Justin Jackson
Combined timeline for people named Justin Jackson referenced in the provided texts (notably Justin Joseph Jackson — American football RB, b.1996; Justin Aaron Jackson — American basketball player, b.1995; plus brief disambiguation entries for other Justin Jacksons). Events are labeled with which individual they concern in the title/description.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth — Justin Jackson (English footballer, b.1974) (disambiguation)
Listed in the disambiguation page; no further details provided in sources.
Birth — Justin Jackson (basketball, b.1990) (disambiguation)
Listed in the disambiguation page; no further details in provided text.
Birth — Justin Aaron Jackson (basketball, b.1995)
Justin Aaron Jackson was born in Houston, Texas. (This is the UNC / NBA player.)
Birth — Justin Joseph Jackson (American football, b.1996)
Justin Joseph Jackson was born in Chicago (Carol Stream), Illinois. (This is the Northwestern / NFL running back.)
Birth — Justin Jackson (basketball, b.1997) (disambiguation)
Listed in the disambiguation page (Canadian basketball player who went to Maryland); no further details in provided text.
Mother died — Justin Joseph Jackson (football)
When Justin J. Jackson was three years old his mother, Denise Jackson, died from breast cancer; father later remarried (stepmother Veronica).
Started playing youth football — Justin Joseph Jackson
Started playing football in second grade with the Carol Stream Youth Football Association Panthers, following his older brother Phil Jr.
USA U-16 gold medal — Justin Aaron Jackson (basketball)
Represented USA at FIBA Americas U-16 Championship (2011) in Mexico; earned gold and scored 13 points in the gold-medal game vs Argentina.
Led HCYA Warriors to national championship & won Sullivan Award — Justin Aaron Jackson (basketball)
Led his Homeschool Christian Youth Association team to a national championship in 2012 and won the Sullivan Award (top homeschool basketball player).
IHSA state finals (junior year) — Justin Joseph Jackson (football)
As a junior at Glenbard North (2012) competed in IHSA state finals vs Mount Carmel; returned an interception ~79 yards for TD but held to 65 rushing yards in the game.
Historic senior season — Justin Joseph Jackson (football)
Senior year (2013) rushed for 3,171 yards in 11 games (second-most single-season in IHSA history); finished high school career with 6,531 rushing yards and 85 rushing TDs (Glenbard North record).
Gatorade Illinois Player of the Year (2012–13 & 2013–14) — Justin Joseph Jackson (football)
Won the Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year for Illinois for the 2012–13 and 2013–14 seasons (two-time state winner).
McDonald's All-American co-MVP (Jan 29, 2014) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Named co-MVP of the 2014 McDonald's All-American Boys Game (23 points on 11-of-12 shooting), shared with Jahlil Okafor; also won Jack Daly Award for sportsmanship.
Freshman season — 1,187 rushing yards (Northwestern)
In 2014 freshman year at Northwestern, started 5 of 12 games and led team with 1,187 rushing yards and 10 TDs (245 carries); also 22 catches for 201 yards.
Named to ACC/All-Freshman (UNC) / NCAA recruiting highlight — Justin Aaron Jackson (basketball)
Justin A. Jackson was a top recruit, played in McDonald's All-American Game (2014) and subsequently enrolled at North Carolina (2014–2017).
Prep honors and awards — Justin Aaron Jackson
Prep honors include Parade All-American, McDonald's All-American co-MVP, Maravich Award (2011), Sullivan Award (2012), Jefferson Award (2013) as top homeschooled player.
Signing Day / Commits to Northwestern — Justin Joseph Jackson (football)
Signed/committed to play college football at Northwestern University (joined Wildcats for 2014 season).
Second-team All-Big Ten (2015) & 1,418 yards — Justin Joseph Jackson (football)
In 2015 season Jackson rushed for 1,418 yards and was named Second-team All-Big Ten; ranked third in FBS rushing attempts that season (312 carries).
ACC All-Freshman team (2014–15) — Justin Aaron Jackson
As a freshman at UNC (2014–15 season) he earned ACC All-Freshman team honors and contributed to UNC's postseason run.
First-team All-Big Ten & Pinstripe Bowl MVP (Dec 28, 2016) — Justin Joseph Jackson
2016 season: named First-team All-Big Ten (coaches) and was MVP of the 2016 Pinstripe Bowl (224 yards, 3 rushing TDs), set school bowl rushing record.
Academic honors / NFF Scholar-Athlete note (2016) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Named a 2016 Second Team Academic All‑American, First Team Academic All‑District, two-time Academic All‑Big Ten; maintained a 3.23 GPA in economics with a French minor.
MVP — CBE Hall of Fame Classic (2015/16 season) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Named MVP of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic after strong back-to-back performances in Kansas City against Northwestern and Kansas State.
Surpasses Northwestern career rushing record (Oct 14, 2016) — Justin Joseph Jackson
On Oct 14, 2016 vs Maryland, recorded season-high 171 yards and surpassed Northwestern's career rushing record.
NFF National Scholar-Athlete / Northwestern induction (2017) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Listed on NFF National Scholar-Athletes page with Northwestern induction in 2017, noting athletic and academic achievements and community service.
NCAA Champion (Apr 2017) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Won the 2017 NCAA Championship with the North Carolina Tar Heels (scored 16 points in the title game).
ACC Player of the Year & Consensus First-team All-American (2017) — Justin Aaron Jackson
In his junior season (2016–17) at UNC he was named ACC Player of the Year, First-team All-ACC and a consensus first-team All-American.
Fourth consecutive 1,000-yard college season / Northwestern leading rusher — Justin Joseph Jackson
By 2017 became the ninth player in NCAA history to record four straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons and finished career as Northwestern's all-time leading rusher.
Rookie NBA season — Justin Aaron Jackson (2017–18)
Played 68 games (41 starts) for Sacramento in 2017–18, averaging 6.7 PPG and establishing himself as rotation forward.
Declares for 2017 NBA Draft (for basketball Justin A. Jackson)
After his junior season at UNC (2016–17), Justin A. Jackson declared for the 2017 NBA draft (announced April 13, 2017).
Drafted — 2017 NBA Draft: 15th overall (Portland → traded to Sacramento) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Selected 15th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2017 NBA Draft; draft rights were traded to the Sacramento Kings (along with Harry Giles) for Zach Collins.
Signed 4-year rookie contract ($13.5M) — Justin Aaron Jackson (Kings)
On July 8, 2017 signed a 4-year, $13.5 million rookie-scale contract with the Sacramento Kings (typical NBA rookie scale signing).
First NFL rushing TD and first career start (Dec 2018) — Justin Joseph Jackson
In Dec 2018 posted first professional rushing touchdown (Week 13 vs Steelers) and first career start (Week 14 vs Chiefs) when starters were injured.
Drafted by Chargers — NFL Draft 2018: 7th round, 251st overall — Justin Joseph Jackson
Selected by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2018 NFL Draft, 7th round, pick 251 (April 2018).
Finished rookie NFL season — 206 rushing yards, 2 TDs (2018)
2018 totals: 206 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs, 15 receptions for 135 receiving yards; also made postseason debut in Wild Card and Divisional rounds.
Kings exercise $3.3M team option for 2019–20 (Oct 26, 2018) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Sacramento Kings exercised Justin A. Jackson's $3.3M team option for 2019–20 (Oct 26, 2018).
Waived by Chargers; signed to practice squad (Sep 3–4, 2018) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Waived by the Chargers on Sep 3, 2018; signed to Chargers practice squad on Sep 4, 2018.
Promoted to Active Roster (Sep 24, 2018) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Promoted from practice squad to the Los Angeles Chargers active roster on Sep 24, 2018.
NFL regular-season debut (Week 4 vs 49ers) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Made his professional NFL debut in Week 4 (Sep 30, 2018) against the San Francisco 49ers.
2019 NFL season (limited action) — Justin Joseph Jackson
2019 season: appeared in 7 games, 29 carries for 200 yards.
Traded to Dallas Mavericks (Feb 6, 2019) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Traded (Feb 6, 2019) by Sacramento to the Dallas Mavericks (along with Zach Randolph) in a deal that brought Harrison Barnes to the Kings.
Mavericks exercise $5M team option for 2020–21 (Sep 24, 2019) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Dallas exercised a $5 million team option on Jackson for the 2020–21 season.
Political advocacy & media appearances (2019–2021) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Became an outspoken progressive activist: endorsed Bernie Sanders (2020), appeared on Chapo Trap House, Jimmy Dore, Krystal Ball & Kyle Kulinski; launched The Takeover with Justin Jackson (YouTube) in Feb 2021.
Placed on Injured Reserve (Nov 14, 2020) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Suffered a knee injury in Week 9 of the 2020 NFL season and was placed on IR on Nov 14, 2020.
Traded to Oklahoma City (Nov 27, 2020) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Traded along with Trevor Ariza and picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder in a three-team trade (Nov 27, 2020).
Activated from Injured Reserve (Dec 12, 2020) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Activated back to Chargers roster on Dec 12, 2020; recorded 104 yards from scrimmage in Week 17 vs Chiefs (Jan 3, 2021).
Took up professional horse racing professionally (post-2021 season) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Reportedly pursued professional horse racing after the 2021 season ended (noted in team reporting).
G League stints & Texas Legends (2021–2023) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Multiple stints with the Texas Legends (affiliate) in 2021–2023, including high-level G League production (e.g., 10 games averaging 22.7 PPG in one stint).
Signed 10-day contract with Boston Celtics (Dec 18, 2021) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Signed a 10-day NBA contract with the Boston Celtics on Dec 18, 2021 (short-term roster addition).
Career highs in 2021 season — Justin Joseph Jackson
2021 season: career-highs — 68 carries, 364 rushing yards, 22 receptions for 178 receiving yards in 14 games; notable 75-yard run in Week 8 and 162 scrimmage yards in Week 16.
Waived by Thunder (Apr 5, 2021) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 5, 2021 after appearing in 33 games that season.
Signed two-way contract with Milwaukee Bucks (Apr 21, 2021)
Signed a two-way contract with the Milwaukee Bucks on April 21, 2021; appeared in one regular season game and five playoff games and won an NBA championship (July 20, 2021).
Won NBA Championship with Milwaukee Bucks (Jul 20, 2021) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Part of the Bucks roster that won the 2021 NBA title; appeared in five playoff games averaging 1.2 PPG in the playoffs.
2022 season totals with Detroit — Justin Joseph Jackson
Finished the 2022 NFL season with 42 carries for 170 rushing yards and 1 rushing TD, plus 12 receptions for 101 receiving yards and 1 receiving TD across 16 games.
All-NBA G League Third Team (2022) & continued pro play — Justin Aaron Jackson
Recognized as All-NBA G League Third Team in 2022 for performances in the G League (Texas Legends/affiliate play).
Signed 10-day hardship deal with Phoenix Suns (Jan 5, 2022) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Signed a 10-day COVID-19 hardship exemption contract with the Phoenix Suns on Jan 5, 2022; appeared in three games in that contract averaging 4.3 PPG.
Signed with Detroit Lions (Aug 1, 2022)
Signed with the Detroit Lions on August 1, 2022.
Released and signed to Practice Squad (Aug 30–31, 2022) — Justin Joseph Jackson
Released by Lions on Aug 30, 2022 and signed to the practice squad on Aug 31, 2022; promoted to active roster on Sep 14, 2022.
Traded (Feb 9, 2023) to OKC and waived the next day — Justin Aaron Jackson
On Feb 9, 2023 traded with two future second-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder (for Mike Muscala); waived by Oklahoma City on Feb 10, 2023.
Re-signed with Detroit Lions (July 22, 2023)
Re-signed with the Detroit Lions on July 22, 2023 prior to training camp.
Announced retirement (Aug 10, 2023) — Justin Joseph Jackson
On August 10, 2023, announced his retirement from professional football (placed on Reserve/Retired list).
Career pro earnings reported (as of Basketball-Reference) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Basketball-Reference lists Justin A. Jackson as having earned at least $15,744,668 in professional basketball salaries (aggregate reported earnings).
Signed 10-day contract with Minnesota Timberwolves (Feb 22, 2024) — Justin Aaron Jackson
Signed a 10-day contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Feb 22, 2024; returned to the Texas Legends on Mar 3, 2024.
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