INDIANAPOLIS — The announcement of Quenton Jackson’s first NBA standard contract in his fourth year as a pro just happened to coincide with Pascal Siakam’s Trivia for Change Fundraiser on Friday night at Commission Row.
Jackson and most of the rest of the Pacers’ roster was in attendance, so that made for a perfect opportunity for the team to go to a separate room to surprise Jackson with a champagne toast, which was captured on video and posted on Jackson’s Instagram page. Jackson was clearly not expecting anything when Siakam started talking to him in front of the rest of the team. He asked “This everybody?” while Siakam locked him in a bro-hug, knocked the hat off his head and mussed with his dreadlocks while the rest of the group exploded in applause and cheers.
“I looked around saw everybody looking at me,” Jackson said after practice Saturday morning . “But it wasn’t the same energy it normally is. It wasn’t regular. I could tell something was up. But I just appreciate them for doing that.”
The Pacers, of course, were showing their appreciation for two years in which Jackson has given them everything they could have asked for and more while on a two-way contract, a deal which puts players on the roster for both an NBA team and its G League affiliate and limits them to 50 active games for an NBA team each season. They are not eligible for postseason play and they make 50% of the rookie minimum salary, which this year is $636,435. Jackson’s new contract is for three years — the rest of this season and two more. The deal is guaranteed at the prorated rate of the league minimum — which for Jackson’s three years of service is just under $2.4 million. For 2026-27 the deal is partially guaranteed and it is non-guaranteed for 2027-28.
Despite the two-way designation, Jackson has not operated like a player at the end of the roster. The Pacers withstood several backcourt injuries in November of 2024 and Jackson had to not only start but take on top perimeter defensive assignments. This year, they’ve been hit hard by injuries again, starting with the Achilles tendon tear suffered by All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, so the Pacers have leaned hard on Jackson again.
In 2024-25, Jackson started in seven of his 28 appearances and averaged 5.8 points per game. This year he’s started in 10 of 30 games and is averaging 9.2 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while shooting 48.9% from the floor and 40.5% from 3-point range. The 6-4, 173-pounder is one of the Pacers’ highest leapers and most explosive athletes, which has made him one of the most entertaining players to watch in a doomed season as the Pacers sit in last place in the East at 15-45.
“He’s really earned it,” Carlisle said. “… He’s a culture enhancer. That’s really the starting point with him. His game is something that is really helped us. He’s versatile. He can play two guard positions. He defends. He can run a team. He can play off the ball. A lot of good stuff. Our fans love him. When he comes in the game he just energizes things.”
The new standard deal represents a milestone in what has been a long journey for the 27-year-old Jackson. He received very little recruiting attention when he graduated from Mirra Costa High School in Manhattan Beach, Calif. and was not an academic qualifier for Division I. He had to do a year of prep school and two years of junior college before enrolling at Texas A&M. He got a third year at A&M thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and was an All-SEC pick, then went undrafted. He was signed by the Wizards and spent most of his first season in 2022-23 playing with the Capital City Go-Go before finally earning a two-way deal at the end of the year. He started the 2023-24 season on an Exhibit 10 contract with the Chicago Bulls and played exclusively with the Windy City Bulls before the Pacers signed him to a two-way deal.
“I just think everything I’ve been through has paved my way to get to here right now,” Jackson said. “It’s a long journey. I’m just glad I never gave up. I’m glad I never lost faith in myself.”
But he and Carlisle drove home the fact that this is not a destination.
“It’s been a long road to this point,” Carlisle said. “But I heard this recently and I said this to him today, ‘The top of one mountain is the bottom of the next.’ He’s gotta keep that in mind. This is really just the beginning. He’s got a young career. This is just the beginning and he has to keep working.”
Jackson took that to heart.
“That’s the same thing I was saying last night on my Instagram,” Jackson said. “I’m excited to be here but never satisfied. There’s always work to do. I’m excited but I feel the same. I don’t feel like anything’s changed.”
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘He’s really earned it’: Pacers celebrate Quenton Jackson’s new contract
Reporting by Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
