After a decorated collegiate and WNBA career, Rickea Jackson is finally getting the prize promised to her eight years ago.

On December 23, during halftime of Detroit Edison’s girls’ basketball game against Grosse Pointe South, Jackson arrived, along with 15 family members, to watch as the school unveiled a banner in the gym recognizing her accomplishments. It was capped off with her jersey number being retired.

"This is something that before we won our first state championship, I talked to Mr. [Ralph] Bland, like, 'you know if we win a state championship, we need to retire my jersey. And then we went on to win two more."

She led Detroit Edison to three consecutive MHSAA girls basketball championships from 2017 to 2019. Also, she finished as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 1,771 points.

Her success continued with an incredible collegiate career. She earned two First Team All-SEC selections, later being drafted in the 2024 WNBA Draft. There, she became the first player from her draft class to reach 1,000 career points. However, those high school accomplishments remain a special memory.

“It just means a lot, a full-circle moment,” Jackson said. “I feel like I worked hard to get here, so it’s been amazing to see that hard work paying off.”

“It was amazing to accomplish all those things, but the biggest thing for me was building those relationships and winning those championships,” Jackson said. “That meant a lot, especially the first championship, when everyone was doubting us.”

Rickea Jackson Had More Good News 

During the ceremony, Jackson was also awarded the Spirit of Detroit. She used the moment to share her excitement about another major development.

“I was super excited to see Detroit get a new team,” she said. “I can’t wait to see what the name is going to be. My hometown deserves this.”

So, she mentioned the WNBA’s expansion team returning to Detroit in 2029. The yet-to-be-named franchise will revive a legacy once set by the Detroit Shock, who won three championships as one of the league’s early expansion teams.

Written by

Yashika Dutta

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar