GG Jackson became an overnight phenomenon during the Memphis Grizzlies’ recent home win against the Golden State Warriors. The 19-year-old helped the hosts defeat the Stephen Curry-led franchise before Draymond Green opened up about his motivation. The Warriors forward shed light on the teenager’s Michael Jordan-esque mindset before revealing some very intricate details.
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Coming off the bench, Jackson registered a very impressive 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 1 assist in his 29 minutes of action. While scoring 6/9 from the field, the 2023 second-round pick shot a remarkable 62.5% from behind the arc in the FedExForum. Alongside these, the power forward also contributed with 2 blocks and 2 steals as the Grizzlies won 116-107 following a spell of absolute dominance in the fourth quarter.
After the clash, Green publicly praised Jackson’s impressive shooting performance on his podcast show for The Volume. “He shot the ball like he was Klay Thompson,” the 33-year-old mentioned before shedding light on the South Carolina-born’s motivation. The 4x champion mentioned how the Grizzlies youngster waited for Curry at the half-court line while revealing their interaction.
“He said, ‘Man, I got uninvited from your camp’. But Steph was like, ‘Oh, I remember that. We were filled on spots. So they had to pull some invites back. It caught me a bit off guard’. After the game, I learned that it was very personal for GG but he found this extra added motivation,” Green highlighted before jokingly adding, “You’re invited to the Steph Curry camp next year as a counselor”.
Thus, the NBA matchup had a bigger significance to Jackson than anyone else involved. It was his second opportunity to showcase his prowess to the iconic point guard after his first chance never resulted in anything fruitful. Interestingly, this time around, he had the X factor of Jordan-esque ‘taking things personally’ mindset which drove him to success.
This approach resonated deeply with the fans as they took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their thoughts. One supporter posted the iconic instance from ‘The Last Dance’ of MJ saying, “And I took that personally,” upon hearing Green’s comments.
Another pointed out the irony of the entire situation, mentioning, “Uninviting someone to your camp just to get outperformed by him years later is hilarious”.
One viewer highlighted the development of the rookie, stating, “Isn’t facing challenges how we grow? Proved his point on the court!”.
Looking back, in climactic fashion, Jackson turned his misfortune into something deeply positive for himself, as not only Curry but the world took notice of the teenager. The expectations surrounding him thus are set to rise to a higher level over time.
Despite the stardom, the fan within GG Jackson remained intact
Following his match-defining display against the Warriors, he joined the Inside the NBA crew for a post-match interview. Upon hearing Shaquille O’Neal‘s voice on that occasion, the 6ft 9″ youngster gasped before failing to contain his smile. Following that, he even thanked the 3x MVP for his praise before expressing his gratitude stating, “It’s an honor to get to hear your voice. Appreciate you”.
His reaction during that moment remains justified considering Jackson is the youngest active player in the league at the moment. So, the NBA supporter within him has stayed pretty much alive, even overshadowing his professionalism at times. The injuries and the absences within the Grizzlies roster have paved the way for its introduction. Now, the upcoming challenge for him is to make a name for himself for years to come.
