Makes Love to Pressure

Stephen Jackson was born on April 5, 1978 in Port Arthur, Texas. As of 2008, he is currently in his 8th season in the NBA. But, his road to get to the big show did not go as smoothly as other prep-to-NBA players.

Stephen Jackson earned all-American honors while playing for Oak Hill Acadamy in Virginia after transferring from Lincoln High School in his hometown Port Arthur, Texas.

Jackson committed to join the University of Arizona in 1997, but was declared ineligible due to academic reasons.

Jackson declared for the 1997 NBA Draft soon thereafter. He was selected 43rd overall in the 2nd round by the Phoenix Suns. Unfortunately, Jackson did not get a chance to prove himself and was released by the Suns.

Thus began a long journey with stops in various basketball leagues around the world. Jackson signed on to play for the La Crosse Bobcats in Winconsin for six games then jumped to play for the Sydney Kings in Austrialia’s National Basketball League. Jackson also played professional in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.

Becoming mentally and physically tough from playing overseas, Stephen Jackson was able to land a spot with the New Jersey Nets in the 2000-01 season. He went on to play in 70 games–starting 40 of them–averaging 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 21.6 minutes.

After the season with the Nets, Jackson signed on to play for the San Antonio Spurs. Unfortunately, Jackson made only one appearance in the 2001-2002 season due to injuries. But in the 2002-2003 season, Stephen Jackson showcased his ability to play under pressure, hitting clutch shots in the playoffs to help the Spurs win the NBA Championship.

In the regular season, Jackson started 58 of 80 games and averaged 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 28.1 minutes. In the playoffs, Jackson ramped up his productivity with 12.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists in 33.8 minutes.

Hoping to parlay his playoff success to a big contract, Stephen Jackson left the San Antonio Spurs for free agency. Unfortunately, his plans did not come to fruition and was forced to sign a small contract with the Atlanta Hawks.

Jackson did not get down on his situation, instead he put up career numbers with 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 36.8 minutes while starting 78 of 81 games. His improved play led him to a 6-year, $38.3 million contract.

After signing the big contract, Jackson was traded to the Pacers for Al Harrington. While with the Pacers, Jackson strayed from the straight and narrow; participating in the now infamous Detroit brawl and firing a handgun outside an Indiana night club.

These incidents did not distract Jackson from playing his brand of basketball, however. His first season with the Pacers was a new career high for him. Jackson averaged 18.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 39.4 minutes while starting 49 of 51 games. With Jermaine O’Neal out during the playoffs, Jackson shouldered the load and led the team with 16.1 points in the 2005 playoffs.

Wary of another blowup, Stephen Jackson was dealt to Golden State Warriors in the middle of the 2006-2007 season in an 8-player blockbuster trade. Al Harrington, Josh Powell and Sarunas Jasikevicius joined Jackson in Golden State while the Indiana Pacers recieved Mike Dunleavy Jr., Troy Murphy, Ike Diogu and Keith McLeod. Jackson was considered an inconsequential piece in the trade by the Warriors whose focus was on acquring Al Harrington and dumping Dunleavy and Murphy’s albatross contracts.

With Stephen Jackson’s steady play however, he inserted himself as an integral cog in the Warriors team style. He put himself and the team on the NBA map when he played stifling defense against MVP Dirk Nowitzki in the first round of the playoffs. Jackson also set a franchise record for most 3s in a playoff game with 7 in game 6, thus making playoff history as the first 8th seeded team to beat a 1st seeded team.

So far in the 2007-08 NBA Season, Stephen Jackson has reinvented himself in his 8th year in the league. After returning from his seven-game suspension, Jackson help lead the Warriors to a 31-14 record going into the All-Star break as one of the tri-captains on the team. He is currently having a new career year averaging 21.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in 39.5 minutes while starting in all 44 games he has played.