Michigan's legendary hoops star Rickea Jackson returns to Detroit Edison as her jersey is retired, celebrating a pioneering career that continues in the WNBA.
Long before the banner was raised, Rickea Jackson had already envisioned the moment.
The former Detroit Edison star returned to her alma mater Tuesday night as the school retired her jersey, honoring a career that helped redefine girls basketball in Michigan and paved the way to the WNBA. Jackson, now a forward for the Los Angeles Sparks, became the first player in school history to receive the honor during a halftime ceremony at Edison’s girls basketball game against Grosse Pointe South.
The occasion fulfilled a conversation Jackson remembers having with then-superintendent Ralph Bland years earlier, before Edison won its first state championship.
“This is something that before we won our first state championship, I talked to Mr. Bland, like, ‘you know if we win a state championship, we need to retire my jersey,’” Jackson said. “And then we went on to win two more.”
Eight years later, Jackson stood beneath the rafters as a banner recognizing her accomplishments was unveiled in the gym where her career began. She was joined by 15 family members for the ceremony, including her sister-in-law, Mayor-elect Mary Sheffield.
“It just means a lot, full circle moment,” Jackson said. “I feel like I worked hard to get here, so it’s just been amazing to feel like my hard work is paying off.”
Jackson is widely regarded as the most accomplished girls high school basketball player in Michigan history. She led the Pioneers to three consecutive MHSAA state championships from 2017 to 2019, earned the 2019 Miss Michigan Basketball award, and finished her high school career as Edison’s all-time leading scorer with 1,771 points. As a senior, she averaged more than 22 points and eight rebounds per game.
While the accolades followed, Jackson said the championships — and the bonds formed along the way — were the defining part of her experience.
“It was amazing to accomplish all those things, but the biggest thing with me was building those relationships and winning those championships,” Jackson said. “I felt like that truly meant a lot to me, especially my first championship, when everyone was just doubting us.”
Jackson’s success continued at the college level. She played three seasons at Mississippi State before transferring to Tennessee for her final two seasons. Across her collegiate career, she averaged 17.8 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and was named first-team All-SEC in both 2023 and 2024.
That trajectory carried her into the professional ranks, where she was selected fourth overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Sparks. Detroit Edison has noted that Jackson is the first Michigan charter school alumna to play in the WNBA, where she has averaged 14 points per game over her first two seasons.
Detroit Edison coach Monique Brown, who coached Jackson during her high school career, shared the floor with her during the ceremony and reflected on how quickly the moment arrived.
“This is my basketball daughter,” Brown said. “We spent so much time together, just in this gym, talking about this very moment. I never thought … I promise you, I never thought it would be so soon.”
Jackson was also awarded the Spirit of Detroit during the ceremony, adding another layer of recognition to the night.
With the WNBA set to return to Detroit in 2029, Jackson said she is eager to see her hometown once again host a professional women’s team.
“I was super excited to see Detroit get a new team,” Jackson said. “I’m excited to see what their name is going to be, just my hometown have something I feel they deserve.”
As she addressed the next generation watching from the stands, Jackson offered simple advice rooted in her own journey.
“Start with a foundation and repetition is key,” Jackson said. “Whatever it is, just have that set foundation and the repetition will get you to where you need to be in life.”