Trayce Jackson-Davis practices for the Indiana Pacers ahead of the 2023 NBA draft
Former Indiana Hoosiers basketball player Trayce Jackson-Davis trains for the Indiana Pacers Monday at the Ascension St. Vincent Center in Indianapolis.
Indianapolis Star
INDIANAPOLIS — Meanwhile, seconds have turned to minutes, minutes to hours, excitement to fear, the Thursday of your life has turned to Friday, and Trayce Jackson-Davis is still waiting.
This gathering in a dimly lit Indianapolis bar is an invitation-only NBA draft party for Jackson-Davis. Friends, family and former teammates are here. NBA team hats hang on the wall. At the bottom of a drinks menu is an IU logo next to a few words: “THE FUTURE BEGINS HERE!”
Jackson-Davis used to play MyCAREER, a mode in the video game NBA 2K where you create a player and start a career. Back then, he used his own name for the player. Now he’s having his own draft party in real life. A room is crowded to see a broadcast of the broadcast. Only… there are some technical difficulties. At some point early in the draft, the transmission breaks. Jackson-Davis points to the screen.
“What happened?” he says before pulling a lighthearted grimace.
Jackson-Davis was optimistic earlier that day at a Greenwood residence that he would be a first-round draft pick. Jackson-Davis’ schedule leading up to the draft was similar to that of a touring musician. “Yes,” Jackson-Davis admits, “it’s just been a long time.” During portions of the draft, Jackson-Davis is flanked by his girlfriend Hope and his mother, Karla. At first, his behavior is relatively relaxed. He looks at his phone. He poses for photos. He eats.
At around 10 p.m., his former IU teammate Jalen Hood-Schifino is picked by the Los Angeles Lakers 17th overall. Jackson-Davis smiles and nods while pointing his phone at the screen.
But then… the selection continues and Jackson-Davis is not selected. Jackson-Davis behavior changes. “Honestly,” Jackson-Davis later said, “I was just worried.” He made a phone call and then walked away. On the phone and then off. Just before midnight, ESPN’s Jay Bilas declared, “I like Trayce Jackson-Davis,” leading to cheers. Jackson Davis smiles.
“So do I,” says someone at the party, agreeing with the broadcaster. “Me too.”
The next pick comes from the Washington Wizards.
“Vote for the Washington Wizards, Tr…”
The first two letters of the name are almost hanging in the air.
“Tristan Vukčevic”
Disappointment spreads through the room. Jackson-Davis’s lips curl into a modest grin.
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Doubtful
We are in a hairdressing salon on Thursday morning. Jackson-Davis gets a haircut. The GOAT banter continues.
“First choice?” Jackson-Davis’ father Ray Jackson says, “You have to go with Jordan.”
“He wasn’t even the first pick in his draft,” Jackson-Davis chimes in.
Ray responds, but Jackson-Davis jumps in again.
“Imagine being so bad you couldn’t even be the first pick in your own draft,” says Jackson-Davis.
“Hey,” says Ray, “this just shows you what you’re going to see tonight. Hey, are you better than some of these cats they’re going to pick before you tonight?”
“Duh,” replies Jackson-Davis.
“All right,” says Ray.
Looking back, this conversation is meaningful given how the 2023 NBA draft played out.
Jackson-Davis, one of college basketball’s greatest players, was picked as the 57th pick overall, the penultimate pick in this year’s draft. To say that Jackson-Davis was an underdog during his career is an exaggeration. However, it might be more accurate to say that he is no stranger to challenges. He had encountered her earlier in his basketball career. Then at IU, where he became one of the program’s greatest of all time. Until now the beginning of his time as a pro.
“I play with a chip on my shoulder and I always have,” Jackson-Davis said. “I don’t imagine this situation any differently.”
“Tell Them Who You Are”
Before Jackson-Davis leaves the hair salon, he stops by. A woman doesn’t particularly know who Jackson-Davis is. She tells Jackson-Davis about her grandson, who plays basketball and goes to school in the area. Jackson-Davis attended Center Grove High School.
“He’s a little boy,” she explains, “but I said this is another Steve Alford.”
“I’ll keep an eye out for him,” Jackson-Davis says. “I’m going to put in a good word with (Center Grove) Coach (Zach) Hahn.”
One of the barbers looks up at Jackson-Davis.
“Tell them who you are,” he says. “It’s Trayce.”
“Yes,” says Jackson-Davis, seemingly downplaying it.
The woman admits that she’s not very good with names.
“Oh, it’s fine,” says Jackson-Davis.
“He’s a great player,” says the hairdresser, “he will be chosen by the pros.”
The Jackson-Davis morning is not too eventful. After the hair salon, Jackson-Davis stops at Men’s Wearhouse. Shortly after returning to the Greenwood residence, Jackson-Davis video-chatted in the driveway. He speaks briefly at a youth basketball camp at IU.
On the other end of the line is IU team and recruiting analyst Mike Stump. Standing on the hardwood in the meeting hall, he holds the phone to a microphone so the young players can hear Jackson-Davis.
“Just do your best and have fun,” says Jackson-Davis, leaning over the back of a truck. “And the Lord will take care of the rest.”
“Okay,” Stump says later, “start singing again for another year.”
“ANOTHER YEAR!” repeat the children. “ANOTHER YEAR!”
Jackson Davis laughs.
During his four seasons at IU, he has built an impressive resume. He is the program’s leader in career rebounds and career holds and ranks third in career points. In his final season at IU, Jackson-Davis’ legacy was woven into the season’s narrative. But how he is remembered should not be limited to just numbers.
Jackson-Davis was just a top notch ambassador for the program. During an appearance on the radio show Inside Indiana Basketball last season, Jackson-Davis took the time to pay tribute to legendary broadcaster Don Fischer: “So here we have Mr. Fischer, in his 50th year of playing Play -by-play plays, I think we all deserve to give him a big round of applause.” Even a rival, Purdue coach Matt Painter, offered praise, revealing that Jackson-Davis mourned him after the death texted by Caleb Swanigan.
When Jackson-Davis speaks to the media, he rarely, if ever, says anything unusual. He falls into such clichés that it almost seems too good to be true. It is clear that he is a reflection of his family. When I accompanied Jackson-Davis leading up to and during the 2023 NBA draft, his family stopped by to make sure I was okay. I don’t really want them checking on me because I don’t want them to have to keep an eye on anything else and I won’t be drafted for yelling loudly. But they did it anyway.
However, spending the day with him confirms the positive perception of him. He is the same person he portrays himself as, albeit without clichés and forced, media-centric interactions. He holds the door open and takes the time to chat virtually with the young basketball players. He has terms he says often, such as “fact” slang for agreeing and “tweakin” slang for “out of line.” There are also funny banter, especially with Ray.
Back at the hair salon, they’re still at it.
“I still got 15 points against you,” Ray says.
He later continues, “I think most of the 15 were aimed at you.”
“No, it wasn’t,” says Jackson-Davis.
“You hit a layup,” he continues. “You banked.”
“And a step back,” adds Ray.
“Go back,” says Jackson-Davis, interrupting him.
“And I drew, uh uh,” Ray says, stuttering.
“An Achilles tendon,” Jackson-Davis says, ending Ray’s thoughts.
“No, no, no,” Ray says before laughter breaks out around him.
Why didn’t the Pacers design a TJD? “It has to be a mutual interest.”
Success took time
In the early afternoon, Ray pulls up old videos on his cell phone.
There was a young Jackson-Davis who quickly switched left and shot a pull-up jumper.
“Aye,” says Jackson-Davis now, watching the video, “this shape is pure.”
The video continues with a shot of his brother Tayven Jackson.
“He was a little curry back then,” Ray says now.
“I’m built exactly like LeBron,” says Jackson-Davis, looking at the screen. “Great Warden.”
The funny thing is, there were times when it seemed uncertain that Jackson-Davis would become the dominant player he is today. Bill Collins, who attended the draft party, coached Jackson-Davis when he was younger and once told me, “Trayce was by far the worst player on the team.” But Jackson-Davis improved. He became a McDonald’s All American. A year after megastar Romeo Langford, he was IndyStar Mr. Basketball, then followed in his footsteps to IU and still somehow managed to forge his own path.
However, Jackson-Davis’ time at IU was tumultuous. His first season ended abruptly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After his second, Archie Miller was fired. A program that once stood at the forefront of the college basketball world was now, at best, faltering. But when Mike Woodson was hired, Jackson-Davis stayed.
“I don’t want to be someone who ran away when it was tough,” Jackson-Davis said in 2021.
Jackson-Davis did not. In his third season at IU, Jackson-Davis helped make the program’s first NCAA tournament appearance since 2016. After testing Draft Waters, he returned for his fourth season, which seeded the Hoosiers 4th in the NCAA Tournament. If anything, Jackson-Davis’ legendary career breathed life into a program that so desperately needed it.
But becoming that player didn’t happen immediately. Watching those old videos on Thursday was sobering. Ray pulls out another one. Jackson-Davis shot both elbows.
“Go there with a purpose,” Ray told Jackson-Davis at the time. “Sprint.”
“These exercises are like a jog like combine and workout training,” Jackson-Davis now says to Ray with playful cheek. “Never a run.”
Golden State at 57
It’s early Friday now, it’s been a long time since the draft party, and Jackson-Davis leans in to tell Ray something.
Before the drama really began to unfold as the draft progressed, Jackson-Davis’ day was about as low-key as a day like this could have been. We spent part of the afternoon hanging out at the Greenwood residence. Shortly after 3 p.m., a switch was reported on television, with Chris Paul moving to the Warriors and Jordan Poole to the Wizards.
Later, photos are taken with different combinations of people outside the house. Jackson-Davis pretends to be hooked on his sister Aria. Karla walks behind her, holding a handkerchief in her right hand.
“A handkerchief,” says Arie, “do you think that’ll help?”
The next few hours seem to pass quickly, at least from the outside. Dinner will take place at The Eagle. Jackson-Davis is seated at a table when someone yells, “I hope you become a Laker.” Jackson-Davis smiles. He leaves the restaurant to make a media hit. Then back to the restaurant for dinner. Then to the cocktail bar for his party.
On one hand, what Jackson-Davis goes through is similar to that of other recent college graduates. He’s trying to figure out what’s next for him in this transitional phase of his life. On the other hand, it’s very different. He does so in the public spotlight, where his next move is literally exposed to the whole world. There’s so much noise around him with social media. Earlier on Thursday, Jackson-Davis claimed on social media that he doesn’t care what people think. But it’s hard to believe. Over dinner, Jackson-Davis likes a tweet from a national recruiter reminiscing about his high school recruiting
And finally, the design begins. And the waiting game begins. Around the 30th pick, Jackson-Davis gets a call.
“They basically told me that Golden State is going to try to get me,” Jackson-Davis said. “First, it was 42 from the Washington trade. And if not, it was 57.”
No. 42 missed and Jackson-Davis was not selected. It’s Jackson-Davis on the phone now. He gets out and leans towards Ray.
“Golden State,” he says, “takes me at 57.”
faith is golden
Appropriately, more patience is needed, but now people are feeling it. It was about 35 minutes from the time Jackson-Davis told Ray it was the golden state at 57. Jackson-Davis gives Hope a few kisses.
Finally the time has come. The Warriors acquired the drafting rights to the 57th pick from the Wizards, meaning Jackson-Davis would move to Golden State. Arie grabs the Warriors’ hat and hands it to Jackson-Davis. “TJD” people shout “TJD.” It’s almost one in the morning now. Someone chants “CP3” – Chris Paul’s nickname. Jackson-Davis looks emotionally drained. But he’s dizzy when he wears the Warriors cap, euphoric and smiles so wide.
Arie grabs one of Jackson-Davis’ hands and Ray grabs the other.
“Take a lap,” Arie says, pointing.
Jackson Davis stands up. He grooms his former teammate Trey Galloway. More handshakes and cheers. Jackson-Davis picks it up and waves his hand to encourage everyone to keep going. The party rages almost as if Jackson-Davis just landed a thunderous dunk.
“TJD” people shout “TJD.”
The crowd begins to thin as Jackson-Davis makes his rounds. More photos and interviews. The fact that Jackson-Davis finished 57th overall doesn’t matter that much as he fits into the Warriors system, a successful organization with a great coach and legendary players like Steph Curry and Chris Paul.
If you stand outside at around 1:30 a.m., you can still hear it in Jackson-Davis’ voice.
“They believe in me,” Jackson-Davis says of Golden State after switching back to media lingo, “and that’s why I’m going to make the most of my chance.”
There are many ways to describe Jackson-Davis. He’s Trayce Jackson-Davis, the son, the sibling, the friend.
Trayce Jackson-Davis, the prankster, Mr. Basketball, the Indiana Hoosier legend.
And now it’s time to add another one with great excitement.
Trayce Jackson Davis, the Golden State Warrior.
