Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Jaren Walter Jackson Jr. was born on September 15th, 1999 in Plainfield, New Jersey. He is a power forward in the NBA.

Jackson is the son of former professional basketball coach and former NBA player Jaren Jackson. He started his high school career with Park Tudor school. He played varsity for three years, where he averaged 10 points a game, 6 rebounds a game, and 3 blocks a game. Jackson won two IHSAA state basketball championships while at Park Tudor. He was teammates with former Xavier University standout and current New Orleans Pelicans two-way player Trevon Bluiett. He then transferred to La Lumiere School for his senior year, where he started for their varsity squad.

Jackson was considered one of the top players in the 2017 graduating class. Scout.com ranked Jackson the 5th best player nationally,1st in his respective position, and 2nd overall in the midwest region. 247 Sports ranked him 7th nationally, being 4th in his position. ESPN 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, Indiana, Purdue, Maryland, and several more. He was invited to partake in the McDonald's All-American Game played on March 29, 2017.

Jackson played college basketball for the Michigan State Spartans. He was selected 4th by the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018 NBA draft.

In 2023, he was named to his first All-Star team.