Reggie Jackson (basketball, born 1990)
Reggie Jackson | |
|---|---|
| Born | Reginald Shon Jackson April 16, 1990 Pordenone, Italy |
| Other names | Big Government, Mr. June |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Known for | NBA player for multiple teams including Oklahoma City Thunder, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Philadelphia 76ers |
| Notable work | NBA champion (2023) |
Reginald Shon Jackson (born April 16, 1990), known by the nicknames Big Government and Mr. June, is an American professional basketball athlete who most recently played for the Philadelphia 76ers in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Prior to turning professional, he spent three seasons competing with the Boston College Eagles. Jackson entered the 2011 NBA draft and was selected 24th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder. Throughout his NBA career, he has also been a member of the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, and Philadelphia 76ers. He earned an NBA championship ring with the Denver Nuggets in 2023.
Early life
Jackson was born in Pordenone, Italy, to American parents who were stationed at Aviano Air Base. His family relocated to England before moving to the United States when he was five years old. They briefly lived in North Dakota, then moved through Georgia and Florida, ultimately settling in Colorado Springs, Colorado by the time he reached sixth grade. He completed his high school education at General William J. Palmer High School in 2008, where he received the Gatorade Colorado Boys' Basketball Player of the Year award. In April 2008, Jackson officially obtained American citizenship after renouncing his Italian nationality.
Rated as a three-star prospect by Rivals.com, Jackson was ranked as the No. 29 shooting guard and No. 115 overall prospect nationwide in 2008.
College career
Jackson enrolled at Boston College, joining a roster that included established players such as Tyrese Rice and Rakim Sanders. During his freshman season, he contributed primarily off the bench as the team qualified for the NCAA tournament.
In his sophomore year, following Rice's departure, Jackson secured a starting role; however, the team did not qualify for the NCAA Tournament that season. As a junior in the 2010–11 campaign, he led Boston College with an average of 18.2 points per game and helped guide them to participation in the National Invitation Tournament. His performance earned him first-team All-ACC recognition alongside peers like Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler. Following this successful season, Jackson declared for the NBA draft.
Oklahoma City Thunder (2011–2015)
Selected as the 24th pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Jackson saw limited court time during his rookie year, averaging 11.1 minutes across 45 games while playing behind starters such as Russell Westbrook and Eric Maynor. His shooting efficiency was modest, and he did not participate in playoff games as the Thunder advanced to the 2012 NBA Finals.
From March to December 2012, Jackson experienced several assignments to the Tulsa 66ers, Oklahoma City's affiliate team in the NBA Development League.
During the 2012–13 season, his role within the team grew significantly. When Westbrook sustained an injury during the playoffs, Jackson stepped up as a starter and delivered averages of 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game throughout that postseason series.
On February 6, 2014, Jackson took part in the 2014 edition of the NBA Skills Challenge. Later that season, on April 26, he achieved a career-best scoring output with 32 points alongside nine rebounds during a pivotal first-round playoff victory over the Memphis Grizzlies, contributing crucial points in overtime while key teammates struggled.
On November 11, 2014, Jackson posted a season-high of 29 points despite a defeat against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Detroit Pistons (2015–2020)
On February 19, 2015, Jackson was acquired by the Detroit Pistons through a three-team trade that also involved the Utah Jazz. He made his Pistons debut three days later, contributing 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists in a 106–89 triumph over the Washington Wizards. On March 17, Jackson achieved 23 points along with a personal best of 20 assists during a 105–95 win against the Memphis Grizzlies. Ten days afterward, he notched his second career triple-double by tallying 26 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 111–97 victory over the Orlando Magic, marking him as the first Pistons guard to record multiple triple-doubles in a single season since Isiah Thomas in 1986–87 and the first player to do so since Grant Hill in 1997–98.
On July 20, 2015, Jackson secured a new five-year contract with Detroit worth $80 million. He reached a career-high scoring mark of 40 points on November 8 during a 120–103 win over the Portland Trail Blazers, including an impressive 26-point effort in the fourth quarter that tied a franchise record. On December 2, Jackson delivered a standout performance of 34 points and 16 assists in a 127–122 overtime victory against the Phoenix Suns, earning him the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for December 6. During that stretch, he averaged 27.0 points and 8.8 assists while guiding Detroit to four consecutive wins. This feat made him the first Piston since Isiah Thomas in 1988 to post more than 30 points and at least 15 assists in a single game.
Jackson received another Eastern Conference Player of the Week accolade on December 20 after averaging an impressive 29.3 points (leading the conference), along with 7.7 assists (second-best), and grabbing 6.3 rebounds. His efforts helped the Pistons compile a 2–1 record against teams with winning records, featuring two games where he scored over 30 points combined with double-digit rebounds or assists, including an intense quadruple-overtime win over the Chicago Bulls. On April 8, 2016, Jackson scored 39 points and contributed nine assists as Detroit secured its first playoff appearance since 2009. The Pistons ended the regular season eighth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 44–38 but were swept in the opening round by the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers.
In October of 2016, Jackson underwent platelet-rich plasma therapy to address knee tendinosis and a sprained thumb ligament, resulting in an absence estimated between six and eight weeks. After missing Detroit’s first 21 games that season, he returned on December 4 with an 18-point effort against the Orlando Magic. On March 6, 2017, Jackson scored a season-high of 26 points—24 of which came in the second half—during a victory over the Chicago Bulls, flawlessly making all ten field goal attempts after halftime.
Jackson endured a grade three sprain to his right ankle on December 26, 2017, which sidelined him for approximately six to eight weeks. He made his comeback on March 20, 2018, scoring seven points in a win versus the Phoenix Suns after missing a total of 24 games.
On February 2, 2019, Jackson put up 29 points despite Detroit falling to the Clippers. Later that month, on February 22, he recorded a season-best performance with 32 points during a win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Following a contract buyout agreement, Jackson was waived by the Pistons on February 18, 2020.
Los Angeles Clippers (2020–2023)
On February 20, 2020, Jackson inked a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers and later extended his contract on December 1, 2020.
During the postseason on June 18, 2021, Jackson played a key role alongside Paul George, Patrick Beverley, and Terance Mann in leading the Clippers to their inaugural Western Conference Finals. He posted averages of 17.8 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists throughout the playoffs, including a 27-point effort in Game 6 despite the Clippers falling to the Phoenix Suns.
Jackson secured a two-year contract extension with the Clippers on August 11, 2021. Notable moments from this period include a 31-point, 10-rebound outing on November 23 against the Dallas Mavericks, a game-winning shot on December 11 that clinched victory over the Magic, and a crucial layup on February 26, 2022, that sealed a narrow 111–110 triumph against the Los Angeles Lakers.
On November 29, 2022, Jackson delivered a strong performance with 24 points, 12 assists, and seven rebounds during a win versus the Portland Trail Blazers.
Jackson was traded to the Charlotte Hornets on February 9, 2023, along with a future second-round draft pick in exchange for Mason Plumlee. Shortly after, on February 12, he reached an agreement with the Hornets for a contract buyout.
Denver Nuggets (2023–2024)
Jackson joined the Denver Nuggets by signing on February 14, 2023. He captured his first NBA championship when Denver defeated the Miami Heat in five games in the 2023 NBA Finals.
On July 16, 2023, Jackson re-signed with Denver. A standout performance occurred on November 27 when he scored a season-best 35 points on an efficient 79% shooting clip, alongside contributing 13 assists, five rebounds, and two steals. He led an undermanned Nuggets squad to a 113–104 road victory over his former team, the Los Angeles Clippers.
In a historic six-team sign-and-trade transaction involving the Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, and Minnesota Timberwolves, Jackson was traded back to the Charlotte Hornets on July 6, 2024. The Hornets waived him shortly thereafter on July 23.
Philadelphia 76ers (2024–2025)
Jackson signed with the Philadelphia 76ers on July 30, 2024. On February 6, 2025, he was traded to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jared Butler but was subsequently released by Washington.
Regular season
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Oklahoma City |45||0||11.1||.321||.210||.862||1.2||1.6||.6||.0||3.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Oklahoma City |70||0||14.2|| .458||.231||.839||2.4||1.7||.4|| .2||5.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Oklahoma City |80||36||28.5||.440||.339||.893||3.9||4.1|||1.1||.1||13.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Oklahoma City |50||13||28.0||.432||.278||.861||4.0||4.3||.8||.1||12.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |27||27|||32.2||| .436||| .337||| .796||| 4.7||| 9.2||| .7||| .1|||17.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |79||79||30.7||.434||.353||.864||3.2||6.2||.7||.1|||18.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |52||50||27.4||.419||.359||.868||2.2||5.2||.7||.1||14.5 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit |45 ||45 ||26..7 || .426 || .308 || .836 || 2..8 ||5..3 || .6 || .1 ||14..6 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Detroit |style="background:#cfecec;" | 82* ||style="background:#cfecec;" | 82* ||27..9 || .421 || .369 || .864 ||2..6 ||4..2 || .7 || .1 ||15..4 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | Detroit |14 ||10 ||27..2 || .384 || .378 || .788 ||2..9 ||5..1 || .6 || .1 ||14..9 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | L.A Clippers |17 ||6 ||21..3 || .453 || .413 || .905 ||3..0 ||3..2 || .3 || 0..2 ||9..5 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | L.A Clippers |67 ||43 ||23..0 || .450 || 0..433 || .817 ||2..9 ||3..1 || .6 || .1 ||10..7 |- | style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | L.A Clippers |75 ||75 ||31..2 || .392 || .326 || .847 ||3..6 ||4..8 || .7 || 0..2 ||16..8 |- |- |- |- |- |-
|-
| style="text-align:left;" | | style="text-align:left;" | 2022–23 Los Angeles Clippers season |52 ||38 ||25..7 || .418 || .350 || 924 ||2..2 ||3..5 ||
.|7 ||
.|1 ||
.|10..9
|- |-style=background:#afe6ba; |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"|2022–23 Denver Nuggets season |16||||2||||19..9||||383||||279||||833||||1..8||||3..1||||6||||1||||7..9 |- |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"|2023–24 Denver Nuggets season |82||||23||||22..2||||431||||359||||806||||1..9||||3..8||||5|||| 2||||10..2 |- |style="text-align:left"| |style="text-align:left"|2024–25 Philadelphia 76ers season |31||||1||||12..4||||391||||338||||778||||1..4||||1..5||||5||||1||||4..4 |- class="sortbottom" |style="text-align:center" colspan=2 Career |884||||530||||24..7||||423||||345||||854||||2..8||||4..1||||7||||1||||12..3
Playoffs
|- | style="text-align:left;"|2013 | style="text-align:left;"|Oklahoma City | 11 || 9 || 33.4 || .479 || .302 || .897 || 4.9 || 3.6 || .5 || .5 || 13.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2014 | style="text-align:left;"|Oklahoma City | 19 || 4 || 27.9 || .466 || .396 || .886 || 3.8 || 2.4 || .3 || .2 || 11.1 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2016 | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 4 || 4 || 36.8 || .455 || .167 || 1.000 || 3.3 || 9.3 || 1.5 || .5 || 14.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2019 | style="text-align:left;"|Detroit | 4 || 4 || 26.9 || .431 || .429 || .857 || 3.3 || 7.0 || .8 || .0 ||17.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2020 | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Clippers | 12 || 1 || 14.2 || .438 || .531 || || 1.8 || .9 || .2 || .1 || 4.9 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2021 | style="text-align:left;"|L.A. Clippers | 19 || 17 || 32.7 || .484 || .408 || .878 || 3.2 || 3.4 || .9 || .2 || 17.8 |- | style="text-align:left; background:#afe6ba;"|2023† | style="text-align:left;"|Denver | 6 || 0 || 3.0 || .500 || .500 || || .3 || .3 || .2 || .0 || .5 |- | style="text-align:left;"|2024 | style="text-align:left;"|Denver | 12 || 0 || 9.8 || .333 || .348 || 1.000 || 1.3||1.0|| .2|| .1|| 3.5 |- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |87||39||23.9||.460||.389||.890||2.9||2.8||.5||.2||10.7
College
|- | style="text-align:left;" |2008–09 | style="text-align:left;" |Boston College | 34||0||20.0||.440||.273||.685||3.3||1.7||.8||.4||7.0 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2009–10 | style="text-align:left;" |Boston College |31||20||30.1||.430||.291||.733||5.7||4.5||.6||.5||12.9 |- | style="text-align:left;" |2010–11 | style="text-align:left;" |Boston College | 34||32||34.1||.503||.420||.796||4.3||4.5||1.1||.5||18.2 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career |99||52||28.0||.465||.351||.753||4.4||3.5||.8||.5||12.7
Personal life
During his time with the Clippers, Jackson was dubbed "Big Government" for his timely contributions in critical situations, while the nickname "Mr. June" was bestowed upon him in recognition of his impactful playoff performances, drawing a parallel to Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson's "Mr. October" moniker for postseason excellence.