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Unrivaled Star Rickea Jackson Stands Out in NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

Jeremy Hanna

Feb 14, 2025; Oakland, California, USA; Rickea Jackson (2) of Team Bonds during introductions before the celebrity game ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Oakland Arena. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Feb 14, 2025; Oakland, California, USA; Rickea Jackson (2) of Team Bonds during introductions before the celebrity game ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Oakland Arena. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The NBA All-Star Celebrity Game was a ton of fun as it is every year, with plenty of stars from outside of basketball showing what they got.

That being said, there are also a good amount of players who are known for playing basketball, including former NBA champion Matt Barnes, reigning WNBA champion, former NBA player Baron Davis, and basketball trainer Chris Brickley.

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Another big basketball name that was included in the celebrity game was Los Angeles Sparks forward and Mist BC forward Rickea Jackson, who gave a standout performance during the game.

Jackson scored 16 points on eight-for-15 shooting while also recording three rebounds and two assists. She wound up making the second-most amount of points on Team Bonds and the third-most amount of points in the entire game.

When asked about how she felt about her performance, Jackson seemed casually satisfied.

"Ya know, I was chilling in the first half," Jackson said with a smile on her face. "I was chilling for three quarters. They kept yelling at me to shoot the ball, so I'm like, 'Let me shoot it a little bit.' But it was fun!"

In the end, Team Bonds wound up beating Team Rice 66-55. NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP went to actor Rome Flynn, who recorded 22 points on 10-for-16 shooting, eight rebounds, and five assists. The biggest standout on Team Rice was NFL legend Terrell Owens, who had 18 points on seven-for-20 shooting and six rebounds.

Jackson began her basketball career with Mississippi State where she would play from 2019-2022. In her time with the Bulldogs, she averaged 16.2 points, 6.1 total rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game.

For her excellent play, Jackson was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team (2020) and second-team All-SEC (2020). She also took home the Gillom Trophy, recognizing her as the best women's college basketball player in the state of Mississippi.

After entering the transfer portal, Jackson played with Tennessee from 2022-2024, averaging 19.6 points, seven total rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks across two seasons. She was named first-team All-SEC for 2023 and 2024.

Jackson was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the fourth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. In her debut season, she averaged 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game across all 40 games. She was named to the 2024 WNBA All-Rookie Team.

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Jeremy Hanna
JEREMY HANNA

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