NBA
Denver’s Reggie Jackson almost walked away from basketball, he’s now one win away from being an NBA Champion
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated2 hours ago on April 26, 2024
The beauty of professional sports is that not everyone’s path to the top is the same. For the past few postseasons, the NBA Finals seemed unattainable for the Denver Nuggets. Not in 2023, however. Denver is thriving this postseason and it has vets on the team appreciative of the moment. That’s especially true for PG Reggie Jackson. He almost walked away from the game of basketball.
At 33, Jackson was unsure if he was ever going to make it back to the NBA’s biggest stage. In his second professional season, his Thunder squad made it to the NBA Finals. They would lose to LeBron James and the Miami Heat. Jackson admitted this is something he’s been chasing in his career.
He’s expressed how the team is not getting complacent, even if they are just one win away from winning the NBA Finals. Game 5 of the 2023 NBA Finals is tonight at 8:30 pm EST on ABC.
Reggie Jackson nearly walked away from basketball. Now, he’s one win away from a title with the Nuggets.@VinceGoodwill ➡️ https://t.co/PJu7n2IAxn pic.twitter.com/xBiTrypQzo
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) June 12, 2023
Reggie Jackson almost walked away due to injuries and is one win away from being an NBA champion
At the beginning of the 2022-23 season, Jackson was a member of the LA Clippers. He played in 52 games for them this season and made 38 starts. However, the team traded him at the deadline and acquired Mason Plumlee for the Nuggets. Jackson admitted that he couldn’t believe he was back in the Finals again and he’s soaking it all in.
As a 12-year NBA vet, he knows that not all players are lucky enough to make the NBA Finals. Jackosn made it at 22 with the Thunder and over a decade later he’s back on the NBA’s biggest stage. There were times when Jackson debated continuing his career a few years ago.
When he was still with Detroit, Jackson was dealing with nagging ankle injuries and he almost walked away from basketball. He was still passionate about the game, but his body was failing him. Jackson has had to work extremely hard to get to the point he is at right now.
He had a resurgence in his career with the LA Clippers and that allowed him to stay in the NBA and thrive. Denver is where Jackson’s military family finally settled when he was in high school. He’s back home and now has a chance to win that elusive first NBA title that he’s been chasing.
