Cedric Coward recounts the shocking moment Jaren Jackson Jr. was traded, sharing his immediate reaction and the profound impact of their brief, brotherhood-like connection.
Cedric Coward was walking up the stairs to practice when everything changed.
In a recent interview with HoopsHype during All-Star Weekend, Coward described the moment he learned that Jaren Jackson Jr. had been traded — and he was standing right beside him.
“I was right next to him,” Coward told HoopsHype. “We were walking up the stairs, going to practice, and next thing you know, he’s turning around, walking down the stairs. And I was like, ‘Oh, okay, what’s going on?’”
The news followed quickly.
“Next thing you know, you hear the news from our coaches,” Coward told HoopsHype.
For a rookie still adjusting to the NBA’s pace and unpredictability, the moment was jarring. Jackson had quickly become more than a teammate.
“Man, I miss Trip tremendously,” Coward told HoopsHype, using Jackson’s nickname. “Didn’t know him for long in terms of actual time of the relationship, but it feels like I’ve known him forever.”
Coward said their personalities aligned from the start.
“Just because I was a lot like him and he was a lot like me,” he told HoopsHype. “We’re goofy people. We’re the life of the party in terms of bringing energy to the room.”
Beyond the humor, Coward said Jackson served as his first true veteran presence in the league.
“He was like my first vet,” Coward told HoopsHype. “He was the one that really would drop random bits of knowledge on me all the time.”
Jackson’s résumé made those lessons resonate.
“I mean, All-NBA, All-Star, Defensive Player of the Year… You should listen to guys like that,” Coward told HoopsHype. “Whenever he would drop that knowledge on me, I felt like I needed to listen to it because he doesn’t have to do this.”
After the trade became official, Coward described a shared moment in the locker room.
“You’re like brothers, man,” he told HoopsHype. “And that’s where all my teammates — Vince [Williams], Jock [Landale], Jitty [John Konchar] — like all of them, you share a moment with those guys, understanding what they meant to you.”
Even though Coward’s time alongside Jackson was brief, he said the impact was lasting.
“They got a special place in my heart for sure,” he told HoopsHype.
Memphis has endured a season of transition. The Grizzlies sit at 20-33 coming out of the All-Star break, 11th in the Western Conference, navigating injuries and roster turnover. Ja Morant has appeared in just 20 games and is expected to miss at least three weeks with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.
For Coward, whose rookie season has included averages of 13.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists across 48 games, Jackson’s departure underscored how quickly circumstances can shift in the NBA.
Still, the bond remains.
“We’re keeping in touch and making sure that he plays great throughout the whole season until he plays us,” Coward told HoopsHype. “And then he has a bad game.”
The comment drew a smile before he added, “But besides that, man, that’s my guy.”
In a league defined by transactions and timelines, Coward’s account offered a reminder: sometimes the hardest adjustments are not tactical, but personal.