CBA and foreign leagues (1997–2000) Jackson was selected 42nd overall in the
1997 NBA draft by the
Phoenix Suns, yet did not play as he was waived by the team on October 30. Following this development, Jackson then saw action in six games with the
La Crosse Bobcats over two on-and-off seasons in the
Continental Basketball Association (CBA), in which he averaged 2.7 points in 12.7 minutes per game. Additionally, Jackson played four games in 1998 with the
Sydney Kings in Australia's
National Basketball League. Continuing his basketball journey, Jackson played professionally in
Venezuela and the
Dominican Republic. Throughout the spring and summer of 2000, Jackson played in those Latin American countries, with the Dominican Republic teams San Carlos and Pueblo Nuevo and the Venezuelan team the Marinos. In the 1999 season in Venezuela, Jackson played 48 games and averaged 22.8 points (third in the league), 3.9 assists and 3 steals per game, shooting 42.6% from three (second in the league).
New Jersey Nets (2000–2001) Jackson did not play an NBA game until the
2000–01 season with the
New Jersey Nets, officially deemed his rookie season. He appeared in 77 games (including 40 starts), in which he averaged 8.2 points per game, and established a close friendship with star point guard
Stephon Marbury. The Nets did not have interest in retaining him. Former assistant coach
Mike Brown stated: "The first year we had him in San Antonio, he was on the (injured reserve) most of the year. At first, he didn't understand why because he probably was the most talented player we had on that team, but he needed to mature a little bit so we stuck him there to see how he would respond. He was the best teammate on our team that first year. He was juiced at practice ready to play and compete and make the starters better, and it carried over into his second year when he got his opportunity to get out onto the floor and prove he could be a vital part of the organization." His season averages were 3.9 points and 1.1 rebounds, logging approximately 9.9 minutes per game. During the
2002–2003 NBA season, Jackson became a key member of the Spurs. Appearing in 80 games (58 starts), his season averages were 11.8 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 28.2 minutes per game. During the team's run in the
2003 NBA Playoffs, Jackson proved to be a vital asset and helped the Spurs win their second NBA title, averaging 12.8 points per game during the playoffs –- the team's 3rd leading scorer. Jackson's first foray into the playoffs produced variable results in terms of individual performances. Through the course of the postseason, Jackson vacillated between fourth quarter heroics and clutch shooting (elimination games of the Western Conference Finals versus the
Dallas Mavericks and
NBA Finals versus the
New Jersey Nets) and uneven, mistake-prone play (26 turnovers in the 6-game championship series).
Atlanta Hawks (2003–2004) In 2003, Jackson became a free agent during the offseason and expected to parlay his success with the Spurs into a long-term contract. After rejecting an initial offer by the Spurs, he and his agent were criticized by sports media for miscalculating the market. Eventually, Jackson agreed to a 2-year contract with the
Atlanta Hawks. Registering his best professional season to date, Jackson established season averages of 18.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game in 80 total games (78 starts). In the 29 games following the All-Star Break, Jackson averaged 24.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.2 steals per game. During this stretch, he was the NBA's 6th leading scorer. Following the
2003–04 NBA season, he was traded to the
Indiana Pacers for
power forward Al Harrington (who finished 2nd place in
Sixth Man of the Year voting), after signing a 6-year, $38.3 million contract. He was also put on
probation for a year, fined $250, and ordered to undergo
anger management classes and perform 60 hours of community service. After he failed to complete the terms of the sentence he received, his probation was extended one year. Jackson averaged 18.9 points per game during the first round of the
2005 NBA Playoffs versus the
Boston Celtics. A series loss in the next round at the hands of the
Detroit Pistons ended their season, with Jackson leading the team in scoring during the playoffs with an average of 16.1 points per game. In the
2005–06 NBA season, Jackson appeared in 81 games for the Pacers, averaging 16.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game. As the playoff push ensued, he tallied an average of 20.2 points per game in the month of April. On October 6, 2006, Jackson and three other Pacers players had an argument with several patrons at Club Rio, a
strip club in
Indianapolis. Jackson was punched by one of the patrons and was hit by a car, rolling onto the hood. His injuries were minor. Jackson, who was on probation in Michigan after pleading no contest to misdemeanor assault and battery charges there for his part in the “Malice at the Palace”, fired several gunshots from a
9-mm pistol, he asserted as an act of self-defense. However, prosecutors later said he fired first. Jackson was charged October 11, 2006, with a
felony count of criminal recklessness, and misdemeanor counts of battery and disorderly conduct. He pled guilty to a felony count of criminal recklessness, received one year of probation, and was ordered to pay a $5,000 fine and perform 100 hours of community service. Because he had no prior felony convictions, he was eligible to receive misdemeanor sentencing despite pleading guilty to the felony.
Golden State Warriors (2007–2009) On January 17, 2007, the Pacers dealt Jackson to the Golden State Warriors in a blockbuster eight player trade. Along with
Al Harrington,
Šarūnas Jasikevičius, and
Josh Powell, Jackson was swapped for
Mike Dunleavy,
Troy Murphy,
Ike Diogu, and
Keith McLeod of the Warriors. Jackson registered 29 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals in his Warriors debut, January 20, 2007, versus the
Cleveland Cavaliers. On February 5, when Golden State traveled to
Conseco Fieldhouse to compete against Jackson's former team, he tallied 36 points and led the Warriors to a 113–98 victory over the
Indiana Pacers. Jackson joined
Vince Carter and
Dominique Wilkins as the only players in 25 years to amass 30 or more points against a team that they played for earlier in the season. In the Warriors 4–2 series victory over the
Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the
2007 NBA Playoffs, Jackson garnered both positive and negative publicity. In what some consider the biggest upset in NBA history, Jackson was ejected from Games 2 and 5. The latter decision, in Game 5, was heavily criticized as Jackson appeared to be merely applauding at the end of the game to lift the spirits of his teammates, and not sarcastically at a referee. However, Jackson redeemed himself by playing well the entire series, especially in the series-clinching Game 6, where Jackson tallied 33 points on a then franchise playoff-record 7 three-pointers. This team playoff record has since been matched or exceeded 25 times by
Stephen Curry and
Klay Thompson.
Baron Davis, who suffered a slight hamstring injury in the 1st quarter of Game 6, shares his thoughts regarding Jackson: "I told him (Stephen Jackson) I'll give it all I got and I didn't want to be the hardest worker out there. He had to carry me. He is the leader of this team and if you ask anyone on this team, he is the heart and soul of this team. He is a big-game performer and he knew just how important this game was. He is the only one on our team to have won a championship, so we had to feed off of him." Jackson finished the series with per-game averages of 22.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 2.0 steals. In the Conference Semifinals, the Warriors were dispatched by a physical
Utah Jazz team in 5 games. Jackson struggled due to the defensive tandem of
Andrei Kirilenko and
Matt Harpring and his offensive output decreased from the previous series. Prior to the 2007–08 NBA season, Jackson (along with guard
Baron Davis and forward
Matt Barnes) was named a team captain of the Warriors. Jackson was the recipient of the NBA's Western Conference Player of the Week award (November 26 – December 2), averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.8 steals. Despite winning 48 games, the Warriors missed the playoffs in a Western Conference where all eight playoff teams won at least 50 games (Their 48 wins are the most of a team that did not qualify for playoffs in NBA history). During the
2008–09 NBA season, Jackson registered three games of at least 30 points and 10 assists in a five-game span – the first NBA player to do so since
LeBron James in 2007, and the first member of the Warriors since
Tim Hardaway in 1992. He also tallied his first career triple double (30 points, 11 rebounds, 10 assists) against the
Phoenix Suns in the midst of this stretch, on February 4. On November 17, 2008, Jackson signed a three-year contract extension with the Warriors. Jackson's 2008–09 campaign effectively ended when he decided to determine the root cause of
turf toe on his left foot, which had been ailing him for over 2 years. He underwent surgery on March 31, 2009, to remove multiple
bone spurs above the nerve tissue under his big toe. His per-game season averages were 20.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.5 assists (2nd only to
LeBron James for forwards), 1.5 steals, and 39.6 minutes (2nd in the league, trailing only
Joe Johnson of the
Atlanta Hawks). Jackson set a Bobcats franchise record with 43 points scored versus the
Houston Rockets, on January 12, 2010. The NBA recognized Jackson as the Eastern Conference's Player of the Week on January 17, after he averaged 29.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 3.3 steals. In tandem with forward
Gerald Wallace, Jackson led the Bobcats to the franchise's first playoff appearance (culminating in a 4–0 series loss at the hands of the
Orlando Magic). In
league MVP voting, Jackson finished in 12th place, tied with
Chris Bosh,
Joe Johnson, and
Chauncey Billups. In the
2010-11 NBA season, Jackson recorded the first triple double (24 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists) in Bobcats team history versus the
Phoenix Suns on November 20, 2010. However, Jackson failed to lead the Bobcats to the playoffs in 2011 and expressed disappointment with the team following a midseason trade of Gerald Wallace.
Milwaukee Bucks (2011–2012) On June 23, 2011, after only two seasons with the Charlotte Bobcats, Jackson was traded to the
Milwaukee Bucks as part of a three-way deal with the
Sacramento Kings and
Charlotte Bobcats. As part of the terms, the Milwaukee Bucks received Jackson,
Shaun Livingston, the rights to the 19th overall pick in the
2011 NBA draft,
Tobias Harris from Charlotte, and
Beno Udrih from Sacramento. Charlotte received
Corey Maggette from Milwaukee and the rights to the 7th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft,
Bismack Biyombo, from Sacramento. Sacramento received
John Salmons from Milwaukee and the rights to
Jimmer Fredette, the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. Jackson's brief stint with Milwaukee would be characterized by dysfunction and underwhelming play. Due to recurring issues with his hamstring throughout the lockout-extended offseason and several publicized clashes with coach
Scott Skiles, Jackson's role and playing time diminished. On March 13, 2012, Jackson was traded back to the
Golden State Warriors along with
Andrew Bogut, in exchange for
Monta Ellis,
Ekpe Udoh, and
Kwame Brown.
Return to San Antonio (2012–2013) Without playing a game for the Warriors, Jackson was traded to the Spurs for
Richard Jefferson,
T. J. Ford and a conditional first-round pick on March 15, 2012. Due to the ascendant performance of rookie forward
Kawhi Leonard, Jackson was a second-unit player for the first time in nearly 10 years. A re-adjustment period to San Antonio's structured offensive system caused Jackson's minutes to fluctuate in the regular season and playoffs. The Spurs capped off an excellent regular season by reaching the Western Conference Playoffs as the highest seed. Ultimately, San Antonio lost 4 games to 2 to the
Oklahoma City Thunder in the
Western Conference Finals. Jackson drew praise for his defensive efforts against league scoring champion
Kevin Durant. In the elimination game of the series, Jackson connected on his first 6 three-point attempts. For the playoffs, Jackson shot 53.5% from the field, 60.5% from three-point range, and 93.3% from the free throw line. On December 9, 2012, Jackson was fined $25,000 for threatening
Serge Ibaka via Twitter. "The recent public comments made by Stephen Jackson are absolutely unacceptable, cannot be tolerated, and do not reflect the standards held by the San Antonio Spurs," said Spurs general manager R.C. Buford.
Los Angeles Clippers (2013–2014) On December 10, 2013, he signed with the
Los Angeles Clippers. Jackson struggled with the Clippers. In 9 games, he averaged a career-low 1.7 points per game, while shooting 23.1% from the field and 7.1% from three-point range.
Retirement On July 22, 2015, Jackson announced his retirement. During his 14-year NBA career, Jackson earned more than $68.6 million in salary (excluding his stint with the Clippers in which his contract was not guaranteed). ==BIG3==