Jaren Walter Jackson Jr. ( ; born September 15, 1999), nicknamed "the Block Panther", "The Alliteration", and also known by his initials JJJ, 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 for the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division of the ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

(NBA). 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

Michigan State Spartans The Michigan State Spartans are the athletic teams that represent Michigan State University. The school's athletic program includes 23 Varsity team, varsity sports teams. Their mascot is a Spartan Army, Spartan warrior named Sparty, and the sc ...

. Jackson was selected by Memphis with the fourth overall pick of the

2018 NBA draft The 2018 NBA Draft was held on June 21, 2018, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. National Basketball Association teams took turns selecting amateur United States college basketball players and other eligible players, including internationa ...

. In 2023, he was named to his first

NBA All-Star The National Basketball Association (NBA) All-Star Game is an annual exhibition basketball game. It is the main event of the NBA All-Star Weekend. Traditionally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

team, later winning

Defensive Player of the Year Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY or DPOTY) is the name of an award given in sports for outstanding defensive play by a single player over the course of a season. Many sports leagues award this type of award. League awards for Defensive Player o ...

that same season. Jackson is renowned for his defensive dominance, particularly his exceptional rim protection; he led the league in blocks per game for two consecutive seasons in 2021–22 and 2022–23.

Early life

Jaren Walter Jackson Jr. was born on September 15, 1999, in

Plainfield, New Jersey Plainfield is a City (New Jersey), city in Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Nicknamed "The Queen City",

. Jaren started his high school career with

Park Tudor School Park Tudor School is a coeducational independent college preparatory day school founded in 1902. It offers programs from junior kindergarten through high school. It is located in the Meridian Hills neighborhood of Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. A m ...

Indianapolis Indianapolis ( ), colloquially known as Indy, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Indiana, most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana, Marion ...

. He played varsity for three years, where he averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. Jackson won two IHSAA state basketball championships while at Park Tudor. He was teammates with future

Xavier University Xavier University ( ) is a private Jesuit university in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. It is the sixth-oldest Catholic and fourth-oldest Jesuit university in the United States. Xavier had an enrollment of approximately 5,600 undergraduate an ...

standout and future professional basketball player

Trevon Bluiett Trevon Nykee Bluiett (; born November 5, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for Limoges CSP of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the Xavier Musketeers. High school career Bluiett attended Park Tudor School. At the ...

. He then transferred to

La Lumiere School La Lumiere School is a private Catholic college preparatory boarding and day school located on a 190-acre campus in Springfield Township, LaPorte County, Indiana in the United States. History The school was founded in 1963 by Raymond E. Da ...

La Porte, Indiana La Porte () is a city in LaPorte County, Indiana, United States, of which it is the county seat. Its population was estimated to be 21,341 in 2022. It is one of the two principal cities of the Michigan City-La Porte, Indiana metropolitan stat ...

for his senior year, where he met Jordan Poole and started for their varsity squad.

Recruiting

Jackson was appraised for being one of the top players in the 2017 graduating class. Scout.com ranked Jackson the fifth-best player nationally, first at his position and second overall in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

region.

247Sports 247Sports is an American network of websites that focus mainly on college recruiting, athletic recruitment in college football and college basketball, basketball. It is owned and operated by Paramount Global, Paramount. The website hosts a large ...

ranked him 7th nationally, being 4th in his position.

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 ...

ranked him 8th in the ESPN 100, being 2nd in his position and 2nd regionally. Jackson was recruited by a number of notable programs, including Michigan State, Notre Dame,

Butler A butler is a person who works in a house serving and is a domestic worker in a large household. In great houses, the household is sometimes divided into departments, with the butler in charge of the dining room, wine cellar, and pantries, pantr ...

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

Purdue Purdue University is a public land-grant research university in West Lafayette, Indiana, United States, and the flagship campus of the Purdue University system. The university was founded in 1869 after Lafayette businessman John Purdue donat ...

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 ...

, and several more. He was invited to partake in the

McDonald's All-American Game The McDonald's All-American Game is an American all-star basketball game played each year for boys' and girls' high school basketball graduates. Consisting of the top players, each team plays a single exhibition game after the conclusion of the hi ...

played on March 29, 2017.

College career

On September 15, 2016, Jaren Jackson Jr. announced his intentions to play for

Tom Izzo Thomas Michael Izzo (, ; born January 30, 1955) is an American college basketball coach who has been the head coach at Michigan State University since 1995. On April 4, 2016, Izzo was elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Izzo has le ...

Michigan State Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the ...

. He signed the

letter of intent A letter of intent (LOI or LoI, or Letter of Intent) is a document outlining the understanding between two or more parties which they intend to formalize in a legally binding agreement. The concept is similar to a heads of agreement, term she ...

on November 9, 2016. Jackson made his collegiate debut on November 10, 2017, recording 13 points and a season-high 13 rebounds in a blowout 98–66 win over

North Florida North Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida comprising the northernmost part of the state. Along with South Florida and Central Florida, it is one of Florida's three most common "directional" regi ...

. Four days later, he recorded a then-season-high 19 points in an 88–81 loss to #1-ranked

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of Royal family, royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobi ...

. On December 5, Jackson put up 11 points and a career-high 8 blocks in a 62–52 win over

Rutgers Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College and was aff ...

. Four days later, he recorded 17 points and another career-high 13 rebounds in a blowout 88–63 win over

Southern Utah Dixie is a nickname for the populated, lower-elevation area of south-central Washington County, the southwest corner of the State of Utah, bordering nearby Arizona to the south, and Nevada to the west. The area lies in the northeastern Mojave ...

. On January 22, 2018, Jackson recorded a then-season-high 21 points to go with 11 rebounds and 6 blocks in an 87–74 win over

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. On February 13, he put up a career-high 27 points in a blowout 87–57 win over

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 ...

. At the end of the regular season for Michigan State, he was named both the Big Ten's Defensive Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, Big Ten's All-Freshman Team, and the All-Big Ten's Third Team. On April 2, Jackson declared his entry into the

, where he was considered a potential top-tier lottery selection.

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2018–present)

2018–2021: Early years

On June 21, 2018, Jackson was selected with the fourth overall pick by the

in the

. On July 1, 2018, he signed a multi-year, rookie-scale contract with the Grizzlies. On March 29, 2019, Jackson was shut down for the remainder of the season due to a deep bruise to his right thigh. On December 13, 2019, Jackson scored a career-high 43 points, including 9 three-pointers (which tied a franchise record set by Mike Miller in 2007) in a 127–114 loss to 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 ...

. On January 30, 2020, Jackson was suspended for one game without pay for leaving the bench during an altercation between the Grizzlies and the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

. On January 28, Jackson recorded a career-high 7 blocks in a 104–96 win over the

Denver Nuggets The Denver Nuggets are an American professional basketball team based in Denver. The Nuggets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division (NBA), Northwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA), W ...

. On August 4, 2020, Jackson suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in a 99–109 loss to the

New Orleans Pelicans The New Orleans Pelicans are an American professional basketball team based in New Orleans. The Pelicans compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Confere ...

hosted in the

Bubble Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...

and was expected to miss the remainder of the 2019–20 season. On December 16, 2020, the Grizzlies announced that they had exercised the team option on Jackson. On April 21, 2021, Jackson made his return, putting up 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a loss to the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

. Two days later, Jackson scored a season-high 23 points in a 130–128 win over 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 ...

. After a series of play-in tournament wins, the Grizzlies qualified for the playoffs for the first time since

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

. They faced the top-seeded

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. Since the 1991–92 season, the ...

during their first round series. On May 31, Jackson scored a postseason career-high 21 points in a 120–113 Game 4 loss. The Grizzlies would eventually lose the series in five games.

2021–2023: Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star selection

On October 18, 2021, Jackson signed a four-year, $105 million extension with the Grizzlies. On January 9, 2022, Jackson scored 21 points and tied a career-high with 12 rebounds in a 127–119 win over the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

. On April 16, during Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, Jackson logged 12 points and seven blocks in a 130–117 loss to 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 ...

. His seven blocks set a Grizzlies franchise record for most blocks in a playoff game, surpassing

Marc Gasol Marc Gasol Sáez (, ; born 29 January 1985) is a Spanish former professional basketball player who is the president of Bàsquet Girona of the Liga ACB. The Center (basketball), center is a two-time All-NBA Team member and a three-time NBA All-St ...

's 6 on May 13, 2013. The Grizzlies eventually defeated the Timberwolves in six games, with Jackson recording 18 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in a 114–106 Game 6 win. During the Grizzlies' second-round series, they faced the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. On May 1, Jackson scored a playoff career-high 33 points, alongside ten rebounds, in a 117–116 Game 1 loss. The Grizzlies wound up losing the series in six games to the Warriors, who went on to win the

NBA Finals The NBA Finals is the annual championship series of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The Eastern Conference (NBA), Eastern and Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference champions play a best-of-seven series to determine the league ...

. Jackson finished the 2021–22 season leading the NBA in blocks per game at 2.3 and finished with the most blocks that season with 177 blocks, 40 more than the second-place finisher. For his efforts, he was named to the

NBA All-Defensive First Team The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in tw ...

and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. On June 30, 2022, Jackson underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and was ruled out for four-to-six months. After missing the first 14 games of the 2022–23 season, he made his season debut on November 15, recording seven points, six rebounds and five blocks in a 113–102 loss to the

. On December 12, Jackson recorded a career-high eight blocks, alongside 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists, in a 128–103 win over the

Atlanta Hawks The Atlanta Hawks are an American professional basketball team based in Atlanta. The Hawks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Easte ...

. On January 5, 2023, he scored a season-high 31 points, alongside ten rebounds and three blocks, in a 123–115 win over the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. On February 2, Jackson was selected to his first

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is the annual all-star game hosted each February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's All-star, star players. Since 2022, it was held on the third Sunday of ...

as a reserve forward for the Western Conference. On April 5, Jackson scored a season-high 40 points, along with nine rebounds, three assists and four blocks in a 138–131 overtime loss against the New Orleans Pelicans. On 9 April, Jackson finished the regular season as the league leader in blocks for the second year in a row, averaging a career-high 3 blocks per game. On April 16, in the opening game of the playoffs Jackson scored a game-high 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field in a 128–112 loss against the

. Memphis lost the series in six games. During the playoffs, Jackson was named for the first time the

, and was named for the second consecutive time to the NBA All-Defensive First team.

National team career

Jackson was a member of the

United States national team The United States national team or Team USA may refer to any of a number of sports team representing the United States in international competitions. Olympic teams Additionally, these teams may compete in other international competitions such as ...

that competed in the

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup The 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup was the 19th tournament of the FIBA Basketball World Cup for men's national basketball teams, held from 25 August to 10 September 2023. The tournament was the second to feature 32 teams and was hosted by multipl ...

. They finished fourth in that tournament.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Mem ...

, 58 , , 56 , , 26.1 , , .506 , , .359 , , .766 , , 4.7 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 1.4 , , 13.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 57 , , 57 , , 28.5 , , .469 , , .394 , , .747 , , 4.6 , , 1.4 , , .7 , , 1.6 , , 17.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 4 , , 23.5 , , .424 , , .283 , , .833 , , 5.6 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 1.6 , , 14.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 78 , , 78 , , 27.3 , , .415 , , .319 , , .823 , , 5.8 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 2.3* , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , 63 , , 28.4 , , .506 , , .355 , , .788 , , 6.8 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , style="background:#cfecec;", 3.0* , , 18.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 66 , , 32.2 , , .444 , , .320 , , .808 , , 5.5 , , 2.3 , , 1.2 , , 1.6 , , 22.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 74 , , 74 , , 29.8 , , .488 , , .375 , , .781 , , 5.6 , , 2.0 , , 1.2 , , 1.5 , , 22.2 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 407 , , 398 , , 28.6 , , .466 , , .351 , , .792 , , 5.5 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 1.9 , , 18.5 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 8.0 , , .556 , , .000 , , — , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 1.0 , , 5.0

Playoffs

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

, 5 , , 5 , , 27.4 , , .426 , , .286 , , .875 , , 5.6 , , 1.0 , , 1.0 , , 1.2 , , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

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

, 12 , , 12 , , 27.7 , , .378 , , .375 , , .755 , , 6.8 , , .9 , , .8 , , 2.5 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

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

, 6 , , 6 , , 36.7 , , .422 , , .280 , , .861 , , 7.8 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , 2.0 , , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

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

, 4 , , 4 , , 34.3 , , .379 , , .273 , , .850 , , 5.0 , , 1.5 , , 1.0 , , .5 , , 16.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 27 , , 27 , , 30.6 , , .396 , , .331 , , .816 , , 6.5 , , 1.1 , , .9 , , 1.9 , , 15.7

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2017–18 , style="text-align:left;",

, 33 , , 32 , , 22.2 , , .520 , , .396 , , .797 , , 5.8 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , 3.2 , , 11.3

Personal life

He is the son of former professional basketball coach and former NBA player

Jaren Jackson Jaren Walter Jackson Sr. (born October 27, 1967) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Incarnate Word Cardinals of the Southland Conference. A shooting guard born in New Orleans, Louis ...

and WNBPA executive director

Terri Jackson Terri Carmichael Jackson is the current executive director of the Women's National Basketball Players Association. Biography Jackson studied law at Georgetown University, and hoped to pursue a career in law like her father LeRoy Carmichael. Af ...

References

External links

*
Michigan State Spartans bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Jaren Jr. 1999 births Living people 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen American men's basketball players Basketball players from Indianapolis Centers (basketball) La Lumiere School alumni McDonald's High School All-Americans Memphis Grizzlies draft picks Memphis Grizzlies players Michigan State Spartans men's basketball players NBA All-Stars Park Tudor School alumni United States men's national basketball team players

Early life

Recruiting

College career

Professional career

Memphis Grizzlies (2018–present)

2018–2021: Early years

2021–2023: Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star selection

National team career

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal life

See also

References

External links