A 28-YEAR-OLD Bajan-Canadian, Jackson Rowe, is moving up in the world’s leading basketball league.
Rowe has just signed a two-way contract to play alongside superstar Stephen Curry in the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Golden State Warriors team.
Just a week ago Rowe, a six-foot 7-inch, 210-pound power forward, scored 33 points in a game for the Santa Cruz Warriors in the NBA G League and his outstanding performance during the current season did not go unnoticed or unrewarded.
Some key sports analysts and coaches have consistently praised his work ethic, basketball instincts, on court aggressiveness and technical skill, contending he “was knocking on the door” of the NBA, something that made it “inevitable” he would be playing at the highest level of the global sport. He did not have to wait long.
For instance, Nicholas Kerr, a coach, said the most recent performance made it clear to the league that Jackson was “a winner. He makes so many (outstanding) defence plays. He dives and finds the pocket. It is great”.
On Tuesday, Golden State Warriors announced Rowe’s elevation and signing. The Toronto-born player, whose Bajan family roots can be traced to St George, will play under an arrangement that allows him to compete in both the major and G (summer) Leagues without their salaries being counted against the NBA salary cap.
Jackson, the son of Roger Rowe, a prominent attorney in Toronto, played his college ball at Cal State University but went undrafted in the 2020 NBA selection process. However, his commitment to the sport, emphasis on hard work and excellence on the court catapulted him to a key spot on the team.
“We are delighted with his success and the signing,” said Joan Rowe, Jackson’s Bajan grandmother who grew up in St George and is one of the most highly respected members of the Caribbean immigrant community in Canada’s best-known metropolis.
“The signing by Golden State is a fitting reward for his diligence and skill. Jackson adores Barbados. We are immensely proud of him,” she told NATION SPORT yesterday.
A frequent visitor to Barbados, Jackson was born in Toronto in 1997 and learned his craft in both Canada and the United States. He represented Canada, playing in the FIBA World Cup 2023 competition, where he averaged ten points, five rebounds and 1.5 assists in two games for Canada’s national men’s team. He has also played extensively in Europe’s professional leagues, especially in France and Germany He played for Cal State (University) basketball team at Fullerton where he averaged almost 16 points, had 10.2 rebounds, 3.4 steals and 2.1 block shots per game while shooting 71.
Playing for Santa Cruz Warriors this year, the Bajan averaged 14.68 points: 7.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.8 blocks.
His father, Roger Rowe, attended Harrison College and his grandmother was once the head girl of The St Michael’s School in the 1950s.
“He is a wonderful young man on and off the court,” said his grandmother. (TB)
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