- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,150,003
- Reaction score
- 59
Former Lady Vols basketball star Rickea Jackson suffered a torn ACL, ending a promising first season with the Chicago Sky four games in.
Jackson went down with a non-contact injury during a game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 17. The Sky announced May 19 that Jackson's MRI revealed a torn ACL, and she would miss the remainder of the 2026 season.
"We're devastated that Rickea suffered this injury, but we are confident she will make a full recovery," Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement. "Rickea was playing at an All-Star and All-Defensive level early in the season. We are certain she was primed for a career year.
"Our world-class medical staff will work hard with Rickea, who is one of the toughest players in the league, to get her back on the court."
This will be the second straight season that a former Lady Vol has missed the season due to a torn ACL. Former Lady Vols star Jordan Horston tore her ACL ahead of the 2025 season and just made her return to the court May 8.
Jackson was averaging 18 points, 4.8 rebounds, two assists and 1.8 blocks in 29 minutes per game. She was the only player in the league to rank top 10 in scoring and blocks before her injury.
The game before she tore her ACL, Jackson had 29 points on 10-for-22 shooting with six rebounds and three blocks against the Phoenix Mercury. She also shot 40% on 10 attempts from 3-point range.
Jackson was traded to the Sky in free agency after playing the first two seasons of her career. The Sparks traded her for Ariel Atkins in a straight-up player swap.
Jackson was selected No. 4 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Sparks. She was the highest draft pick out of Tennessee since Diamond DeShields was picked No. 3 overall by the Chicago Sky in 2018.
Jackson was a key player for the Sparks the last two seasons, and she earned WNBA All-Rookie honors in 2024. In her two seasons in Los Angeles, Jackson averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and shot 43.9% from the field and 34.7% on four attempts from 3-point range per game. She started in 72 of her 78 games and averaged 29.8 minutes.
Jackson started her college career at Mississippi State as a five-star McDonald's All-American out of Detroit. She transferred to Tennessee and played for the Lady Vols for two seasons, quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Jackson left Tennessee ranked sixth all-time in career scoring, her 2,261 career points only trailing Cindy Brogdon, Chamique Holdsclaw, Jill Rankin, Bridgette Gordon and Patricia Roberts.
She scored 1,176 points in 60 games with the Lady Vols, and that alone ranks 34th in the program's all-time scoring list. Jackson led Tennessee in scoring both of her seasons and averaged 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rickea Jackson suffers torn ACL, ending promising season with Chicago Sky
Continue reading...
Jackson went down with a non-contact injury during a game against the Minnesota Lynx on May 17. The Sky announced May 19 that Jackson's MRI revealed a torn ACL, and she would miss the remainder of the 2026 season.
"We're devastated that Rickea suffered this injury, but we are confident she will make a full recovery," Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement. "Rickea was playing at an All-Star and All-Defensive level early in the season. We are certain she was primed for a career year.
"Our world-class medical staff will work hard with Rickea, who is one of the toughest players in the league, to get her back on the court."
This will be the second straight season that a former Lady Vol has missed the season due to a torn ACL. Former Lady Vols star Jordan Horston tore her ACL ahead of the 2025 season and just made her return to the court May 8.
Jackson was averaging 18 points, 4.8 rebounds, two assists and 1.8 blocks in 29 minutes per game. She was the only player in the league to rank top 10 in scoring and blocks before her injury.
The game before she tore her ACL, Jackson had 29 points on 10-for-22 shooting with six rebounds and three blocks against the Phoenix Mercury. She also shot 40% on 10 attempts from 3-point range.
Jackson was traded to the Sky in free agency after playing the first two seasons of her career. The Sparks traded her for Ariel Atkins in a straight-up player swap.
Jackson was selected No. 4 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Sparks. She was the highest draft pick out of Tennessee since Diamond DeShields was picked No. 3 overall by the Chicago Sky in 2018.
Jackson was a key player for the Sparks the last two seasons, and she earned WNBA All-Rookie honors in 2024. In her two seasons in Los Angeles, Jackson averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and shot 43.9% from the field and 34.7% on four attempts from 3-point range per game. She started in 72 of her 78 games and averaged 29.8 minutes.
Jackson started her college career at Mississippi State as a five-star McDonald's All-American out of Detroit. She transferred to Tennessee and played for the Lady Vols for two seasons, quickly becoming a fan favorite.
Jackson left Tennessee ranked sixth all-time in career scoring, her 2,261 career points only trailing Cindy Brogdon, Chamique Holdsclaw, Jill Rankin, Bridgette Gordon and Patricia Roberts.
She scored 1,176 points in 60 games with the Lady Vols, and that alone ranks 34th in the program's all-time scoring list. Jackson led Tennessee in scoring both of her seasons and averaged 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rickea Jackson suffers torn ACL, ending promising season with Chicago Sky
Continue reading...
