Jaren Jackson Jr., when he’s been on the court, has been one of the league’s most exciting young players, as he was a key cog in Memphis’ tremendous 2019-20 campaign, partnering with Ja Morant to form quite the dynamic duo.
However, the big man has battled various injuries since entering the league, currently working his way back from a torn meniscus suffered last year. Jackson Jr. hopes to be back on the court soon, but his latest rehab from injury has not dampened his tremendous sense of humor. The 21-year-old has recently had a bit of a growth spurt that has taken him across the 7-foot threshold. When asked about it in a recent interview with Marc Spears of The Undefeated, Jackson confirmed his spurt and when Spears followed up with how that can effect his game, Jackson chose to focus on the excitement he has for doing “7-foot stuff” off the court.
How tall are you now?
Seven feet.
Is that going to affect your game in any way?
I just got to be a 7-footer now, man, do 7-foot stuff, duck under doors and try to touch the rim without jumping. There’s a bunch of 7-foot bucket list of things I got to check off, like being in Walmart and getting paper towels for ladies.
I really enjoy the idea of Jackson wandering the local supermarkets of Memphis offering his assistance to little old ladies to grab things off the top shelf, but also find it very funny that this is somehow reserved only for true 7-footers, and that his 6’10/6’11 former self was unqualified for such activities.
The bigger news from the interview is Jackson saying he thinks he’ll be back on the court this season and, while not by MLK Day, he says it won’t be “too long.” Still, it’s good to know that he’s enjoying his new status in the 7-foot club and is embracing all of the responsibilities that come with it off the court, and once he gets back on it he can really start exploring the space.