Memphis Grizzlies (2018–2026) 2018–2021: Early years On June 21, 2018, Jackson was selected with the fourth overall pick by the
Memphis Grizzlies in the
2018 NBA draft. On July 1, 2018, he signed a multi-year, rookie-scale contract with the Grizzlies. On March 29, 2019, Jackson was shut down for the remainder of the season due to a deep bruise to his right thigh. On December 13, 2019, Jackson scored a career-high 43 points, including 9 three-pointers (which tied a franchise record set by
Mike Miller in 2007) in a 127–114 loss to the
Milwaukee Bucks. On January 30, 2020, Jackson was suspended for one game without pay for leaving the bench during an altercation between the Grizzlies and the
New York Knicks. On January 28, Jackson recorded a career-high 7 blocks in a 104–96 win over the
Denver Nuggets. On August 4, 2020, Jackson suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee in a 99–109 loss to the
New Orleans Pelicans hosted in the
Bubble and was expected to miss the remainder of the
2019–20 season. On December 16, 2020, the Grizzlies announced that they had exercised the team option on Jackson. On April 21, 2021, Jackson made his return, putting up 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks in a loss to the
Los Angeles Clippers. Two days later, Jackson scored a season-high 23 points in a 130–128 win over the
Portland Trail Blazers. After a series of play-in tournament wins, the Grizzlies qualified for the playoffs for the first time since
2017. They faced the top-seeded
Utah Jazz during their first round series. On May 31, Jackson scored a postseason career-high 21 points in a 120–113 Game 4 loss. The Grizzlies would eventually lose the series in five games.
2021–2023: Defensive Player of the Year and All-Star selection On October 18, 2021, Jackson signed a four-year, $105 million extension with the Grizzlies. On January 9, 2022, Jackson scored 21 points and tied a career-high with 12 rebounds in a 127–119 win over the
Los Angeles Lakers. On April 16, during Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs, Jackson logged 12 points and seven blocks in a 130–117 loss to the
Minnesota Timberwolves. His seven blocks set a Grizzlies franchise record for most blocks in a playoff game, surpassing
Marc Gasol's 6 on May 13, 2013. The Grizzlies eventually defeated the Timberwolves in six games, with Jackson recording 18 points, 14 rebounds and two blocks in a 114–106 Game 6 win. During the Grizzlies' second-round series, they faced the
Golden State Warriors. On May 1, Jackson scored a playoff career-high 33 points, alongside ten rebounds, in a 117–116 Game 1 loss. The Grizzlies wound up losing the series in six games to the Warriors, who went on to win the
NBA Finals. Jackson finished the
2021–22 season leading the NBA in blocks per game at 2.3 and finished with the most blocks that season with 177 blocks, 40 more than the second-place finisher. For his efforts, he was named to the
NBA All-Defensive First Team and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. On June 30, 2022, Jackson underwent surgery to repair a stress fracture in his right foot and was ruled out for four-to-six months. After missing the first 14 games of the 2022–23 season, he made his season debut on November 15, recording seven points, six rebounds and five blocks in a 113–102 loss to the
New Orleans Pelicans. On December 12, Jackson recorded a career-high eight blocks, alongside 15 points, seven rebounds and two assists, in a 128–103 win over the
Atlanta Hawks. On January 5, 2023, he scored a season-high 31 points, alongside ten rebounds and three blocks, in a 123–115 win over the
Orlando Magic. On February 2, Jackson was selected to his first
NBA All-Star Game as a reserve forward for the Western Conference. On April 5, Jackson scored a season-high 40 points, along with nine rebounds, three assists and four blocks in a 138–131 overtime loss against the New Orleans Pelicans. On 9 April, Jackson finished the regular season as the league leader in blocks for the second year in a row, averaging a career-high 3 blocks per game. On April 16, in the opening game of the playoffs Jackson scored a game-high 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting from the field in a 128–112 loss against the
Los Angeles Lakers. Memphis lost the series in six games. During the playoffs, Jackson was named for the first time the
Defensive Player of the Year, and was named for the second consecutive time to the NBA All-Defensive First team.
2023–2026: Second All-Star selection Jackson Jr. started all 66 of his appearances for the Grizzlies during the
2023–24 NBA season, averaging 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. On January 30, 2025, Jackson Jr. was named as reserve for the
2025 NBA All-Star Game, his second selection. He started all 77 of his appearances for Memphis in the
2024–25 NBA season, posting averages of 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. On June 30, 2025, Jackson Jr. agreed to a five‑year, $240 million contract extension with the Grizzlies. On July 2, it was announced that Jackson would miss 10-to-12 weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a
turf toe injury. He went on to make 45 starts for the Grizzlies during the
2025–26 NBA season, averaging 19.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists.
Utah Jazz (2026–present) On February 3, 2026, Jackson Jr.,
John Konchar,
Jock Landale, and
Vince Williams Jr. were traded to the
Utah Jazz in exchange for
Kyle Anderson,
Walter Clayton Jr.,
Taylor Hendricks,
Georges Niang, and three first-round draft picks. On February 7, Jackson Jr. made his debut for the Jazz in a 120–117 loss to the
Orlando Magic, recording 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. He made three starts for Utah, averaging 22.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists. On February 12, it was announced that Jackson would require season-ending surgery to remove a localized pigmented
villonodular synovitis growth in his left knee. == National team career ==