports, Turner Sports, Bally Sports West

James Arthur Jackson (born October 14, 1970) is a retired American professional basketball athlete. Throughout his 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Jackson was rostered by 12 distinct franchises, a record he shares with Joe Smith, Tony Massenburg, Chucky Brown, and Ish Smith until Ish surpassed this by joining his 13th team during the 2022–23 season. Presently, Jackson works as a basketball commentator for Fox Sports, Turner Sports, and covers the Los Angeles Clippers broadcasts on Bally Sports West. He has also previously been part of the broadcasting team at the Big Ten Network. Additionally, Jackson contributes as an analyst for the NBA Playoffs on NBATV.

High school career

Standing 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) tall and weighing 220 lb, Jackson played shooting guard and was a four-year starter at Macomber High School in Toledo, Ohio. He captained Macomber to win the Division I state championship in 1989 and shared the court with future NFL safety Myron Bell.

College career

During his tenure at Ohio State University, Jackson was a starting player from his freshman year in the 1989–90 season, posting averages of 16.1 points and 5.5 rebounds per game while shooting 49.9% from the field. Across three seasons, he achieved consensus First Team All-American status in both 1991 and 1992, received the UPI Player of the Year accolade, and played a pivotal role in winning the 1992 Big Ten Championship. In recognition of his collegiate impact, Ohio State retired his jersey number (22) in 2001.

Dallas Mavericks

Opting to leave college early, Jackson was chosen fourth overall in the 1992 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks. His rookie year was limited to only 28 games due to a contract dispute holdout. The subsequent season saw him start every one of the 82 games, averaging 19.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per contest. Alongside teammates Jamal Mashburn and Jason Kidd, he formed the core trio known as the "Three J's."

In the 1994–95 campaign, Jackson posted an average of 25.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game, ranking fifth in league scoring before an ankle injury forced him out after 51 games. Returning for the 1995–96 season, he averaged 19.6 points per game. However, friction developed between Jackson and Kidd amid rumors involving singer Toni Braxton. Midway through the 1996–97 season, Jackson was traded to the New Jersey Nets as part of a nine-player transaction that included Sam Cassell, Eric Montross, George McCloud, Chris Gatling, Shawn Bradley, Ed O'Bannon, Robert Pack, and Khalid Reeves.

New Jersey Nets

Finishing out the 1996–97 season with New Jersey, Jackson started in 31 games and averaged 16.5 points along with 5.9 rebounds per game. During the following offseason, the Nets pursued forward Keith Van Horn from Utah. In a competitive trade arrangement, they sent Jackson, Eric Montross, plus two first-round draft selections (Tim Thomas and Anthony Parker) to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Michael Cage, Don MacLean, Lucious Harris, and Van Horn’s rights as the second overall pick in the 1997 draft.

Philadelphia 76ers

During the 1997–98 Philadelphia 76ers season, Jackson participated in 48 contests, posting averages of 13.7 points and 4.7 rebounds while receiving fewer minutes alongside the team's star, Allen Iverson. Unhappy with his reduced role, he was traded midway through the season along with Clarence Weatherspoon to the Golden State Warriors in exchange for Joe Smith and Brian Shaw. Both franchises faced uncertainty regarding the retention of these players, as all four were set to become free agents once the season concluded.

Golden State Warriors

Jackson’s responsibilities grew considerably after joining the Warriors, where he took on the starting shooting guard position. For the remainder of the 1997–98 Golden State Warriors season, he averaged 18.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and logged 40.6 minutes per game. Nonetheless, dissatisfaction with the team’s overall results prompted him to sign with the Portland Trail Blazers during the offseason.

Portland Trail Blazers

The injury-ridden 1998–99 Portland Trail Blazers season saw Jackson limited to career-low averages of 8.4 points and 2.6 rebounds over 24 minutes per game. Despite a talented roster, internal conflicts and chemistry issues persisted off the court. In an effort to enhance team dynamics during the 1999 offseason, Portland traded both Jackson and the gifted yet problematic Isaiah Rider to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Steve Smith and Ed Gray.

Atlanta Hawks

Throughout the 1999–2000 Atlanta Hawks season, Jackson appeared in 79 games, averaging 16.8 points and 5 rebounds across 35 minutes per contest. His involvement diminished significantly to only 17 games in the following year. Expressing dissatisfaction with the team's poor performance, Jackson was traded in January 2001 alongside Larry Robinson and Anthony Johnson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in return for Brevin Knight.

Cleveland Cavaliers

A native of Toledo and alumnus of Ohio State, Jackson’s move to the Cavaliers was viewed as a return home. Joining a squad striving for a playoff berth during the injury-affected 2000–01 season, he played in 39 games, contributing modestly with averages of 10.3 points and 3.7 rebounds over 29.2 minutes per game. The Cavaliers ended with a 30–52 record, missing postseason play, and Jackson was not offered a new contract afterward.

Miami Heat

In December 2001, Jackson signed with the Miami Heat to provide depth for an injury-depleted bench. He averaged 10.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in 33.2 minutes per game, occasionally starting when needed by the team. Despite his solid performance, Miami did not renew his contract following that season.

Sacramento Kings

After remaining unsigned through November of the 2002–03 season, Jackson joined the Sacramento Kings in December 2002 to strengthen their bench unit. Appearing in 63 games primarily off the bench, he averaged 7.7 points and 4.1 rebounds over 20.8 minutes per contest, exceeding expectations by effectively replacing Hedo Türkoğlu as sixth man. His resurgence earned him a two-year contract offer from the Houston Rockets as a free agent.

Houston Rockets/New Orleans Hornets

Jackson started every one of the 80 games for the Rockets during the 2003–04 season, posting averages of 12.9 points and 6.1 rebounds while playing nearly 39 minutes per contest. In the following season, 2004–05, he continued to deliver dependable statistics, recording 13.3 points and 4.8 rebounds in 41.3 minutes over 24 starts before being traded along with Boštjan Nachbar to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for David Wesley. Hornets General Manager Allan Bristow expressed enthusiasm about the new additions; however, Jackson declined to join the team and was consequently suspended indefinitely. Without appearing in a game for New Orleans, he was subsequently traded to the Phoenix Suns in return for Maciej Lampe, Casey Jacobsen, and Jackson Vroman.

Phoenix Suns

During the remainder of the 2004–05 season with Phoenix, Jackson averaged 8.8 points and 3.9 rebounds while playing 24.9 minutes per game. When starting shooting guard Joe Johnson was sidelined due to injury, Jackson stepped up his contributions in the playoffs, aiding the Suns in advancing to the Western Conference finals. Although Phoenix re-signed him in the offseason that followed, Jackson was waived in March 2006 after nearly two months without court time. He concluded his tenure with career-low averages of 3.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in just 15.6 minutes across 27 games before being claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers

Jackson wrapped up the 2005–06 campaign with the Lakers, appearing in 13 games and averaging 1.7 points and 0.9 rebounds over seven minutes per contest. After that season, he did not receive any contract offers during free agency, effectively ending his NBA playing career. It is noteworthy that he was the final Lakers player to wear jersey number 24 prior to Kobe Bryant.

Regular season

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 28 || 28 || 33.5 || .395 || .288 || .739 || 4.4 || 4.7 || 1.4 || .4 || 16.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 82 || 82 || 37.4 || .445 || .283 || .821 || 4.7 || 4.6 || 1.1 || .3 || 19.2 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 51 || 51 || 38.9 || .472 || .318 || .805 || 5.1 || 3.7 || .5 || .2 || 25.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 82 || style="background:#cfecec;"| 82* || 34.4 || .435 || .363 || .825 || 5.0 || 2.9 || .6 || .3 || 19.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Dallas | 46 || 45 || 36.4 || .442 || .331 || .787 || 4.9 || 3.4 || 1.2 || .3 || 15.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| New Jersey | 31 || 31 || 37.3 || .417 || .370 || .852 || 5.9 || 5.2|| .9|| .5||16.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Philadelphia |48||47||37..3|| .460|| .348|| .818||4..7||4..6|| .9|| .1||13..7 |- | style="text-align:left;"|

| style="text-align:left;" | Golden State
|31||31||40..6|| .402|| .278|| .805||5..6||5..1||1..2|| .1||18..9

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Portland 
|49||9||24..0|| .411|| .278|| .842||3..2||2..6||0..9||0..1||8..4

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Atlanta 
|79||76||35..0|| .411|| .386|| .877||5..0||2..9||0..7||0..1||16..7

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Atlanta 
|17||14||32..4|| .355|| .421|| .859||4..6||2..9||1..1||0..2||14..3

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Cleveland 
|39||26||29..2|| .390|| .238|| .786||3..7||2..9||0..9||0..2||10..3

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Miami 
|55|||19|||33..2||| .442||| 0.469||| .862|||5..3|||2..5|||0..8|||0..3|||10..7

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Sacramento 
|63|||0|||20..8||| .442||| .451||| .855|||4..2|||1..9|||0..5|||0..1|||7..7

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Houston 
|80|||80|||39..0||| .424||| .400||| .843||| 6..1|||2..8|||1..1|||0..3|||12..9

|-

| style="text-align:left;" | Houston 
|24|||24||| 41..3||| .417||| .367||| .909|||4..8|||3..6|||1..0|||0..0|||13..3

|-

| style="text-align:left;" |
| style="text-align:left;" | Phoenix
|40||||24 ..9|||| ..435|||| ..459||||  ..960||||3 ..9||||2 ..4|||| ..3|||| ..1||||8 ..8

|-

| style="text-align:left;" |
| style="text-align:left;" | Phoenix
|27||||15 ..6|||| ..295|||| ..222|||| ..692||||2 ..4||||1 ..1|||| ..4|||| ..2||||3 ..7

|-

| style="text-align:left;" |
| style="text-align:left;" | L.A.Lakers
|13||||7 ..1|||| ..290|||| ..364|||| –|||| ..9|||| ..3|||| ..2|||| ..0||||1 ..7

|- class= " sortbottom " | style= " text- align: center; " colspan= "2" | Career | 885|| 649|| 32 ..8|| 428|| 365|| 825|| 47|| 32|| 08|| 02|| 143

Playoff Performance

|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Portland | 13 || 0 || 20.4 || .361 || .278 || .905 || 2.3 || 1.5 || .5 || .1 || 7.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Sacramento | 12 || 0 || 24.7 || .500 || .464 || .774 || 3.9 || 1.2 || .7 || .3 || 11.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Houston | 5 || 5 || 44.2 || .397 || .276 || .667 || 10.4 || 2.0 || 1.0 || .2 || 14.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Phoenix | 15 || 6 || 31.6 || .488 || .516 || .875 || 4.1 || 1.5 || .7 || .5 || 11.0 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| L.A. Lakers | 3 || 0 || 7.1 || .333 || .000 || || 1.0 || .7 || .3 || .3 || 1.3 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Overall Playoff Totals | 48 || 11 || 26.6 || .447 || .420 || .828 || 4.0 || 1.4 || .6 || .3 || 9.9

Personal Background

During his professional tenure, Jackson consistently sported a sweatband emblazoned with "419," symbolizing the area code of Toledo, Ohio, his hometown in northwest Ohio. His son, Traevon Jackson, served as the point guard for Wisconsin between 2011 and 2015, contributing to two Final Four appearances.

External links