# Justin Jackson (basketball, born 1995)
**Justin Jackson** (full name Justin Aaron Jackson, born 1995) is an American professional basketball player from Tomball, Texas, who won the 2017 NCAA championship with the [University of North Carolina](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-north-carolina) and was selected 15th overall by the [Sacramento Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/sacramento-kings) in the 2017 [NBA draft](https://www.edgepedia.org/nba-draft)[1](https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-20-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide.pdf) • [2](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/justin-jackson-101). A 6-foot-8, 220-pound forward, he has since played in the NBA and the G League and is currently an unrestricted free agent[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628382/justin-jackson) • [4](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Justin-Jackson/Summary/41335).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1995, Tomball, Texas; full name Justin Aaron Jackson[1](https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-20-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide.pdf) |
| College | North Carolina, 2014–2017; 1,626 career points (13.8 per game) in 118 games[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398) |
| 2016–17 season | NCAA champion; consensus first-team All-American; ACC Player of the Year; team-leading 18.3 points per game[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398) • [6](https://goheels.com/documents/download/2017/5/5/2017recap.pdf) |
| Three-point record | School single-season record 105 three-pointers; 2.63 per game, second-highest in Carolina history[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398) |
| NBA draft | 2017, first round, Pick 15, Sacramento Kings (via Portland Trail Blazers)[2](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/justin-jackson-101) • [3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628382/justin-jackson) |
| NBA career | 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1.0 assist per game; 7 years of experience[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628382/justin-jackson) |
| Recent status | Unrestricted free agent; claimed by the Windy City Bulls from the player pool on November 17, 2025[4](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Justin-Jackson/Summary/41335) |
## Early life
Jackson grew up in Tomball, Texas. His father, Lloyd, ran track at Blinn Junior College in Brenham, Texas, and his mother, Sharon, played basketball at the same school; he has described both parents as his first coaches[1](https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-20-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide.pdf) • [7](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/jackson-carves-unique-path-league). He played high school basketball for the Homeschool Christian Youth Association (HCYA), a nonprofit Christian sports organization, rather than for a traditional high school program[1](https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-20-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide.pdf).
On the AAU circuit he played for Houston Hoops alongside future Kings teammate [De'Aaron Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/deaaron-fox) and future first-round picks [Justise Winslow](https://www.edgepedia.org/justise-winslow) and Kelly Oubre, and ESPN ranked him No. 8 in his entire class[7](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/jackson-carves-unique-path-league). A [Detroit Pistons](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-pistons) draft profile described him as a high school contemporary of Winslow in the greater Houston area and ranked the 11th best recruit in the high school class of 2014[8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson).
## College career at North Carolina
Jackson spent three seasons at North Carolina under coach [Roy Williams](https://www.edgepedia.org/roy-williams-basketball-coach), deferring to more established players on loaded rosters in his first two years, with scoring averages of 10.7 and 12.2[8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson). Over those two seasons he connected on 63 of 212 three-point attempts (29.7 percent), and NBA evaluators questioned whether he could space the floor at the next level[7](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/jackson-carves-unique-path-league).
**Junior-year breakthrough.** As a junior in 2016–17, Jackson led the Tar Heels in scoring at 18.3 points per game, averaged a career-high 4.7 rebounds, and was second on the team with 113 assists[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398). His three-point shooting improved dramatically: attempts rose from 120 to 284 and accuracy from .292 to .370[8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson). He made 105 three-pointers, a North Carolina single-season record, and his 2.63 threes per game was the second-highest figure in school history[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398).
The season ended with the NCAA championship. Jackson led Carolina in scoring (19.5 per game), field goals, three-pointers, assists, and steals across the team's six tournament wins, scored 38 points in the Final Four, and helped limit Kentucky's Malik Monk, Oregon's Dillon Brooks, and Gonzaga's Nigel Williams-Goss to a combined 11 of 38 shooting, earning All-Final Four honors[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398). He finished with 239 career NCAA Tournament points, the second most by any [Tar Heel](https://www.edgepedia.org/tar-heel), and joined [Rick Fox](https://www.edgepedia.org/rick-fox) as the only players in program history with 1,600 career points, 150 three-pointers, 400 rebounds, and 300 assists[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398).
His individual honors for the season included consensus first-team All-American, first-team All-ACC, and ACC Player of the Year, making him the 14th Tar Heel to win the conference award and one of three (with Lennie Rosenbluth and [Ty Lawson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ty-lawson)) to win it and lead UNC to a national title in the same season[6](https://goheels.com/documents/download/2017/5/5/2017recap.pdf) • [5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398).
## 2017 NBA draft
After the championship, Jackson announced on April 15, 2017 that he would enter the NBA draft and forgo his senior year[5](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398). Draft boards placed him 13th (DraftExpress.com), 25th (ESPN.com), and fourth among shooting guards (NBA.com)[8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson). His main red flag was his frame: he weighed 201 pounds at the draft combine in Chicago, and scouts questioned how much additional strength a 22-year-old three-year player could add[8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson).
The Sacramento Kings selected him with the No. 15 overall pick, obtained via the [Portland Trail Blazers](https://www.edgepedia.org/portland-trail-blazers)[2](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/justin-jackson-101). He was the first upperclassman chosen in a draft whose top ten picks were all college freshmen[9](https://goduke.com/sports/2017/7/11/211644365).
## NBA and professional career
Jackson's NBA career spans seven years of experience, with career averages of 6.0 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game[3](https://www.nba.com/player/1628382/justin-jackson). [Dallas Mavericks](https://www.edgepedia.org/dallas-mavericks) media guides list him on the roster and include his NBA playoff statistics[1](https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-20-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide.pdf) • [10](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/legacy/www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-24-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide-1.pdf).
In the G League, the Rip City Remix selected Jackson in the first round with the sixth pick of the 2023 Expansion G League Draft, and on November 17, 2025 the Windy City Bulls claimed him from the player pool; RealGM lists his current status as unrestricted free agent[4](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Justin-Jackson/Summary/41335).
## Playing style
Scouts entering the 2017 draft described Jackson as one of the most complete players available, citing a high basketball IQ, a smooth jumper, and all-around offensive ability, including an array of shots on the move and floaters that projected him as a complementary scorer[11](https://www.palaceofpistons.com/p/2017-pop-scouting-report-justin-jackson) • [8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson). His 2.8 assists per game as a junior were noted as a solid figure for a primary scorer who was not a point guard, indicating vision and passing ability[8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson).
The recurring concerns were athletic rather than skill-based: a lack of NBA-level explosiveness and a thin 201-pound frame that raised questions about defending bulkier small forwards, with some evaluators suggesting a stretch power forward role in small lineups[11](https://www.palaceofpistons.com/p/2017-pop-scouting-report-justin-jackson) • [8](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson).
## References
1. [2019–20 Dallas Mavericks Media Guide](https://www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-20-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide.pdf)
2. [Justin Jackson 101, Sacramento Kings](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/justin-jackson-101)
3. [Justin Jackson, Forward, NBA.com](https://www.nba.com/player/1628382/justin-jackson)
4. [Justin Jackson Player Profile, RealGM](https://basketball.realgm.com/player/Justin-Jackson/Summary/41335)
5. [Justin Jackson To Enter NBA Draft, University of North Carolina Athletics](https://goheels.com/news/2017/4/15/211558398)
6. [2017 Recap: #44 Justin Jackson, goheels.com](https://goheels.com/documents/download/2017/5/5/2017recap.pdf)
7. [Jackson Carves Unique Path to League, Sacramento Kings](https://www.nba.com/kings/blog/jackson-carves-unique-path-league)
8. [First-Round Candidate: Justin Jackson, Detroit Pistons](https://www.nba.com/pistons/features/first-round-candidate-justin-jackson)
9. [Youth is Served, Duke University](https://goduke.com/sports/2017/7/11/211644365)
10. [2023–24 Dallas Mavericks Media Guide](https://cdn.nba.com/teams/legacy/www.mavs.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/2023-24-Dallas-Mavericks-Media-Guide-1.pdf)
11. [2017 POP Scouting Report: Justin Jackson, Palace of Pistons](https://www.palaceofpistons.com/p/2017-pop-scouting-report-justin-jackson)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Basketball and court team sports › Basketball players and coaches (biographies) › NBA players, 2011–2018 › NBA forwards, 2011–2018*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license