The most prolific scorer in UBC basketball history. Several UBC records including most points in one game and most points in a career. CIAU (now CIS) All-Canadian four years in a row and CIAU national Player of the Year in '91 and '92. Scored 3,585 career points for UBC. Played on Canada's National team.
I was J.D.'s coach for the five years he played for the Thunderbird basketball team from 1986-88 and from 1989-92. J.D. was unparalleled as a player during those years and I do not hesitate to state that he is the best all round player that I have coached in 38 years. Not only did J.D. represent the university well, but he was a stalwart on Canada's National Junior Men's and Senior National teams for many years. His many local, provincial, national and international honours notwithstanding, J.D. will always be best known as #14 of the UBC Thunderbirds. He carried on the long tradition of Ken Winslade, Neil Murray, Ron Thorsen and Ken Klassen as Thunderbird flag bearers.
J.D. was born in Burnaby, BC to David and Gale and grew up in Vernon, BC where his father taught him to play basketball. He was a star among stars in the season of 1985-86 when he was a senior on the Panthers Varsity team at Vernon Secondary. Coach Dave took the team to five tournaments in and outside of BC that year and, five times J.D. walked away with MVP honours. An All Star at the BC Championships, the Panthers finished second to Maple Ridge. I was proud to announce J.D. as part of a great recruiting class at UBC that year. He was special and his commitment to UBC helped us bring many more top-notch players to Point Grey.
As a freshman he came off the bench all year in 1986/87 and the team surprised many by winning the conference championship over the University of Victoria and going to the Canadian final losing only in the championship game to Brandon. The last month of the season, the leading scorer on the team was 17-year-old J.D. Jackson. The best was yet to come. In the next four years with the Birds J.D. was chosen All Canadian each year and the CIAU Player of the Year in his final two seasons, 1991 and 1992. He graduated the possessor of many Thunderbird basketball records in addition to Provincial and Canadian honours, the greatest of which may have been UBC's Bobby Gaul Award in 1992.
J.D. began playing with the Canadian National basketball team in 1987 and retired in 1994 after the World Championships in Toronto. His National team highlight probably was Canada's game against the USA Dream Team in Portland where he was matched up against Michael Jordan in the starting lineup.
J.D. lives with his wife Saida and son Dorian in Paris, France where he plays professional basketball. In 1997 he averaged over 23 points and seven rebounds a game and finished third in the MVP balloting for the league. He signed a new contract to play in 1998 with the prestigious Antibes team on the French Riviera.
I am proud to place the name of John David Jackson in nomination for induction into the UBC Sports Hall of Fame.
Written by Coach Bruce Enns, May 1997
Key Honours and Statistics for J.D. Jackson
- 1986 - Vernon Secondary Athlete of the Year
- 1988 - CIAU All Canadian
- 1990 - CIAU All Canadian
- 1991 - CIAU All Canadian and Player of the Year
- 1991 - Sport BC University Athlete of the Year
- 1992 - CIAU All Canadian and Player of the Year
- 1992 - UBC Bobby Gaul Award
J.D. Jackson the Record Holder
Holds the UBC School Record for:
- Most career points – 3,585
- Most career free throws scored – 791
- Most career 3 pointers – 252
- Most points season - 945
- Most field goals made season - 335
- Most points game - 51
- Most field goal game - 18
- Most times 1st team All-Canadian - 3 (shared)
- Most times Canada West 1st Team All-Star - 4
UBC J.D. Jackson Highlights
- One of only 4 players in CIAU history to score more than 2,000 career points
- In three of his five years he led UBC to the CIAU Championships, finishing #2 in the nation in 1986/87 and #3 in 1990/91
- One of only a very few players to win the Canada's Outstanding Player (CIAU) twice
- Holder of more UBC basketball records than any other male player in UBC history
- Inducted into UBC Sports Hall of Fame and BC Basketball Hall of Fame
