Monday was a special day for Milwaukee Bucks rookie Andre Jackson Jr. The young man was celebrating his 22nd birthday, which prompted the team to put in a lot of effort to make sure that this was going to be an unforgettable event for Jackson.
Milwaukee Bucks Hold Special Ceremony for Andre Jackson Jr.
![Andre Jackson Jr. Gets Brutally Honest on 'Weird' Milwaukee Bucks Surprise Before Chicago Bulls Game 1 Milwaukee Bucks draft Andre Jackson Jr.](https://wisportsheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/USATSI_20386649_168400517_lowres.jpg)
It’s not as if the Bucks had the entire stadium sing a Happy Birthday to Jackson before they took on the Chicago Bulls on Monday night — although his teammates did exactly that earlier in the day during practice.
Instead, the Bucks decided to present Jackson with his NCAA championship ring from last season’s title run with UConn:
The Milwaukee Bucks present rookie Andre Jackson Jr. with his NCAA Championship ring 💍🏀 #FearTheDeer pic.twitter.com/xQGK4pzDG8
— 620 WTMJ (@620wtmj) November 14, 2023
After the game, though, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard admitted that he really wasn’t able to enjoy the moment as much as he had liked:
“It was weird,” he said, via Jim Owczarski of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “I didn’t expect it. I was a little bit shocked. I didn’t really get to have the excitement that I would’ve wished. Right before the game I was super locked in to what we were about to do and I was like, yeah, forget about it, we’re going to do that this year. It’s good now to look back at it and appreciate it and kind of have those memories of all those times I had with teammates at UConn and reflect on those experiences and try to recreate that here. It was definitely a great experience.”
Andre Jackson Jr. Was Locked In
![Andre Jackson Jr. Gets Brutally Honest on 'Weird' Milwaukee Bucks Surprise Before Chicago Bulls Game 2 Nov 1, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) dunks the ball during the second half of the game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports](https://wisportsheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/USATSI_21793240-scaled.jpg)
As Jackson said, he was totally focused on the Bulls game. It showed.
The rookie made an impact off the bench with five points, three rebounds, and a triple in just 13 minutes of play. Jackson is expected to play a bigger role moving forward after Jae Crowder was ruled out for eight weeks due to a groin injury.
Jackson knows that his contributions to the team go way beyond the box score, and this is something that he intends to prove moving forward:
“I think I can make an impact without scoring the basketball,” Jackson said. “Just screening, being in the spot to create the space for the guys that need the ball. On this team, if I’m on the court, I’m most likely, probably, the fifth option in scoring, so I’m just going to try to do everything in my power to get those other guys clean looks and follow up their misses if they do miss and try to find another guy.”
![Andre Jackson Jr. Gets Brutally Honest on 'Weird' Milwaukee Bucks Surprise Before Chicago Bulls Game 3 Oct 10, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Andre Jackson Jr. (44) drives to the basket as Memphis Grizzlies forward David Roddy (21) defends during the second half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports](https://wisportsheroics.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/USATSI_21665671_168400517_lowres.jpg)
Expect a lot more news articles about this very promising young stud in the weeks to come.
For More Wisconsin Sports:
Follow me on Twitter at @PaoloSongcoNBA, and follow us @WiSportsHeroics. Also, check out our Merchandise Here! Get 20% off with the code “WSH.” You can also reach out to Paolo Songco via email at pao.songco@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Wisconsin sports, click here! Green Bay Packers, Milwaukee Brewers, Milwaukee Bucks, Wisconsin Badgers.