Lucious Jackson: Difference between revisions

| career_position = [[Power forward (basketball)|Power forward]] / [[Center (basketball)|Centercenter]]

* [[NBA champion]] ({{nbafy|1967}})

'''Lucious Brown Jackson''' (October 31, 1941 – October 12, 2022), also known as '''Luke Jackson''', was an American professional [[basketball]] player. A [[power forward (basketball)|power forward]] and [[center (basketball)|center]], he played for the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] of the [[National Basketball Association]] (NBA) from 1964 to 1972. He was named an [[NBA All-Star]] in 1965, and won an [[NBA championship]] with the 76ers in 1967. Jackson also played for the [[United States national basketball team|U.S. national team]] in the [[Basketball at the 1964 Summer Olympics|1964 Summer Olympics]].

Jackson was born on October 31, 1941, in [[San Marcos, Texas]],<ref>{{Cite sports-reference |title= Luke Jackson {{!}} Lucious Brown Jackson |url= https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/j/jackslu01.html |accessdate= October 16, 2022 }}</ref> and his family moved to [[Bastrop, Louisiana]], when he was in high school because San Marcos would not allow him to play for the all-white basketball team.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48617710/lucious-jackson-signs-with-pam-am/ |title=Lucious Jackson signs with Pam AM |newspaper=[[Valley Morning Star]] |via=Newspapers.com |date=April 13, 2020 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> He graduated from Morehouse High School in Bastrop.<ref name=panam/><ref name=gold>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/844290105/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20morehouse&match=1 |title=23 Sep 1964, 1 – The Bastrop Daily Enterprise at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=September 23, 1964 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> He attended [[Pan American College]] and played [[college basketball]] for the [[University of Texas Rio Grande Valley|Pan American Broncs]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/48615265/lucious-jackson-welcome-home/ |title=Lucious Jackson. Welcome Home |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=April 13, 2020 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> In 1963, [[United Press International]] named Jackson an [[All-America]]n.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/293007782/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20%22san%20marcos%22&match=1 |title=14 Mar 1963, 9 – The Monitor at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=March 14, 1963 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> He won the [[Chuck Taylor Most Valuable Player Award]] in the [[NAIA Men's Basketball Championships]] in 1963 and 1964.<ref name=signed/>

Jackson played for the [[United States men's national basketball team]] at the [[1963 Pan American Games]] and the [[1963 FIBA World Championship]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usabasketball.com/history/mwc_1963.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071014034253/http://usabasketball.com/history/mwc_1963.html|url-status=dead|title=1963 USA Basketball|archivedate=October 14, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/652381308/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20%22pan%20american%20games%22&match=1 |title=1 Apr 1964, 11 – The News and Observer at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=April 1, 1964 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> He was a member of the U.S. Olympic basketball team that won the gold at the [[1964 Summer Olympics]] in Tokyo.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/652383028/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20olympics&match=1 |title=6 Apr 1964, 13 – The News and Observer at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=April 6, 1964 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/448419402/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20%22gold%20medal%22&match=1 |title=24 Oct 1964, 8 – Republican and Herald at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=October 24, 1964 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref>

The 76ers selected Jackson in the first round, with the fourth overall pick, in the [[1964 NBA draft]].<ref name=signed>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/41459261/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20draft&match=1 |title=27 Oct 1964, Page 9 – Valley Morning Star at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=October 27, 1964 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/491349292/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20draft&match=1 |title=5 May 1964, 31 – The Record at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=May 5, 1964 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> He played eight seasons (1964–1972) with the [[Philadelphia 76ers]] in the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]]. A 6-foot, 9-inch (2.06 m) [[Power forward (basketball)|power forward]] who played [[Center (basketball)|center]] occasionally. He played in the [[1965 NBA All-Star Game]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/414495429/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20all-star&match=1 |title=13 Jan 1965, 27 – The Billings Gazette at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=January 13, 1965 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> After the season, he was named to the NBA's 1964–65 [[NBA All-Rookie Team|All-Rookie Team]] after averaging 14.8 points and 12.9 rebounds per game.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/451650351/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20all-rookie&match=1 |title=26 Mar 1965, 29 – The Daily Oklahoman at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=March 26, 1965 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref>

A teammate of [[Wilt Chamberlain]], Jackson was a starter on the 1966–67 Philadelphia championship team that ended the [[Boston Celtics]]' string of eight straight NBA championships. He scored 13 points and had 21 rebounds in the title-clinching game over the San Francisco Warriors in the [[1967 NBA Finals]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Lucious Jackson, former 76ers star and NBA champion, dies at 80 |url=https://www.nba.com/news/lucious-jackson-former-76ers-star-and-nba-champion-dies-at-80 |website=NBA.com |access-date=October 16, 2022 |language=en}}</ref> After the 1968 season, the 76ers traded Chamberlain to the Lakers, and the 76ers moved Jackson back to center.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/321973859/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%20%22pan%20american%20games%22&match=1 |title=28 Jul 1968, 15 – The Monitor at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=July 28, 1968 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> Before the 1969–70 season, Jackson defected to the [[Carolina Cougars]] of the rival [[American Basketball Association]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/231777278/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22&match=1 |title=13 Sep 1969, Page 15 – Daily Press at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=September 13, 1969 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> A few days later, he reneged on the agreement with Carolina, returning to the 76ers.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/527853026/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22&match=1 |title=17 Sep 1969, 41 – Oakland Tribune at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=September 17, 1969 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/377156941/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22&match=1 |title=21 Sep 1969, 31 – The Baltimore Sun at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=September 21, 1969 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> He missed time during the season with an [[achilles' heel]]Achilles injury and a collapsed lung.<ref name="newspapers1">{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/28022857/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22&match=1 |title=14 Oct 1969, Page 11 – The Evening Standard at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=October 14, 1969 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref><ref name="newspapers2">{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/372114625/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22&match=1 |title=30 Oct 1969, 35 – The Evening Sun at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=October 30, 1969 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> Jackson continued to experience chronic injuries to his left foot, including a tendon and a toe bone. He retired after the 1971–72 season.<ref name=panam/>

Jackson and his wife, Marva, were married for 57 years before his death.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kfdm.com/news/local/remembering-beaumont-resident-and-nba-legend-luke-jackson|title=Remembering Beaumont resident and NBA legend Luke Jackson|date=October 12, 2022|website=KFDM}}</ref> After his retirement from basketball, they settled in [[Beaumont, Texas]], Marva's hometown, in 1973.<ref name=beaumont/> He finished his degree at Pan American University and worked for the Beaumont Parks and Recreation Department starting in 1975.<ref name=panam>{{cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/legacy/756980177/?terms=%22lucious%20jackson%22%2076ers&match=1 |title=23 Oct 1973, 22 – Corpus Christi Caller-Times at |publisher=Newspapers.com |date=October 23, 1973 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> He retired in 2002.<ref name=beaumont>{{cite web|last=Kubena |first=Brooks |url=https://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/texas/article/NBA-Olympic-basketball-champ-Lucious-Jackson-8407020.php |title=NBA, Olympic basketball champ Lucious Jackson keeps low profile in Beaumont |publisher=Beaumontenterprise.com |date=July 25, 2016 |accessdate=October 14, 2022}}</ref> They had three children, all of whom played basketball at [[West Brook High School]] and collegiately.<ref name=beaumont/> Nicole and Andrea played for the [[North Texas Mean Green women's basketball|University of North Texas]] and Lucious III, played college basketball for [[Syracuse Orange men's basketball|Syracuse University]].<ref name=beaumont/>

{{1964 NBA Draftdraft}}

[[Category:Basketball players from Hays County, Texas]]

[[Category:National Basketball AssociationNBA All-Stars]]

[[Category:Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in basketball]]

[[Category:Power forwards (basketball)]]