Troy Jackson

Troy Jackson (born January 11, 1976 in Jamaica, Queens, New York) is an American basketball player. The younger brother of former NBA player Mark Jackson, he participates in the AND1 Mixtape Tour under the name Escalade. Jackson is listed at 6'10" and 375 pounds.

Troy Jackson weighed close to 500 pounds as a senior in high school, but his performances at Rucker Park caught the attention of Bill Hughley, coach of Wallace Community College in Selma, Alabama. [Dick Weiss. " [http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/sports/1997/02/01/1997-02-01_big_jax_makes_mark__troy_is_.html Big Jax Makes Mark; Troy is Quite a Card] ". "New York Daily News". February 1, 1997. Retrieved on June 28, 2008.] Jackson enrolled at Wallace, and even though he continued to play at 500 pounds (or more), he received all-region honors as a sophomore. "People wonder how I played at 500-plus pounds. But to me it felt natural," he later said. Jackson's accomplishments in community college led to a scholarship offer from the University of Louisville, but the school demanded that he lose weight. Jackson complied, and by his senior year at Louisville, he had slimmed down to about 363 pounds after adhering to a strict diet. [Mike Berardino. " [http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/122197/berardino.shtml Biggest man on NCAA court getting smaller] ." "Augusta Chronicle". December 21, 1997. Retrieved on June 28, 2008.]

Jackson only played twenty games for Louisville over two years, averaging 3.0 points per game and 1.6 rebounds per game in a reserve role. [ [http://statsheet.com/mcb/players/15-troy-jackson?season=1997-1998 Troy Jackson stats] . statsheet.com. Retrieved on June 28, 2008.] However, he has become well-known to basketball fans through the AND1 Mixtape Tour, a travelling streetball exhibition which he joined in 2002. With the AND1 tour, Jackson uses the stage name Escalade, a reference to the Cadillac SUV. His teammate Antwan "8th Wonder" Scott told the "Herald Sun", "He's a big guy, but he can entertain and he can seriously play." [Tim Morrissey. " [http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22733104-11088,00.html Troy Jackson's game nicely rounded] ". "Herald Sun". November 10,2007. Retrieved on June 28, 2008.] Jackson has appeared on the cover of "Sports Illustrated" [ [http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:XWO9VDdRKD0J:dynamic.si.cnn.com/si_online/covers/issues/2005/0613.html+escalade+sports+illustrated&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=us&client=firefox-a Cover] of June 13, 2005 issue of "Sports Illustrated". Retrieved on June 28, 2008.] and has been described as a "streetball legend" by the magazine "Jet".Melody Hoffman. " [http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-178080724.html AND1 baller joins fight against sexually transmitted diseases] ". "Jet". April 7, 2008. Retrieved on June 28, 2008.]

Off the basketball court, Jackson works as an advocate for STD prevention.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.and1.com/tour.php?tour_player_id=4 AND1 Profile]