Hoop Summit: Edwin Jackson
08 April 2009
Edwin Jackson is a French guard with an English name, an American dad and a background just like another famous Hoop Summit alumnus, Tony Parker.
Here, he talks about the fascinating journey that has brought him to Portland and Nike Hoop Summit ....
I first started playing basketball at four years old, almost before I could walk I had a ball in my hands.
My dad Skeeter played at Oklahoma State and came to France to play pro with Paris, Pau and Villeurbanne, the team that Tony Parker has recently invested in, and when I was young I would love to go to the arena and watch him play.
Pau, where I was raised, was not a big city but the team there was big and the people would say, 'Wow, that's your dad?' That made me proud and I soon wanted to be like dad.
As I grew older, he would tell me about his college career and some of the better decisions he could have made and that's when I thought, I don't want to be like dad, I want to be BETTER than dad! That's what I'm trying to do because I'm a competitor so I want to do better than him, to make him proud of me.
Unfortunately, he can't be here to watch me play Saturday because he is an assistant coach with Villeurbanne and we're in the middle of the season in France, but it's certainly special for me to be able to be here and try to make my way to the NBA.
And if I should ever make it to the NBA, it will have been easier for me than it was for Tony because he was the first Frenchman to really make it in the NBA. Now, thanks to Tony, people realise French players are great, that they work hard, that you can count on them.
For him to play as a point guard in the NBA, for a great coach like Gregg Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs, was amazing. But then Tony gets to the NBA Finals, he becomes an All Star, he becomes MVP of the Finals! I'm amazed by what he has done.
Now, the funny thing is he has invested in Villeurbanne, the team in France which owns my rights, so I guess that make him my boss!
I have learned a lot from Tony's example and, if I had to give any advice to youngsters reading this, I would say that it's all about working hard and never giving up.
I know everybody says that but I'm a positive person and I really think everything is possible. You've got to have your dreams and I don't want to be 30 years old, looking back and regretting that maybe I didn't try hard enough , maybe I could have done this, done that.
If I don't make it to the NBA, or to a big European team, it will be because I was not good enough or the opportunity did not open up. It will not be because I did not try hard enough or work hard enough or because I went out with the guys when I should have been in the gym.
That's what we've learned from Tony Parker. You've got to dream then go out there and try and make those dreams come true.
Photo Credit: USA BASKETBALL
Here, he talks about the fascinating journey that has brought him to Portland and Nike Hoop Summit ....
I first started playing basketball at four years old, almost before I could walk I had a ball in my hands.
My dad Skeeter played at Oklahoma State and came to France to play pro with Paris, Pau and Villeurbanne, the team that Tony Parker has recently invested in, and when I was young I would love to go to the arena and watch him play.
Pau, where I was raised, was not a big city but the team there was big and the people would say, 'Wow, that's your dad?' That made me proud and I soon wanted to be like dad.
As I grew older, he would tell me about his college career and some of the better decisions he could have made and that's when I thought, I don't want to be like dad, I want to be BETTER than dad! That's what I'm trying to do because I'm a competitor so I want to do better than him, to make him proud of me.
Unfortunately, he can't be here to watch me play Saturday because he is an assistant coach with Villeurbanne and we're in the middle of the season in France, but it's certainly special for me to be able to be here and try to make my way to the NBA.
And if I should ever make it to the NBA, it will have been easier for me than it was for Tony because he was the first Frenchman to really make it in the NBA. Now, thanks to Tony, people realise French players are great, that they work hard, that you can count on them.
For him to play as a point guard in the NBA, for a great coach like Gregg Popovich at the San Antonio Spurs, was amazing. But then Tony gets to the NBA Finals, he becomes an All Star, he becomes MVP of the Finals! I'm amazed by what he has done.
Now, the funny thing is he has invested in Villeurbanne, the team in France which owns my rights, so I guess that make him my boss!
I have learned a lot from Tony's example and, if I had to give any advice to youngsters reading this, I would say that it's all about working hard and never giving up.
I know everybody says that but I'm a positive person and I really think everything is possible. You've got to have your dreams and I don't want to be 30 years old, looking back and regretting that maybe I didn't try hard enough , maybe I could have done this, done that.
If I don't make it to the NBA, or to a big European team, it will be because I was not good enough or the opportunity did not open up. It will not be because I did not try hard enough or work hard enough or because I went out with the guys when I should have been in the gym.
That's what we've learned from Tony Parker. You've got to dream then go out there and try and make those dreams come true.
Photo Credit: USA BASKETBALL
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