Lucious Brown Jackson (October 31, 1941 – October 12, 2022), also known as Luke Jackson, was 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 court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. A power forward and center, he played for the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

of the

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

(NBA) from 1964 to 1972. He was named an

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. Originally, the All-Star Game featured a conference-based format, featuring a team composed of ...

in 1965, and won an NBA championship with the 76ers in 1967. Jackson also played for the U.S. national team in the 1964 Summer Olympics.

Biography

Amateur career

Jackson was born on October 31, 1941, in San Marcos, Texas, and his family moved to

Bastrop, Louisiana Bastrop is a city in Morehouse Parish, Louisiana. It is the parish seat of Morehouse Parish. The population was 11,365 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 1,623 from the 12,988 tabulation of 2000. The population of Bastrop is 73 percent African ...

, when he was in high school because San Marcos would not allow him to play for the all-white basketball team. He graduated from Morehouse High School in Bastrop. He attended Pan American College and played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the Pan American Broncs. In 1963,

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the ...

named Jackson an

All-America The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed upon an amateur sports person from the United States who is considered to be one of the best amateurs in their sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an All-Am ...

n. He won the Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award in the

NAIA Men's Basketball Championships The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics men's basketball national championship has been held annually since 1937 (with the exception of 1944 and 2020). The tournament was established by James Naismith to crown a national champion fo ...

in 1963 and 1964. Jackson played for the

United States men's national basketball team The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. They are the most successful team in international competition, winning medals in ...

at the

1963 Pan American Games The 1963 Pan American Games were held from April 20 to May 5, 1963, in São Paulo, Brazil. Host city selection For the first time, two cities submitted bids to host the 1963 Pan American Games that were recognized by the Pan American Sports O ...

and the 1963 FIBA World Championship. He was a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

Professional career

The 76ers selected Jackson in the first round, with the fourth overall pick, in the 1964 NBA draft. He played eight seasons (1964–1972) with the

in the NBA. A 6-foot, 9-inch (2.06 m) power forward who played center occasionally. He played in the 1965 NBA All-Star Game. After the season, he was named to the NBA's 1964–65 All-Rookie Team after averaging 14.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game. A teammate of

Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman Chamberlain (; August 21, 1936 – October 12, 1999) was an American professional basketball player who played as a center. Standing at tall, he played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for 14 years and is widely reg ...

, Jackson was a starter on the 1966–67 Philadelphia championship team that ended the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Atlantic Division. Founded in 1946 as one of ...

' string of eight straight NBA championships. He scored 13 points and had 21 rebounds in the title-clinching game over the San Francisco Warriors in the

1967 NBA Finals The 1967 NBA World Championship Series was the championship series of the 1966–67 National Basketball Association (NBA) season, and was the conclusion of the 1967 NBA Playoffs. The best-of-seven series was played between the Western Conferen ...

. After the 1968 season, the 76ers traded Chamberlain to the Lakers, and the 76ers moved Jackson back to center. Before the 1969–70 season, Jackson defected to the Carolina Cougars of the rival

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major men's professional basketball league from 1967 to 1976. The ABA ceased to exist with the American Basketball Association–National Basketball Association merger in 1976, leading to four A ...

. A few days later, he reneged on the agreement with Carolina, returning to the 76ers. He missed time during the season with an

achilles' heel An Achilles' heel (or Achilles heel) is a weakness in spite of overall strength, which can lead to downfall. While the mythological origin refers to a physical vulnerability, idiomatic references to other attributes or qualities that can lead to ...

injury and a collapsed lung. Jackson continued to experience chronic injuries to his left foot, including a tendon and a toe bone. He retired after the 1971–72 season.

Personal life and death

Jackson and his wife, Marva, were married for 57 years before his death. After his retirement from basketball, they settled in

Beaumont, Texas Beaumont is a coastal city in the U.S. state of Texas. It is the seat of government of Jefferson County, within the Beaumont– Port Arthur metropolitan statistical area, located in Southeast Texas on the Neches River about east of Houston ( ...

, Marva's hometown, in 1973. He finished his degree at Pan American University and worked for the Beaumont Parks and Recreation Department starting in 1975. He retired in 2002. They had three children, all of whom played basketball at West Brook High School and collegiately. Nicole and Andrea played for the

University of North Texas The University of North Texas (UNT) is a public research university in Denton, Texas. It was founded as a nonsectarian, coeducational, private teachers college in 1890 and was formally adopted by the state 11 years later."Denton Normal Schoo ...

and Lucious III, played college basketball for

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

. The 1990s all-female rock band Luscious Jackson chose their name as inspiration from Lucious Jackson. Jackson died from heart failure in

Houston Houston (; ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in Texas, the Southern United States#Major cities, most populous city in the Southern United States, the List of United States cities by population, fourth-most pop ...

, Texas, on October 12, 2022, at the age of 80.

NBA career statistics

;Source

Regular season

Playoffs

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Lucious 1941 births 2022 deaths 1963 FIBA World Championship players 20th-century African-American sportspeople African-American basketball players American men's basketball players Basketball players at the 1963 Pan American Games Basketball players at the 1964 Summer Olympics Basketball players from Texas Centers (basketball) Medalists at the 1963 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics National Basketball Association All-Stars Olympic gold medalists for the United States in basketball Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States Pan American Games medalists in basketball Philadelphia 76ers draft picks Philadelphia 76ers players Power forwards (basketball) Sportspeople from San Marcos, Texas Texas–Pan American Broncs men's basketball players Texas Southern Tigers men's basketball players United States men's national basketball team players