Trayce Jackson-Davis Returning To Assembly Hall For Indiana's Game Against Northwestern
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's matchup against Northwestern on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET will feature a former Hoosier star in attendance.
Trayce Jackson-Davis will return to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall for the game, Ray Jackson told HoosiersNow.com Friday. It'll be the first Indiana game Jackson-Davis has attended since moving on to the NBA.
Jackson-Davis graduated Indiana as the program's all-time leader in rebounds (1,143) and blocked shots (270). He finished third on the all-time scoring list with 2,258 career points, behind Steve Alford (2,438) and Calbert Cheaney (2,613). Jackson-Davis was a consensus first-team All-American in his senior season with the Hoosiers, averaging 20.9 points on 58.1% shooting, along with 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 2.9 blocks per game. He was a four-time All-Big Ten player and made the Big Ten All-Defensive team twice.
Jackson-Davis is currently in his rookie season with the Golden State Warriors, but he has a few days off for the NBA All-Star break, which takes place in Indianapolis.
Friday, the celebrity game tips off inside Lucas Oil Stadium at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by the Rising Stars games beginning at Gainbridge Fieldhouse at 9 p.m. ET on TNT. Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, Lucas Oil Stadium hosts the skills challenge, 3-point contest, 3-point challenge between Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu, and dunk contest. Rounding out the weekend on Sunday, the G-League Up Next game begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on NBA TV at the Indiana Convention Center, followed by the NBA All-Star game at 8 p.m. ET at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The Washington Wizards originally selected Jackson-Davis 57th overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, then traded him to the Golden State Warriors on draft night in exchange for 2022 first-round pick Patrick Baldwin, completing a larger trade that included Chris Paul Jordan Poole, Ryan Rollins, other picks and cash.
As a rookie, the 6-foot-9 Jackson-Davis has appeared in 40 games for the 27-26 Warriors under coach Steve Kerr. He has 14 double-digit scoring games, four double-doubles, and scored a career-high 19 points on Jan. 10 against the New Orleans Pelicans. He's averaging 6.4 points, 4.0 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.8 blocks per game, while shooting 68.6% from the field and 59.7% at the free throw line.
Jackson-Davis earned the most minutes of his rookie season during December and January, playing between 10 and 29 minutes across a 16-game stretch. His minutes have decreased recently, logging single-digit minutes in his last seven appearances.
A graduate of Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind., Jackson-Davis recently returned to his home state on Feb. 8, when the Warriors played the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Though he only played three minutes in the Warriors' 131-109 win, Jackson-Davis scored six points, grabbed two rebounds and blocked one shot. He made 2-of-3 attempts from the field and hit both free throws.
"It felt good just being able to come home," Jackson-Davis said. "Obviously this is the longest I've ever been away from home, like eight months. So just coming back getting the ovation that I got and just all the hard work I put into the university, it felt good."
Chants of "TJD" were heard throughout Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Indiana star.
"At the beginning of the fourth quarter, there were little spurts were like, 'TJD, put TJD in!' And toward the middle, like 6-5 minutes left, then that's when I think everyone heard it," Jackson-Davis said.
A few of Jackson-Davis' Indiana teammates – Trey Galloway, Anthony Leal and Xavier Johnson – attended the game and met with Jackson-Davis postgame.
Galloway, now a senior guard for the Hoosiers, said he and Jackson-Davis still keep in touch often after three seasons as teammates.
"It was great. I wish he got more minutes," Galloway said Feb. 9. "But no, it was really cool to go down there and support him because I know he'd do the same for me and he's going to. He'll be back here soon, hopefully. But no, it's been good. We talk every day, text back and forth, sometimes call, but it's good to kind of just hear from him because obviously he's been through it all. There's been times when we've been down and he texts me, just picking me up and stuff. But no, it's a great relationship that me and him have."
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