Jackson, "Jim" (James A.)
Basketball
b. Oct. 14, 1970, Toledo, OH
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Jackson was an All-American guard as a junior at Ohio State University in 1992, when he was named college player of the year by United Press International. Jackson averaged 22.4 points that season and 19.2 for his three-year career.
He then left school to enter the NBA draft and was chosen by the Dallas Mavericks in the first round. He held out for most of his rookie season, finally joining the team in March of 1993 and averaging 16.3 points in 28 games.
Dallas sent him to the New Jersey Nets in a nine-player trade during the the 1996-97 season. That began an odyssey that has seen Jackson play for nine different teams in the span of seven seasons. He joined his ninth team, the Sacramento Kings, as a free agent at the beginning of the 2002-03 season.
Jackson's best season, statistically, was 1994-95, when he averaged 25.7 points a game, fifth in the NBA and first among non-centers. However, an ankle injury in February cut that season short.
Because of his size, Jackson has been a swing man for much of his NBA career, playing small forward as well as shooting guard.