Reality better than the dream for Denver Nuggets' Colorado kid Reggie Jackson
Jun. 14—Reality managed to exceed the dream for Reggie Jackson.
Growing up the Nuggets reserve guard said he just wanted to be a professional basketball player who won a championship without much thought of where that might happen.
"I just wanted to play in the NBA," Jackson said during the Nuggets' championship celebration Monday at Ball Arena.
"I always wanted to be a champion. I could never imagine where it was going to be at. I honestly can't say I ever seen this coming."
Jackson, who moved to Colorado Springs for middle and high school before continuing his basketball journey at Boston College, returned to Colorado late in the regular season. He reached a contract buyout with the Hornets after the Clippers traded him to Charlotte just before the trade deadline. The chance to win a championship in his adopted home state weighed into his decision to sign with Denver for the rest of the season.
"That's really why I signed up," Jackson, who played at Palmer High, said. "I'm thankful that they had a spot open, that they allowed me to come here and be a part of this. You could see from the outside looking in this team was special."
The team was so special there wasn't much playing time for a veteran guard who averaged 17.8 points, 3.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds for the Clippers in the 2021 playoffs. Jackson played just over one minute in Denver's five-game triumph over Miami in the NBA Finals. Jackson made the most of the final 1 minute and 23 seconds of the first quarter in Game 3. Jackson grabbed a rebound after Bruce Brown blocked a Jimmy Butler shot, brought the ball up court and hit Jeff Green on the right wing. Green took one dribble on his way to the rim, giving Jackson an assist.
The 33-year-old nearly made his only shot of the Finals, a buzzer-beating, 34-foot 3-pointer from the Kaseya Center logo, but it was just long. That didn't do much to diminish the feeling of becoming the only player to have played high school basketball in Colorado and win a championship with the Nuggets, something not even Chauncey Billups can claim.
"Being a hometown kid, being from Colorado and being part of the first ever team to win it all is special," Jackson said as his teammates continued to pop champagne bottles in the locker room.
"I'm lucky to have ringers like Jamal and Jokic and the whole team. I'm thankful."
Whether it was the champagne talking or the realization that his reality was even better than the childhood dream, Jackson said the feeling hadn't quite set in an hour after the buzzer sounded and the celebration started.
"Surreal. Can't explain it," Jackson said.
"I know the game ended. I know we won, but it probably won't register until maybe the parade."
