Tiffany Jackson, who was the No. 5 pick in the WNBA draft in 2007 and played nine years in the league, has died of cancer. Check it out here.
Tiffany Jackson : Died | How did die | Breast cancer
Jackson was born in Longview, Texas, on April 26, 1985.
She attended Duncanville High School in nearby Duncanville, Texas, where she was named a WBCA All-American.
Also she participated in the 2003 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored four points.
She then studied at the University of Texas at Austin and played college basketball for the Texas Longhorns.
Jackson was drafted by the New York Liberty in the first round (fifth overall selection) of the 2007 WNBA draft.
Died
WNBA veteran forward Tiffany Jackson died Monday night after a seven-year battle with breast cancer, the University of Texas announced. She was 37.
Jackson played four years at Texas where she became the only player in Longhorns women’s basketball history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks. She was drafted No. 5 overall pick by the New York Liberty in 2007 and played three seasons there before she was traded to the Tulsa Shock in 2010.
Jackson was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer during her fourth full season with the Shock in 2015. By 2016, her cancer was in remission and she returned to professional basketball, this time in Israel. She returned to the WNBA in 2017 after signing with the Los Angeles Sparks and played one season before retiring in 2018.
She averaged 6.2 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game in 225 career games.
After her playing days ended in 2018, Jackson became an assistant coach at Texas. She was named the head coach at Wiley College, an NAIA school in Marshall, Texas, this past April.
“We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Tiffany Jackson, one of the greatest players in the history of Texas women’s basketball,” Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said. “From her days as a player for DFW Elite to her days as a player at the University of Texas, Tiffany has meant so much to so many people in this great state of Texas. I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season. She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family.”
Tiffany Jackson how did die
Tiffany Jackson, a former standout at the University of Texas who was the No. 5 pick in the WNBA draft in 2007 and played nine years in the league, has died of cancer, the school announced. She was 37.
- Dies of breast cancer
Jackson, who was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, died Monday. She was hired as head coach at Wiley College in April.
Jackson was a three-time All-Big 12 selection and was voted the national freshman of the year by the U.S Basketball Writers Association in 2004.
She finished her Texas career ranked in the top five in career points, rebounds and steals. She is the only Longhorns player to reach 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks in a career.
Breast cancer
Jackson was first diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in September 2015 while a member of the Shock.
She underwent successful treatment and returned to professional action in Israel before signing with the Sparks in February 2017, culminating a remarkable comeback.
After her cancer diagnosis, Jackson managed to return to the court to play a final season with Los Angeles in 2017 before retiring at age 32. She was an assistant coach at Texas for two seasons.
Breast cancer is a disease in which cells in the breast grow out of control. There are different kinds of breast cancer. The kind of breast cancer depends on which cells in the breast turn into cancer.
“We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Tiffany Jackson, one of the greatest players in the history of Texas women’s basketball,” Texas coach Vic Schaefer said. “I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season. She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family.”