Big milestone for GG Jackson: His first full-time NBA contract
GG Jackson won’t be jumping back and forth between the NBA and the G-League anymore this season.
The Memphis Grizzlies are signing the 19-year-old rookie to a four-year contract with three guaranteed seasons, the team announced Friday morning. Terms of the deal weren’t announced. Adrian Wojnarowski was the first to report the news early Friday morning.
“I’ll never stop thanking God,” Jackson posted to X (Twitter) soon after Wojnarowski’s report.
Jackson was selected by the Grizzlies in the second round, 45th overall, in the 2023 NBA Draft after one season at the University South Carolina. He signed a two-way contract with Memphis, meaning he could play both with the team’s G-League team (Memphis Hustle) and the Grizzlies.
Jackson averaged 20 points in 22 games this year for the Hustle but has earned a call-up to the NBA after several injuries to the Memphis roster. He’s been with the team since Jan. 8 and has made the most of his opportunities.
Jackson scored 23 points in a nationally televised game against Golden State on Martin Luther King Day. On Thursday night, he had a career-high 27 points off the bench against the Chicago Bulls, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score that many points at 19 years and 53 days old.
It broke the late NBA Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant’s 25-point total he set his second year. Bryant had 25 points in a Nov. 9, 1997, game against the Golden State Warriors when he was 19 years and 78 days old.
In 20 NBA games this season, Jackson, who turned 19 on Dec. 17, is averaging 9.9 points and 3.5 rebounds. He has scored double figures in 10 games, with four coming in the month of February.
This story was originally published February 9, 2024 at 10:00 AM.
