Sport: Basketball
Born: September 15, 1999
Town: Plainfield, New Jersey
Jaren Walter Jackson Jr. was born September 15, 1999 in Plainfield, NJ. His father, Jaren Sr., had been a college star at Georgetown and played his first NBA season with the New Jersey Nets. He married Terri Carmichael, an attorney he had met at Georgetown, and who became Director of Operations for the WNBA. Three months prior to his son’s birth, Jaren Sr. won an NBA championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs.
The Jacksons moved several times during Jaren’s childhood. They finally settled in Indianapolis when he was in eighth grade. Wherever they landed, Jaren would use his basketball skills to earn acceptance and make new friends. By the time he entered Park Tudor High, it was clear that he would eclipse his father’s 6’4” height. Eventually, Jaren grew to 6’11”.
Jaren played AAU ball in the summers and began establishing himself as a blue chip prospect. As a senior, he transferred to La Lumiere School, a boarding school in LaPorte, IN, and earned All-America recognition as one of the nation’s most agile big men. Among LaPorte’s alumni are Jim Gaffigan and Supreme Court justice John Roberts.
Jaren was projected as a one-and-done first-round NBA draft project. He decided to play for Tom Izzo and accepted a scholarship to Michigan State. In his second collegiate game, Jaren dropped 19 points on #1-ranked Duke. His top scoring night was a 27-point performance over conference rival Minnesota. At season’s end, Jaren was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. The Spartans went 30–5 and won the Big Ten title. Jaren’s final game was a two-point loss to Syracuse in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Jaren declared for the NBA Draft after the tournament and was selected by the Memphis Grizzlies with the fourth overall pick. He played 58 games as the team’s power forward and averaged 13.8 points and 4.7 rebounds his rookie year. An injury at the end of February ended his season early. Nevertheless, Jaren was named to the NBA All-Rookie team. He had eleven 20-point games and reached double-figures in rebounds twice. His best game was a 36-point outburst against the Nets in an overtime win on the road in Brooklyn. It was a historic season for an NBA 19-year-old, in a historic season for players Jaren’s age. Other teenagers who enjoyed solid rookie seasons in 2018–19 were Luka Doncic, Kevin Knox and Marvin Bagley III.
The Grizzlies went 33–49 and missed the playoffs, but scored the #2 pick in the 2019 draft lottery, which they would use to get Ja Morant..
In 2019–20, Jaren logged most of his time at center for the Grizzlies, and upped his scoring to 17.4 per game. His best performance came in a showdown with Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks. Jaren scored 43 points on 14-of-21 shooting, including an eye-popping 9 three-pointers. In a January game against the Nuggets, he swatted away 7 shots. After the COVID break, in the bubble, Jaren injured his left knee and missed the rest of the season. His rehab ket him off the floor the following year for all but 11 games.
In 2021–22, the Grizzlies won 56 games and finished first in the Southwest Division. Jaren returned to full health and had a monster year on D, leading the NBA with 177 blocked shots—40 more than second-place finisher Rudy Gobert. Jaren averaged 16.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game and was named first-team All-Defense. He finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Memphis beat the T-Wolves in the playoffs and Jaren set a franchise playoff record in the Minnesota series with seven swats, but the Grizzlies ran into the red-hot Warriors in the next round and lost, 4 goes to 2. Jaren averaged 15.4 points and 6.8 rebounds in 12 postseason games.
A stress fracture in Jaren’s right foot delayed his start to the 2022–23 campaign, but he returned a new man. He was the NBA’s top shot-blocker again, averaging 3.0 per game, and was selected for his first All-Star Game. At season’s end, he earned his second first-team All-Defense nod and was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year.
Injuries devastated the Grizzlies in 2023–24 and Jaren was asked to shoulder more of the scoring load. He responded by averaging 22.5 per game and led Memphis in points, rebounds, blocks, steals and minutes played. The team bounced back from 27 wins to finish with 48 w’s in 2024–25. Jaren got help on the front line from towering rookie Zach Edey, sliding over to forward when both were on the court. Jaren continued his scoring surge, averaging 22.2 per game, leading the club in minutes played and points again. The Grizzlies opened the playoffs against Oklahoma City and suffered the worst loss in playoff history, 131–80. The Thunder took the next three to end Jaren’s second All-Star season.