Drafted and signed by Cleveland Jackson was selected as the 52nd overall pick in the
2008 NBA draft by the
Miami Heat on June 26. He was traded to the Cavaliers on the same day.
Sasha Kaun, his former Jayhawks teammate and fellow 2008 draft pick, was also acquired by the Cavaliers (from the
Seattle SuperSonics). Kaun was acquired by Cleveland during the 2015–2016 season, played in 25 games, and won a championship with the team. Jackson was signed by the team on September 6, 2008.
2008 NBA Summer League Jackson played for the Cavaliers during the NBA (National Basketball Association) Summer League in
Las Vegas, Nevada. In five games (four starts) he averaged 5.8 points and 5.4 rebounds in 24.6 minutes per game. Jackson made his professional debut on November 25, 2008, against the
New York Knicks. In six minutes of play, he scored four points on a perfect 2–2 from the field and grabbed two rebounds. On February 9, 2009, Jackson was assigned by the Cavs to their affiliate D-League team, the
Erie Bayhawks. He played one game before being recalled back to the Cavs, a day later. In his only game with Erie, Jackson scored a game-high
2009–10 On February 24, 2010, Jackson was assigned to the
Erie BayHawks of the
NBA D-League. On February 26, 2010, Jackson was recalled by the Cavaliers after
Shaquille O'Neal sustained a significant thumb injury against the
Boston Celtics on February 25. Jackson was sent down again on March 20, and recalled the next day. On March 23, he was waived by Cleveland due to the return of star center
Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He was then claimed off waivers by the
Milwaukee Bucks.
2010–11 On July 21, 2010, Jackson was traded to the
Sacramento Kings for forward
Jon Brockman.
2011–12 During the
2011 NBA lockout, he signed with
BC Donetsk of the
Ukrainian Basketball SuperLeague.
2012–13 On November 1, 2012, Jackson was acquired by the
Reno Bighorns of the
NBA D-League. He left in January 2013 to sign in China. In March 2013, he rejoined the Bighorns.
2013–14 On September 10, 2013, he signed with the
Indiana Pacers. However, he was waived on October 17. Later that month, he signed with the Shanghai Sharks of China. In March 2014, he signed with the
Meralco Bolts of the
Philippine Basketball Association.
2014–15 On October 31, 2014, Jackson's rights were traded from Reno to the
Westchester Knicks in exchange for a first-round pick and the rights to Stefhon Hannah. He officially joined the Knicks on November 3, 2014.
2015–16 In May 2015, Jackson signed with the
Anhui Dragons of the Chinese
National Basketball League (NBL). In November 2015, he signed with
Yeşilgiresun Belediye of the
Turkish League. He averaged 16.2 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. On April 28, 2016, Jackson signed with
Marinos de Anzoátegui of the
Venezuelan League.
2016–17 On September 5, 2016, Jackson signed with Polish club
Rosa Radom for the 2016–17 season.
2019–20 On October 24, 2019, he has signed with
Spójnia Stargard of the
PLK. On February 1, 2020, he has signed with
BM Slam Ostrów Wielkopolski of the
PLK. == Career statistics ==