Rickea Jackson’s been lighting it up in her second season with Unrivaled’s Breeze BC. But some unfortunate drama sidelined her after that bombshell news dropped on Feb. 7.

By the morning of Feb. 21, though, Jackson was listed as probable for Breeze’s Friday night clash against Vinyl BC. And she didn’t just sit back, she showed out.

Jackson dropped 22 points on 9-of-18 shooting, including a scorching 4-of-6 from deep. She added 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 3 steals in just 15 minutes. That made her the squad’s No. 2 scorer behind Paige Bueckers’ 25.

The crowd busted out with cheers when her name was announced pregame. And by the end of the night, Breeze had smoked Vinyl, 77-56, to close it out.

Bueckers dominated with 25 points (8-18 FG, 2-6 3PT), 12 boards (all defensive), 4 assists, 2 blocks in 18.5 minutes for a +21. Dominique Malonga chipped in 13 points (4-10 FG), 9 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Cameron Brink had 8 points, 6 boards, 4 blocks, and Courtney Williams added 9 points, 4 assists, 2 steals. 

Also, her mom wasn’t courtside, but she didn’t miss the moment. She celebrated her return all the same by cheering through it all and cheering her girl’s step back.

Mom's Heartfelt Cheers Through the Storm

Breeze BC hyped her return on Instagram with a post featuring Rickea in her pregame outfit. She wore a sleek black mini dress and boots. And captioned, “She’s BACKKKKK.”

Her mom replied to that first-look pic after the tough days, writing, “Thanking God 🙏🏽.”

It wasn’t just her mother showing love. Paige Bueckers also made sure to highlight Rickea postgame.

“Rickea, her ability to respond, & just show up and show out, and be present. Basketball for a lot of us is our safe place, our safe haven. We come here to get into a different place mentally and lock in... It didn’t look like she missed a beat. Her impact on both sides of the ball, her versatility, her compete, her fire, what she brings to this team, it’s super meaningful.”

And this bounce-back seems to be sparking even bigger off-court buzz. Not just on the court, Jackson’s locked in lucrative gigs too, including her Skechers shoe deal. She’s the first WNBA player to sign with the brand, drawn to their love for athletes and the Samsung ties through Unrivaled.

After Friday night’s game, Rickea and the team will be back at it again, set to face Mist on Monday.

Read more at She Got Game!

Written by

Ishika Ghosh

Edited by

Joyita Das