Former Jackson State standout is the first Athletes Unlimited player from an HBCU

Former Jackson State University forward Angel Jackson is making history as the first player from a historically Black college or university to compete in Athletes Unlimited (AU), the professional women’s basketball league.

Jackson, who was picked 36th overall by the Las Vegas Aces in the 2024 WNBA draft, was the second player in two decades to be drafted into the league from an HBCU. However, she was one of the Aces’ final roster cuts in May 2024 and didn’t play a regular-season game.

When Rebecca Harris, a member of the Athletes Unlimited basketball player executive committee, reached out to Jackson about the chance to play in the league, Jackson readily jumped at the opportunity to continue her professional career.

“I’ve been keeping up with AU for the past couple of years. I’ve been seeing the best of the best compete at AU, so it’s been a great experience just to know that I‘m going to be a part of it this year,” Jackson said. “I’m really ready to get after it and really just [show] my talents a little bit more.”

Athletes Unlimited, which is in its fourth season, is a 5-on-5 league that divides 40 players weekly into four teams. The four-week league, which began play on Feb. 5, will feature a total of 24 games in Nashville, Tennessee. In honor of Black History Month and Jackson’s historic signing, AU also will host an HBCU Night on Feb. 20.

Players earn points both for team wins and individual performances, and the players with the most points at the end of each week get to serve as team captains for the following week and pick their teams.

During Week 1, Jackson played for Team Bell, which also included two-time WNBA champion and team captain Kierstan Bell, Odyssey Sims, Jordan Horston, McKenzie Forbes, Asia Taylor, Christyn Williams, Dyaisha Fair, Desi-Rae Young and Jude Schimmel.

Former Jackson State head coach Tomekia Reed, who is currently the women’s head basketball coach at Charlotte, said she knew her former player had pro-level talent when she came to play at Jackson State after transferring from USC.

“When she told me that she had made this team, I was really happy for her because this is a team that’s here in the United States, and she’ll still get good exposure playing with other WNBA players and still keep making a name for herself,” Reed said.

Reed said Jackson’s combination of height, 6-foot-5, and athleticism will help her stand out in Athletes Unlimited.

“What makes Angel so special is she’s big. … She can run the floor, she can play with her back to the basket,” Reed said. “But the special part is she can shoot the outside shot. She’s got a game away from the rim, and that’s not something you see every day in her height and her position.”

Jackson is looking forward to playing in Athletes Unlimited with former USC teammate Alissa Pili and Fair, whom she built a close relationship with last year in the Aces’ training camp.

Jackson spent some time overseas in Italy before signing with the U.S.-based league. Playing in Italy wasn’t the easiest transition for her, so having women’s pro basketball leagues in the United States such as Athletes Unlimited and Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 league that is in its inaugural season, is important to athletic development.

“You have athletes who really struggle going somewhere far for the first time. So I think having AU and having an in-country league really is important for people just to get familiar, just for playing pro ball,” Jackson said. “It helps you kind of just translate your game because you know what you’re going to face up against. You know that they’re not going to let it up on you, and it’s going to be preparing you just to face that high competition every day.”

Since returning home from Italy last fall, Jackson has been in the gym working on her ball handling and developing a three-point shot. She knows scoring is important for a point-based league such as Athletes Unlimited, but she wants to show off all elements of her game.

Jackson said playing in AU gives her the opportunity to complete her rookie season and shows that there are talented, pro-level players at historically Black colleges and universities.

“I want more HBCU players to be drafted because we really have some real dogs in HBCU conferences,” she said. “So hopefully I could be one that just shines the light [and] just puts the light back on HBCUs, not just for Jackson State but other HBCUs … making sure that everybody has the same opportunity.”

Jackson said she hopes her play ultimately increases her name recognition.

“Hopefully, I’ll earn another training camp contract,” she said. “I’m becoming more of a dynamic pro player. I’m ready to really just let people know what I can bring to the table and how I can translate just coming from HBCU.”