Ralph A. Jackson III (born October 26, 1962) is an American former 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 who played briefly in 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).

Early life

Jackson attended Inglewood High School in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, the city had a population of 107,762. ...

. The school's basketball team was the nation's top-ranked team in 1980, going undefeated and winning the national championship, with Jackson the CIF player of the year and all-time assists leader. At

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

, Jackson averaged 8.4 points, 4.7 assists, 2.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 111 career games between 1980 and 1984.

Career

Jackson was selected by the

Indiana Pacers The Indiana Pacers are an American professional basketball team based in Indianapolis. The Pacers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

in the fourth round of the

1984 NBA draft The 1984 NBA draft was the 37th annual draft of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It was held at the Felt Forum at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, on June 19, 1984, before the 1984–85 season. The draft is generally ...

with the 71st overall pick. He signed with the Pacers on September 1, 1984, and played his one and only NBA game on November 7 against the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, also known colloquially 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 Atlan ...

. He was waived by the Pacers on November 9. On November 20, he was acquired by the

Toronto Tornados {{Infobox basketball club , name = Toronto Tornados , color1 = , color2 = , logo = TorontoTornadosLogo.jpg , founded = 1983 , folded = 1985 , league = CBA 1983–1985 , history = , ...

of the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

. He averaged 8.3 points, 4.0 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 47 games for the Tornados during the 1984–85 season. He returned to the franchise in 1985–86, with the team moving to Florida mid-season and becoming the

Pensacola Tornados The Pensacola Tornados was a basketball team that played in Pensacola, Florida in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) from 1985–1991. 1985–1986 season Ted Stepien bought a CBA franchise for Toronto in 1983 after threatening to mo ...

. In 14 games, he averaged 7.6 points, 4.1 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Ralph 1962 births Living people Inglewood High School (California) alumni American expatriate basketball people in Canada American men's basketball players Basketball players from Los Angeles Indiana Pacers draft picks Indiana Pacers players McDonald's High School All-Americans Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Pensacola Tornados (1985–86) players Point guards Toronto Tornados players UCLA Bruins men's basketball players