Indiana Pacers: 25 Best Players To Play For The Pacers
By Phil Watson
player. 100. <strong>How Acquired: </strong>Trade, Los Angeles Clippers, June 30, 1994; Trade, Denver Nuggets, Feb. 20, 1997.. PG. 1994-96, 1997-2000. Mark Jackson. 19
Mark Jackson had already done the unthinkable, quarterbacking the Los Angeles Clippers to a playoff berth, so the Indiana Pacers looked to the veteran to direct their offense.
On draft night in June 1994, the Pacers traded Pooh Richardson, Malik Sealy and the rights to 15th overall pick Eric Piatkowski to the Clippers in exchange for Jackson and the rights to 25th overall selection Greg Minor.
Jackson helped the Pacers back to the first conference finals in 1995, so he delivered.
In June 1996, Jackson was traded with Ricky Pierce and a 1996 first-round pick to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Jalen Rose, Reggie Williams and a 1996 first-rounder.
Proving that mistakes can sometimes be undone, Indiana re-acquired Jackson from the Nuggets in February 1997 along with LaSalle Thompson in exchange for Eddie Johnson, Vincent Askew and second-round selections in 1997 and 1998.
Jackson led the NBA in assists in 1996-97, finishing third in 1997-98 and helping Indiana to its first NBA Finals appearance in 2000.
In a six-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Jackson put up 9.7 points, 7.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 31.0 minutes per game, shooting .413/.400/12-for-15.
In August 2000, he left the Pacers for good, signing with the Toronto Raptors as a free agent.
In parts of six seasons in Indiana, Jackson averaged 8.4 points, 8.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 29.8 minutes per game on .434/.362/.783 shooting.
Named an All-American after averaging 18.9 points and 6.4 assists per game as a senior at St. John’s, Jackson was the 18th overall pick of the New York Knicks in the 1987 NBA Draft.
Named Rookie of the Year in 1987-88, Jackson was also an All-Star in 1989 for the Knicks. He was third in the NBA in assists in 1987-88, as well.
In September 1992, he was sent to the Clippers in a three-team deal that included the Orlando Magic. He was fourth in the league in assists in 1992-93.
Jackson was traded back to New York in February 2001 and in June 2002 was sent back to the Nuggets in a trade.
Waived by Denver in September 2002, he signed with the Utah Jazz five days later.
Unsigned in the summer of 2003, Jackson eventually caught on with the Houston Rockets in January 2004, retiring after going unsigned as a free agent that summer.
He would later coach the Golden State Warriors for three seasons from 2011-14, going 121-109 in the regular season and 9-10 in the playoffs.
Jackson is 20th in NBA history with 1,296 games, 36th with 39,121 minutes, fourth with 10,334 assists, 30th with 1,608 steals and 15th with an average of 8.0 assists per game.
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