SALT LAKE CITY — About a foot away from the thin media scrum surrounding Jaren Jackson Jr. at Vivint Arena, a familiar face made him feel at ease.
“Take it to the bus,” Jaren Jackson Sr. told his son, after making him a plate outside the locker room.
Not only did he get some good food after the game, Jaren Jr. also got his first taste of NBA experience this week during the Utah Jazz Summer League as the fourth overall pick of the Memphis Grizzlies.
“I thought it was cool,” Jaren Jr. said. “Getting your feet wet, learning things. (Finishing) 2-1 ain’t bad. We probably wanted to go 3-0 but we’ll take it.”
Jaren Jr. was spectacular in his summer league debut on Monday, playing opposite fellow lottery pick Trae Young, with the Atlanta Hawks, scoring 29 points while going 8-for-13 beyond the arc. Memphis beat the Hawks 103-88 before splitting the next two against Utah and San Antonio.
Memphis will now head to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League, which starts Friday. In Utah, Jackson averaged 15.6 points, five rebounds and 2.3 blocks over the three-game stretch.
According to Jaren Jr., “everything” about the pro game caught him by surprise.
“Because I don’t have anything to compare it to so everything was new,” Jaren Jr. said.
As an 18-year-old, Jaren Sr. is helping his son as much as he can off the court. During the Utah trip, he made life as easy as possible.
“I think he’s comfortable to see his dad around and to show his face,” Jaren Sr. said. “Again, a young guy, I recognize that. I’m still Dad. He’s 18, yes he’s a pro but he’s 18 so I’m still doing his laundry and bringing stuff to the cleaners and doing whatever he wants and needs as a proud parent but at the same time I’m a witness of his talented play and I’m so glad for him to be here on this stage especially with the grit and grind of the Grizzlies.
“Everything has just been great,” he continued. “I’m blessed, my wife is blessed and we’re blessed as a family to see him do this.”
It’s been great to hear from him at night about my game and hear from him about experience and how to move on from things like this and just everything. – Jaren Jackson Jr., on his father
Jaren Sr. knows the ins and outs of the NBA as a former professional himself. He played collegiately at Georgetown University before enjoying a 12-year career in the league, which spanned from 1989-2002. In 1999, he won a championship as a member of the San Antonio Spurs. Although he sported a navy blue Memphis Grizzlies polo shirt in Utah, his diamond-studded championship ring was also on display.
“I am just so glad to be back here in Salt Lake,” Jaren Sr. told the Deseret News. “For him to come here, it’s a blessing and it’s a joy. I’ve told him about my days with the Spurs and our battles with the Jazz back in the day, but he can only go through the experience.
“As a young guy, you don’t want to hear all those old stories,” he said, laughing. “You’re just a kid that’s enjoying today’s ball but it’s OK. I’m just so glad. It brings back a lot of memories and I’m glad he’s on this stage and the Summer League has changed.”
But Jaren Sr. wasn’t the only familiar face around. He also teamed with his fellow Michigan State Spartan Deyonta Davis. During Jaren Jr.’s lone season at MSU, Davis was playing his second season with the Grizzlies, but he’s also helping the rookie big man get adjusted.
“A lot of the stuff you know off the top; it’s basketball. But for the new stuff that I’m used to, yeah, I help him with a lot of stuff,” Davis said. “It’s cool because we both came from (Tom) Izzo so we both know how to play with each other and just the program that Izzo was running, I still catch myself doing some of the stuff that he taught me.”
But with that being said, there’s still nothing like having your dad around and Jaren Jr. is enjoying every minute of it.
“It’s been great. He’s done the same type of things as me,” Jaren Jr. said. “It’s been great to hear from him at night about my game and hear from him about experience and how to move on from things like this and just everything.”