Reggie Jackson had spent enough time in Los Angeles over the years to know what he was signing up for when Paul George invited him to a summer pickup game at his old high school in Palmdale, California. .
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The two friends had lived together in Hollywood Hills homes for the past few summers, training together during the day, playing video games and going out to dinner with friends and family at night.
But Palmdale is a bit of a drive from basically anywhere in Los Angeles — an hour and 20 minutes northeast with traffic luck — and another world from the scene in LA.
"Once I got out of town, it was a real western out there," Jackson says. "I kept trying to call Paul so he could instruct me. But he was already on the court, so he didn't pick up."
Jackson, however, kept on driving. Growing up in a military family, he never really lived long enough to call it a hometown. But it only made him last longer and appreciate the relationship George had with Palmdale even more.
When Jackson finally found a gym at Knight High School, the 10 to 15 people he had been invited to a pickup game were at an audience event after word spread on social media that George was walking around town. had changed.
Jackson says of George, "It was nice to be in his city, walking around the neighborhood and seeing some of the areas where he grew up." "That's why I wanted to travel there."
Jackson had a completely different childhood. He was born in Italy and then settled in England, North Dakota, Georgia, Florida and Colorado. For college, he spent three years at Boston College. In the NBA, he has played in Oklahoma City, Detroit, and LA, but it is his last stop with the Georges and the Clippers, where he finally finds his NBA home.
"He's really saved us all year," says Clippers assistant coach Chauncey Billups. "Just hitting big shot after big shot, playing game after game."
In the first round of the Western Conference playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks, Jackson was a revelation, scoring 18.2 points in one game after joining the starting lineup in Game 3. In the second round against the Utah Jazz, he also averaged 18 points, but Jackson increased it to 24.5 points and 6.5 assists after losing to Kawhi Leonard with a knee injury in Game 4. In the Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns, Jackson averaged 21.5 points through the first four games.
Overall, the Clippers are plus-104 with Jackson on the court during the playoffs. And according to ESPN Stats and Information Research, he is one of only three players in NBA history to have hit at least three 3-pointers in 14 postseason games. The other two Golden State Warriors stars are Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry.
Jackson has always had the talent to perform at this level. The Pistons offered him an $80 million contract in 2015 because they believed in his talent. He just hasn't been healthy enough or doesn't feel comfortable enough to shine like this.
"Honestly, this team has empowered me," Jackson says. "I've been trying to make the right game through my career and not necessarily just being me and coming out and playing the game.
"But the more I continue to be just myself, the more this team has empowered me to be myself, the more I've been able to find success."
Travis Jackson knew his brother had found a Clippers home in late January. The Clippers were on the road for a game against the Heat and playing without George and Leonard. Travis watches all of his brother's games and knows how to read his feelings better than anyone. And against Miami, Reggie seemed off, determined to lead the team to victory without his injured superstar.
But in the fourth quarter, with the heat rallying, Jackson made a big mistake. He called a timeout that the Clippers didn't have.
The look on Jackson's face said it all. He immediately realized how big a mistake this was. But before the emotion overwhelms him, Serge Ibaka rushed to console him. Then take Williams. Then Patrick Beverly. Then everyone on the bench.
"I was like, 'Oh, they've got his heart now,'" says Travis Jackson.
Both Travis and his brother were constantly struggling with relocation growing up. They had each other, but it was impossible to build a lasting friendship.
"One of the biggest challenges with moving in every three years is that you never build a house," Travis said. "You're good at making friends, but we really can't be friends forever."
But Travis has noticed a difference in his brother since joining the Clippers. Reggie had his current friendship with George - with whom he began during the NBA lockout in 2011. But he was also deeply connected with his teammates and the coaching staff.
So when the low moment came against the Heat, the support was real.
"It was like the moment he was looking for his whole career," Travis says.
Clippers coach Tyrone Lew sat back and watched the scene play out. He continued to spread positivity throughout the season and build a supportive culture. But it is impossible for a coach to know how strong his team really is until moments like this. Weak teams break up; Strong people come closer together.
"It was great, because everyone on the team was supportive, like, 'Man, listen. It's over. It's okay, Reggie. We're going to win the game,'" Lew recalls. "It was great, because what he's doing is just looking for confirmation that people are going to be there for him."
The Clippers won that game as well. Jackson's mistake may have cost him, but the team rallied around him and then ensured it held on to a 109–105 victory.
Lew understood Jackson's need for a real and lasting relationship, as Lew had also grown up in a military family.
"My mom's husband was in the military. So I lived in Seattle for a bit, then Tacoma. Then we moved from Tacoma, we moved to Clarksville, Tennessee," Lew says. "I didn't like it. I didn't like it at all."
Lew and his sister each time moved back to live with their grandmother in their hometown of Mexico, Missouri. Eventually, his mother also went back home.
But the experiences of crumbling and moving around every few years stayed with Lew.
"I think having the opportunity to travel and be in those places, it puts you around different people. You have to fit in. You have to learn to fit in different crowds, different situations," says Lew.
“But now, when I board the Greyhound bus, I throw up every time because of that smell. We caught a bus from Kingdom City, Missouri to Seattle. I remember my sister and I getting old for three days in a row Was playing the role of a maid. And there was this crazy smell the whole time. You can't get used to it."
Lew never shared his story with Jackson. The coach likes to let the players open up for themselves. But it did explain how she treated Jackson, and it's a big part of why Lew is able to get the best out of him.
"It's just about being positive and showing him that he is wanted," says Lew. "That's what she needs. Be with her."
One of the things everyone — and, frankly, everyone — notices immediately is how Jackson interacts with each player and employee.
"One thing about Reggie, he's always going to come, talk to everybody, shake everybody's hand," says Lew. "And I mean everyone. Whoever's in the gym, the general manager, the president, the owner, the equipment people. He's going to come in every single day and the same thing. He talks to everyone: 'Hello, how are you? Have a nice day.' He is who he is."
It's Reggie's new place.
The real Reggie, whom the Clippers and his closest friends know, is the one who keeps on shaking hands and saying hello to everyone every day.
Ernie Kander first met that edition in 2015, when he was traded from Oklahoma City to Detroit. Kander was the Pistons' director of sports performance.
“We were on the road when he traded, and he got on the team plane,” Kander says. "And he's flying literally everyone — from the coaches to the staff all the way back and even the sponsors — to everybody. I'm like, 'Wait, he's been on the team one day. .' '
"I haven't seen that. Usually, guys don't leave the coach until you win. But he was patting everyone. And I'm like, 'Let's see if that's going to be a consistent trend. has been."
This was it.
"Every single game. Win by 20. Lose by 20. Whatever. It didn't matter. Come in, dap, look everybody," Kander says. "I'm like, 'Wow, this guy is different. Incredibly connected.'"
Kander kept in touch with Jackson even after the coach and player ended.
"Just such an incredible human being," says Kander. "He's been an incredible fit with the Clippers. And it really lets people see him and his glow and who he is."
It's hard to picture now against images of Jackson's joyous celebration during this magical playoff race, when there was a time last summer he wasn't sure he'd ever play again.
"I was ready to go. I was ready to give up," Jackson says. "I thought I was going to retire because I just couldn't recover."
Persistent ankle, back and foot injuries ruined his time in Detroit. After reaching a buyout with the Pistons in February 2020, George convinced Jackson to join L.A. in what he hoped would be a championship playoff run.
They always talked about playing together during their friendship of almost 10 years. But once it finally happened, the reality was not ideal. Jackson's back was still not healthy. His ankle was better, but not even 100 percent. The Clippers were still looking for themselves after they reunited with Leonard and George. Then in March 2020, the epidemic knocked.
The four-month layoff before the season resumed in the NBA bubble was a difficult one for everyone. But the separation of the Florida Bubble and Clippers postseason meltdown against the Denver Nuggets was even worse.
Jackson wasn't sure he had the motivation to be healthy enough to play and contribute again.
"It just started to weigh on me," he says.
Last season was a dream come true. But nothing was happening as she and George had dreamed of.
"I felt like it probably shouldn't have happened," Jackson says.
His brother encouraged him to take some time off. Read. play video games. rest. See if the love comes back.
Jackson moved to Los Angeles to be with George and his group of friends – Miles "YT" Williams, Dallas Rutherford and Alex "A1" Jackson. They came back to an easy rhythm. He was in the same easy rhythm for the last 10 years since Jackson came under tight circle.
Jackson never really thought about having a hometown himself. But he had a house.
"Reggie is real tight, like a brother," said George. "He lived with me. He's been around my kids. My daughters love him. They love him. He's family."
One day last summer, when Jackson was shooting on the court at George's home, Jackson had a moment of clarity.
"He hadn't picked up basketball in months," says his brother. "He was with the crew, and it just happened organically while they were hanging out at Pee's house.
"He took a few shots and was like, 'I think I like this.' He took a few more shots, and I could tell when I was talking to him, 'Oh, that's it, you're ready.'"
Wouldn't have seen how Jackson wanted it to be. His body may not have felt the way it wanted to feel. He had let free agency pass him by for the most part. The only roles still there were minimum-wage, off-the-bench spots. But the shears still wanted him. And the love was still there, for basketball and its teammates.
"It was a really emotional moment," says Travis Jackson. "I told him, 'Okay then. We do it for the love of the game. We don't care about anything else. We don't care about the roles and the minutes. The only thing we can count on is We love what we do.'"
"Yes," replied Reggie Jackson. "I just love what I do."