Tiffany Jackson, a WNBA star and star player for the University of Texas women's basketball team, passed away from cancer on Monday at the age of 37, according to her alma university.
The 6'3 athlete had a stellar career, rising to prominence while playing for the University of Texas from 2003 to 2007, and made her WNBA debut as the No. 5 choice in the 2007 draft.
Basketball World Mourns WNBA Star Tiffany Jackson's Death
She served as an assistant coach at her alma institution for nine seasons before returning, according to a statement from UT announcing her passing. According to the school, Jackson was given a stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis in September 2015.
She returned to court in May 2016 after receiving treatment and learning that her cancer was in remission. She later announced her retirement in May 2018 and returned to coaching, first as an assistant with the Longhorns and then in April as the head coach at Wiley College.
Jackson was lauded as one of the finest players in Texas Women's Basketball history by Vic Schaefer, head coach of the University of Texas women's basketball team. Jackson was remembered by Herman J. Felton, Jr., president, and chief executive officer of Wiley College, as a wonderful light for our students and an amazing part of the Wiley College family, as per NBC News.
The WNBA's New York Liberty drafted Jackson. She has also played for the Los Angeles Sparks and the Tulsa Shock. Her best professional season came in 2011 when she scored 12.4 points and 8.4 rebounds for Tulsa.
After being diagnosed with cancer, Jackson was able to go back to the court and play another season with Los Angeles before retiring at the age of 32, according to New York Post.
Jackson's Battle Against Cancer
Jackson, a three-time all-American who played for the Longhorns from 2003 to 2007, was a part of the Texas team that went 30-5 and reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 2004. He was also selected ESPN's national freshman of the year that year.
In Texas women's basketball history, she is the only player to have at least 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals, and 150 blocks. The New York Liberty selected Jackson in the first round of the draft. She played with the franchise for three seasons before being traded to the Tulsa Shock in 2010.
When Jackson discovered a little tumor at the beginning of 2015, she was participating in the WNBA offseason competition in Israel. She visited a doctor when she got back to Dallas, but she decided against getting a mammogram because the WNBA season was about to start, as she subsequently admitted to ESPN.
When she spotted it shifting, she felt worried. Jackson, who was then married and the mother of a young son, underwent 16 chemotherapy sessions. She told ESPN in 2016 that her 3-year-old son doesn't really grasp what's going on.
Jackson clarified that his son is aware of the fact that he occasionally stays with his grandmother. The child would occasionally inquire as to the type of band-aid Jackson received from the physician. Jackson tried to raise awareness of the condition using her Stage 3 diagnosis.
"When you hear the phrase breast cancer, you automatically believe you know what it implies. You won't truly understand it, though, until it impacts you directly. Or it hits close to heart," Jackson said ESPN at the time, The Washington Post via MSN reported.
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