Rickea Jackson is a bucket. A walking bucket, in fact, and she’s been that way since she was playing against her brothers in Detroit, Mich. growing up.
Hitting the blacktop?
Bucket.
Taking her game to Mississippi State and the University of Tennessee?
Bucket.
And now, as her rookie season winds down, WNBA fans are starting to take notice of what Jackson is doing on the court, especially offensively.
Because she is a damn bucket.
And it should come as no surprise, really. The WNBA Draft had no shortage of storylines going in with a star-studded class. Caitlin Clark was a lock to go No. 1. There were questions about Angel Reese and how her game would translate to the WNBA (more than fine, as we have seen), and questions about where Aaliyah Edwards and Kamilla Cardoso would go.
But the other consensus besides Clark going No. 1 was that Jackson was considered to be the player whose game was the most pro-ready – especially offensively.
And after a slower start to the season where she was “getting accustomed to things, working on her defense and playing within the system at different positions,” she’s been scoring at a high – and efficient – level down the stretch.
“I feel like experience is the biggest teacher. I’ve just been getting more and more comfortable. And with experience just comes great knowledge,” Jackson said. “As the season has gone on, I just continue to grow, continue to be a sponge. And, you know, I just listen to my coaches and my teammates. That’s what’s helping me produce more and be more confident.”
What makes Jackson so special on the offensive end is that she isn’t just a strong finisher (she is) or a pull-up shooter (yeah, that, too) but she’s also a sniper from downtown. She’s a true three-level scorer. (Stats via HerHoopStats)
At the rim: 67.6 percentMidrange: 38.2 percentThree-point range: 35.5 percent
“I never wanted to be a one-dimensional player. I wanted to be able to do multiple things,” Jackson explained. “So, like, you know, OK, they take away my layup – I can turn around and do a fadeaway. They take away my three. I can drive to the hoop. Like, I just never wanted to be able to be completely shut down and for the defense to be able to say, ‘OK, take this away she’s off her game.’ So, that’s something that I’ve always just, you know, wanted to do as I continue to grow my game. I feel like it helps our offense as well because it’s like you have to respect me at all three levels.”
Just like Rickea the scorer can come at you in multiple ways, Rickea the person can, too. Let’s call her a three-level person.
The PersonThe FashionistaThe Hooper
Jackson is anything but a one-dimensional player, and it’s because she’s anything but a one-dimensional person.
The Person
To know Rickea is to know her family. Her upbringing.
Jackson played basketball in Detroit, where she led her high school program to three straight state titles, becoming a 5-star recruit before heading to the SEC.
Jackson, who has three brothers – Rickey Jackson Jr., Ryon Jackson, and Jordan Anderson – may owe her start in basketball to her brothers.
“You suck at basketball,” Jackson told Yahoo Sports that her brothers would tell her. “Well, I don’t play, but if I did play, I’d be better than you!”
Jackson ended up being called the greatest girls basketball player of all time from Michigan by the Detroit Free Press.
And while her brothers may have challenged her by talking the trash that siblings do, it’s her mom, Caryn, who played basketball at the University of K…
https://t.co/4e0VPGbLsG pic.twitter.com/8FmpOG8EdI
— Jamalama 🧡🏀⚖️ (@MidwestMutineer) July 25, 2024
Jackson knows about the photo from back in February. She still remembers what she was thinking while she was lying there on the ground, making a perfect meme-able moment.
“I was upset at the call, of course. Because I felt like it was a charge,” Jackson said. “So, I’m just, like, really ref? And I just lay there. You know what I’m saying? I’m just thinking about life. Contemplating life, obviously. But the camera always sees me being dramatic. So, it’s not like I’m, like, looking for the camera. But it just always finds me doing something funny. Or, sometimes my ADHD might kick in a little bit. Like in my press conferences and things like that.
“But, literally, I’m just being me.”
Not the kids outing mom. 🤣 @iamthathooper x @LadyVol_Hoops pic.twitter.com/gYAPeEGNMR
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) September 9, 2024
Absolutely no one: @iamthathooper: pic.twitter.com/7Y2AO1Esdd
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) August 13, 2024
Being herself is what makes Jackson the standout player – and person – that she is. But that also leads to the second threat that she is.
The Fashionista
Tunnel fits are one of the best parts of the WNBA season. From fem-presenting to masc-presenting, the players just don’t miss with their looks.
Jackson is no different.
She is, already, the first WNBA signature athlete signed to Sketchers, joining the likes of Joel Embiid as the faces of the brand. But until the signature shoe drops in 2025, it’s the fits pre-game that grab the attention.
“I feel like I’ve pretty much always been into fashion, even being a little girl. Like, I just love the skirts, the tutus, the long socks, the high boots, knee-high Converses. Like, everything that I wear in my tunnel picks is literally what I used to love to wear as a child,” Jackson explained. “So being able to showcase my fashion before I go to my job, I feel like it’s pretty cool.”
Because don’t get it twisted – Jackson is a hooper. Her Twitter handle is, after all, @iamthahooper. But she’s also…
loves – clothes.
“I feel like I’m killing two birds with one stone, you know, showing off my fashion side and then showing off my on-the-court side. And I like to call it beauty and the beast,” Jackson said. “I just love a mini skirt, some heels, and some boots.”
There were no spoilers given, but stay tuned to the fits that Jackson has planned for the rest of this year and beyond.
“I’m going to continue to branch out more with the looks and things like that,” Jackson said. “But it’s just been so fun to, you know, be able to put these looks together with my stylist. It’s just been so fun to do. It’s just like playing dress up, and I just think it’s so fun.”
Model behavior. @iamthathooper x @UrbanDecay pic.twitter.com/ixjWLq5yRA
— Los Angeles Sparks (@LASparks) September 1, 2024
👯♀️ pic.twitter.com/OxGH6woLYF
— RJ👑 (@iamthathooper) August 21, 2024
This is a @iamthathooper appreciation post. It should be criminal to have a face card (& effortless style) like this 😭😭😭 like Rickea howwww pic.twitter.com/BfqoigFlaq
— Arielle (Ari) Chambers (@ariivory) May 29, 2024
Jackson has added an element to her looks that has caught some eyes lately, as she revealed on her Instagram story a new diamond necklace that says “Kea” with a…
According to her instagram story, it looks like Rickea Jackson has some new ice.
📸: r.ickea on IG pic.twitter.com/MEilPO6rEw
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) August 31, 2024
“I just wanted to implement something Detroit. Growing up, you know, my brothers called me Kea – my mom called me Mamacita – so I just went with Kea. Something short, cute,” Jackson said. “And then the Detroit symbol at the top. I love to rep my city. I love my city. I was debating if I should put, like, a 313 or a Detroit symbol at the top. But then, all in all, when I saw the Detroit symbol. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I gotta go with this.’”
It’s a rose gold-colored piece, as is the Detroit symbol. Jackson couldn’t remember what the diamonds were called “my uncle and boyfriend helped me with that,” but it achieved what Jackson was looking for with it: a little something cute, that’s not too much, with a little pop of Detroit.
According to her instagram story, it looks like Rickea Jackson has some new ice.
📸: r.ickea on IG pic.twitter.com/MEilPO6rEw
— Meghan L. Hall (@ItsMeghanLHall) August 31, 2024
“I just wanted to implement something Detroit. Growing up, you know, my brothers called me Kea – my mom called me Mamacita – so I just went with Kea. Something short, cute,” Jackson said. “And then the Detroit symbol at the top. I love to rep my city. I love my city. I was debating if I should put, like, a 313 or a Detroit symbol at the top. But then, all in all, when I saw the Detroit symbol. I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I gotta go with this.’”
It’s a rose gold-colored piece, as is the Detroit symbol. Jackson couldn’t remember what the diamonds were called “my uncle and boyfriend helped me with that,” but it achieved what Jackson was looking for with it: a little something cute, that’s not too much, with a little pop of Detroit.
