SALT LAKE CITY — Traevon Jackson claims his old man is just a “regular dad.”
Considering all things are relative, the former Wisconsin basketball standout can say that with conviction.
To him, Jim Jackson is as regular a dad as he’s ever known.
The elder Jackson, however, was anything but a regular basketball player.
Jim Jackson was a McDonald’s All-American, the UPI college player of the year (Ohio State, 1992) and an NBA fixture who played on a record-tying 12 teams in the world’s best league from 1992-2006.
The younger Jackson is certainly proud of his father’s playing career, but he’s also well aware that he’s got to make it into the NBA on his own merits. His dad is a good talking point around the league, but that’s not going to help him get drafted next month.
“I think it was a little different route for us,” Traevon said.
Jackson has his own impressive résumé, having helped lead Wisconsin to a pair of Final Fours in his time with the Badgers. An injury hampered his senior season, in which he averaged only eight points and 2.6 assists.
But the 6-foot-2 point guard had a really nice junior year, averaging 10.7 points, 4.0 assists and 3.8 rebounds.
Jackson felt like he was in his element during Thursday’s pre-draft workout with the Jazz. Back to 100 percent health, the 22-year-old said it was “a lot of fun” to do all of the running required, getting to interact with Utah's coaches and exhibiting his natural leadership abilities with the other five guys he worked out with.
He also was eager to show that he has more to his game than he displayed at Wisconsin.
“I’m not necessarily in a box,” he said. “Coming to these workouts, I get to show a little bit more of my skill set, show that my game can translate to the NBA.”
His dad got a dozen different NBA teams to pick him up throughout his career.
Son just wants one to snag him.
“I’m blessed to be out there,” Jackson said.
He’s not worried about comparisons with his dad and doesn’t concern himself thinking about how people might place higher expectations on him due to that connection.
“If they do, then my expectations are always higher,” he said. “I want to be the greatest player I can possibly be. I won’t let anything stop me from that. As long as I have the Lord behind me in that and Christ will strengthen me in that, then that’s fine with me.
“He’s just my dad at the end of the day. We just have a good time.”
Which leads to an important question.
How does this NBA hopeful fare when he goes one-on-one against his dad, who logged 29,000 pro minutes and scored 12,690 points in the Association? “He doesn’t play me,” Jackson said, laughing. “He’s scared. He’s really, really scared. You should tell him I said that.”
According to the only Jackson available for a comment, the father, a Big Ten Network analyst, and son haven’t played in about seven years.
“The last time he played me I was in the ninth grade and that’s when I was starting to get a feel for the game,” Traevon said. “And once I hit junior and senior year, he hung up his shoes.”
One of the Mavericks’ Three Js — Jason Kidd and Jamal Mashburn were the other two — doesn’t even hoop it up anymore?
“All he does,” the younger Jackson said, “is golf, smoke cigars and analyze on TV.”
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