Los Angeles Sparks trade former Lady Vols star Rickea Jackson to Chicago Sky

Los Angeles Sparks trade former Lady Vols star Rickea Jackson to Chicago Sky

Former Lady Vols basketball star Rickea Jackson has been traded to the Chicago Sky, the organization announced April 12.

Jackson was traded for Ariel Atkins in a straight-up player swap, according to a report from Alexa Philippou on April 12.

Jackson has played for the Los Angeles Sparks since the organization drafted her No. 4 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Now Jackson will join the organization that Lady Vols legend Candace Parker led to its first WNBA title in 2021.

"It’s thrilling to acquire one of the great young talents in this league in Jackson," Chicago Sky general manager Jeff Pagliocca said in a statement. “Rickea is only going to continue to ascend, and the organization is excited to witness that growth firsthand."

Jackson was the highest draft pick out of Tennessee since Diamond DeShields was picked No. 3 overall by the Chicago Sky in 2018. Jackson also marked the fourth year in a row a Lady Vol was a first round draft pick for the first time in program history.

Jackson has been a key player for the Sparks the last two seasons, and she earned WNBA All-Rookie honors in 2024. She scored a career-high 30 points against the Las Vegas Aces, which went on to win the 2025 WNBA championship, and had 10 games where she scored 20-plus points last season.

In her two seasons in Los Angeles, Jackson averaged 14 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.6 assists and shot 43.9% from the field and 34.7% on four attempts from 3-point range per game. She started in 72 of her 78 games and averaged 29.8 minutes.

Jackson received one vote in last year's MVP voting, putting her in a five-way tie for ninth place.

Before drafting Jackson and Cameron Brink in 2024, Sparks general manager Raegan Pebley said she considered their lottery picks as "foundational" for the organization. Pebley said they wanted players who could make immediate impacts with "a long runway ahead of them," and Jackson was a player with both.

But since then, Los Angeles made a coaching change. The Sparks fired Curt Miller and hired Utah women's coach Lynne Roberts.

Jackson started her college career at Mississippi State as a five-star McDonald's All-American out of Detroit. She transferred to Tennessee and played for the Lady Vols for two seasons, quickly becoming a fan favorite.

Jackson left Tennessee ranked sixth all-time in career scoring, her 2,261 career points only trailing Cindy Brogdon, Chamique Holdsclaw, Jill Rankin, Bridgette Gordon and Patricia Roberts. Jackson scored 1,176 points in 60 games with the Lady Vols, and that alone ranks 34th in the program's all-time scoring list.

She was an All-SEC first team selection both seasons at Tennessee and a three-time SEC All-Tournament team selection. She was a top-five finalist for the Cheryl Miller Award twice and a four-time WBCA All-America honorable mention. Jackson led Tennessee in scoring both of her seasons and averaged 20.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists as a senior.

Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social‬. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Los Angeles Sparks trade Rickea Jackson to Chicago Sky