Justin Jackson became a basketball star very early in life winning a national championship as a high schooler. In a similar fashion, he also won an NCAA Championship during his college career at the University of North Carolina. The talented player joined the Sacramento Kings following the 2017 NBA Draft and there are very high expectations for his professional career based on his antecedents.
Justin Jackson’s Bio, Age
Justin Aaron Jackson was born on March 28, 1995, in Houston, Texas. He was not originally drawn to the game of basketball while in elementary school, however, he eventually caught the bug when his family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio which afforded him the opportunity to play in the snow. He was homeschooled for the greater part of his early education beginning from fourth grade. His first encounter with organized basketball came at age 10 when he joined the Cincinnati Trailblazers HomeSchool, basketball team.
As a sixth-grader, Jackson was enrolled at Northland Christian School after his family relocated back to Texas. However, he soon returned back to homeschooling midway through the school year. As a homeschooled athlete, he played under the Warrior basketball program of Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA). He led the HCYA Warriors to win the National Christian HomeSchool Basketball Championships in 2012. Among other recognitions, the talented youngster was twice named to the National Christian HomeSchool Basketball Championship All-America first team.
On the international front, Jackson won gold at the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship as a member of the United States team alongside Jabari Parker. He topped off his high school career with an impressive senior season performance, averaging an astonishing 31.5 points and 9.1 rebounds. He was featured in the 2014 McDonald’s All-American Boys Game where he led the scoring with 23 points and was named co-MVP alongside Jahlil Okafor.
College Career Stats
Thanks to his impressive heroics as a high school athlete, Justin Jackson was ranked among the top players of the high school class of 2014 and was rated a 5-star recruit. He received scholarship offers from as many as 12 college basketball programs and he eventually settled for the University of North Carolina.
Jackson began his career with the North Carolina Tar Heels basketball team on a good note and was named to the ACC All-Freshman team in his freshman season. However, the highlight of his college career came during his junior season (2016-17) when he averaged a team-best 18.3 points per game as well as career-highs of 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 32.0 minutes per game in 40 appearances (39 starts).
He recorded a scoring average of 13.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 29.1 minutes per game in 118 total appearances during his three-year stint with the team and became the second Tar Heels player to accumulate 1,600 career points, 150 three-pointers, 400 rebounds, and 300 assists. The talented player led the Tar Heels to win the 2017 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament Championship having finished as runners-up the previous year. He won the 2017 ACC Player of the Year Award, earned First-team All-ACC honors, and was voted a consensus first-team All-American.
Pro Career
Justin Jackson entered the 2017 NBA Draft and he got picked by the Portland Trail Blazers as the 15th overall selection. He was traded in a draft-day deal to the Sacramento Kings. The talented player made 6 total appearances with the Kings at the 2017 NBA Summer League during which he averaged 16.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists in 32.3 minutes per game.
As a rookie during the 2017-18 season, Jackson averaged 6.7 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 68 games (41 starts) with the Sacramento Kings. He also had a short stint with the Reno Bighorns, the Kings’ NBA G League affiliate during his rookie season.
Is Justin Jackson Married? Girlfriend
Justin Jackson and his wife Brooke Copeland got married in August 2017. The duo had dated for 4 years before getting engaged in May 2017. Beyond the love and friendship this cute couple share, they have some other major thing in common which is basketball. Just like her famous husband, Copeland was equally a standout basketball player. A native of Cleveland, Tennessee, she played college basketball with the Florida Gators of the University of Florida and was named the Gators’ 2015 Most Improved Player.
She graduated with a degree in telecommunications and was named to the South Eastern Conference’s 2016 Academic Honor Roll. However, she has given up a possible professional career in the WNBA to become a missionary, a course she has been passionate about since childhood.
Parents, Siblings
Justin Jackson’s parents are Sharon and Lloyd Jackson and just like their famous son, they were both standout student-athletes in their prime. They both attended Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas where his father ran track and his mother played basketball. Jackson was raised alongside 3 younger siblings, a brother named Jonathan and sisters Jordan and Jada. Growing up, his father worked as a commodities trader which necessitated the family to relocate often.
Height and Other Body Stats
Justin Jackson is 6 feet 8 inches (203 cm) tall and maintains a bodyweight of 95 kg (210 lbs). The talented player boasts of a great offensive skill set of athleticism, impressive ball-handling, and intelligent decision-making.
