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Rickea Jackson got a shoutout from the Tennessee Volunteers women's basketball team during March Madness. On Thursday, Volunteers' player Kaiya Wynn shared a picture on her Instagram story mentioning the LA Sparks player and featuring her teammates.
Jackson reshared the post on her Instagram story and dropped a three-word reaction to the college hoopers' shoutout.
"Sweet 16 girliesssss🍭🍭🍭🍭," Jackson wrote.
In the photo, players from the Volunteers are seen holding up boxes of headphones. Jackson had gifted those headphones to the young athletes for making it into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament, hence receiving a shoutout from them.
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The LA Sparks guard is an alumnus of the Volunteers. She had a successful college career with the Tennessee-based team, where she was twice named to the All-SEC first team. Jackson declared for the 2024 WNBA draft and the Sparks selected her as the fourth pick.
She made her WNBA debut on May 28, and Jackson became one of the core young players in the Sparks' rebuild. She averaged 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in her rookie season and was named to the WNBA All-Rookie team.
After the season, Jackson participated in Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier's 3-on-3 basketball league, Unrivaled. She played alongside Stewart for the Mist BC. However, her team ended the inaugural season in the bottom of the standings.
Rickea Jackson talks about her growth in Unrivaled while comparing a teammate to her mother
Rickea Jackson is among the top players who should be on the fan's radar, outside Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese. The LA Sparks small forward had shown tremendous potential in her rookie season when she delivered great performances for an injury-ridden squad.
Jackson went on to play in the Unrivaled and did not disappoint, as she averaged 13.6 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.0 assists. During the post-game interview after a dominant performance in the 88-62 win over the Phantom BC on Feb. 28, Jackson talked about her growth as a player, praised her Mist BC teammates, and compared veteran Courtney Vandersloot to her mother.
"To be on this team and have vets from different teams... to have them it's helped so much," Jackson said. "They all are different in their own ways... Stewie is always telling me what spots to get to. Sloot is always pushing me... she's like my mom... she doesn't let me lack at anything. 'Rickea, come shoot!' Each and everyone of them instills something different in me."
Unrivaled has been a great learning experience for Rickea Jackson despite her team failing to make the playoffs. With the 2025 WNBA season just a few months away, the fans can expect Jackson to shine brighter in her sophomore season.
