After seven seasons playing as No. 13 in Memphis — and winning Defensive Player of the Year, being a two-time All-Star — Jaren Jackson Jr. wanted a change.
That’s why he is switching to the No. 8 for this season, and he talked to Rohan Nadkarni of NBC News and Mary Omatiga of NBC Sports (the video above) about it.
“It’s super personal to me. It’s super personal to my family,” Jackson Jr. told NBC News about the switch. “I’m connected with 8 in a real way. It reaches into the territory of new beginnings. It’s infinite. It’s just a good place to draw energy from.”
Jackson’s new number also comes with the new contract he signed this offseason, a five-year, $240 million max contract for a player that is at the heart of everything the Grizzlies do — he was second on the team in scoring at 22.2 points a game and is their defensive anchor. He was an All-Star, made an All-Defense team, and was just a couple of spots out of making All-NBA.
Jackson’s new number isn’t the biggest change in Memphis this season — Desmond Bane left the team for Orlando. That’s going to be a blow on the court, where he was a steadying two-way impact player for the Grizzlies.
“I wasn’t too much surprised,” Jackson said of Bane’s departure. “I mean, when your brothers leave, you are still going to hurt, just because you’re a human being. But at the end of the day, it’s a business. And we’re grown.”
Jackson feels he’s grown into the No. 8 and is ready for it.
