After a turbulent year in Memphis, Jaren Jackson Jr. is ready to turn the page.
In case youve forgotten, the teamfired head coach Taylor Jenkins with nine games left, lost Ja Morant to injury, got swept in the first round by the Thunder and traded away Desmond Bane.
The two-time All-Star signed a five-year, $240 million extension in July, locking him in as the Grizzlies cornerstone.
Now entering his eighth season after being drafted fourth overall in 2018, Jackson is the longest-tenured player on the roster, and hes making a symbolic change to mark the moment.
Hell be wearing No. 8 this season, a tribute to his father Jaren Jackson Sr., who spent 12 years in the NBA, and a nod to what he calls a new beginnings mindset.
Its super personal to me. Its super personal to my family, Jackson told NBC News. Im connected with 8 in a real way. It reaches into the territory of new beginnings. Its infinite. Its just a good place to draw energy from.
Jackson says the decision came midseason, riding a stationary bike.
Ive worn eight before in the McDonalds game and my dad has worn it. It gave a new beginnings kind of approach. My energy source of everything when I first got into the league was more [about] proving people wrong. Now its just about discipline. Now its about habits. I think thats a much more sustainable energy source. I think discipline is really going to be the thing that takes you to that next level. Im just really attracted to that, and thats a new beginning in itself. Its something me and my dad both share, and it all fits.
His fathers advice still drives him.
The journey is success. Its a phrase thats on his business card. As a kid, I always thought it was just so basic I was too young to understand it. But now I get it. The journey is a success in itself. Its about the process.
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