Tennessee women's basketball forward Rickea Jackson was selected as the fourth overall pick by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 2024 WNBA Draft on Monday night.
Jackson is the 21st first-round pick in Tennessee women's basketball history and the 46th Lady Vol selected in the WNBA Draft since its inception in 1997. She is also the 10th player in program history to become a top-five pick in the first round
Tennessee has now produced four straight WNBA first-round draft picks. Rennia Davis was taken ninth overall by the Minnesota Lynx in 2021, Rae Burrell was taken ninth overall by the Los Angeles Sparks in 2022, and Jordan Horton was taken ninth overall by the Seattle Storm in 2023.
She is just the third Lady Vol to be taken fourth overall since, Glory Johnson in 2012 and Alexis Hornbuckle in 2008.
Jackson attended the 2024 WNBA Draft in person at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York. Tennessee assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Samantha Williams also attended the event.
Jackson played three seasons at Mississippi State before transferring to Tennessee for her senior and fifth year. The star forward started in 106 of 127 games between stints at Mississippi State and Tennessee. Jackson finished her career with 2,261 points and 773 rebounds.
In only two seasons at Tennessee, she scored 1,176 points in 60 games, which ranks 34th on the school's all-time scoring list. In 29 games, Jackson hit 20 points or more, which ranks No. 5 all-time in program history.
As a senior, Jackson averaged 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game in her final collegiate season. In the last ten games of the season, after missing eight games due to injury, she averaged 22.6 points per game on 53% shooting.
To end her college career, Jackson notched 33 points and ten rebounds in the Lady Vols' loss to N.C. State during the NCAA tournament.
The WNBA announced that the league's 28th regular season will start on Tuesday, May 14, and run through September 19.
