WNBA Rookie Scores Her Way Into Sparks' History Books

Another WNBA rookie has put her name in the history books.

On Sept. 10, Rickea Jackson of the Los Angeles Sparks broke Nneka Ogqumike’s record for second all-time scoring in a single season in Sparks’ history with 463 points. Jackson contributed to the Spark’s 67 points with 16 of her own in 32 minutes.

In the last six games, Jackson has scored double-digits in five of them: 13 points against the Atlanta Dreams; 17 points against the Chicago Sky; 23 points against the Sun; 16 points against the Sun; and 22 against the Seattle Storm.

Jackson is not new to scoring.

In high school, Jackson earned Michigan Miss Basketball honors in 2019, the same year she also played in the MacDonald’s All-American game and the Jordan Brand Classic. By the end of her high school career, she held the title of all-time leading scorer in Michigan with 1771 points. After high school, she attended Mississippi State until she transferred to the University of Tennessee.

During her Mississippi State career (2019-2022), Jackson averaged 16.2 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals in 31.6 minutes per game. She shot 44.4 percent from the field, 29.6 on threes, and 68.3 on free throws. She scored in double figures 52 times, recording six double-doubles.

During her time in Tennessee (2023), she averaged 19.2 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game in 28.3 minutes. Her COVID year exemption (2024)  allowed her to average 20.2 points and 8.2 rebounds as a fifth-year student-athlete. She also had 22 3-pointers and had double figures in 24 out of 25 games. In 60 games with Tennessee, Jackson scored a total of 1, 176.

Jackson finished her college career with 2261 points and 773 rebounds), starting 106 of 127 games between stints at Mississippi State and Tennessee.

On April 24, 2024, she was drafted fourth in the first round by the Los Angeles Sparks, where she continued her high-volume scoring.

Jackson is third amongst rookies in scoring with 13.1 points per game with the next rookie, Kamilla Cardoso averaging 9.8 points. Jackson is also shooting 52.5 percent from the field and 35.5 percent from three. She’s also getting 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.

In her last 10 games, she’s second amongst rookies in scoring with 17.1 ppg (after Clark).

Jackson is only 14 points shy of making history as the second Sparks rookie (alongside Candace Parker) to score 500 points in a single season. To reach the milestone, she’ll have to average 4.3 points over her final three games.