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- Jaren Jackson Jr. and the Memphis Grizzlies are embarking on a new journey</p>
<p>Rohan NadkarniAugust 13, 2025 at 6:05 PM</p>
<p>Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies before an NBA play-in tournament game in San Francisco on April 15. (Ezra Shaw / Getty Images file)</p>
<p>When Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. takes the floor this NBA season, he will be ditching the No. 13 he wore for the first seven years of his career, opting instead for No. 8.</p>
<p>While it may be a new look for Grizzlies fans, Jackson won't even be the first person with his name to play an NBA game with the No. 8 on his back. That honor belongs to his father, Jaren Jackson Sr., who wore the number with the Los Angeles Clippers during the 1992-93 season.</p>
<p>"It's super personal to me. It's super personal to my family," Jackson Jr. told NBC News about the switch. "I'm connected with 8 in a real way. It reaches into the territory of new beginnings. It's infinite. It's just a good place to draw energy from."</p>
<p>Jackson was riding an exercise bike — where he says he gets his best ideas — when he thought of changing his number. He made the announcement Friday shortly ahead of his eighth season, and he wants the new digit to represent what he calls a "fresh start" for both himself and Memphis.</p>
<p>Jaren Jackson Jr. in 2025; Jaren Jackson Sr. in 1993. (NBAE via Getty Images)</p>
<p>"Fresh start" is one way to describe the Grizzlies after a momentous offseason. "Hard pivot" is another.</p>
<p>In June, Memphis traded shooting guard Desmond Bane to the Orlando Magic in exchange for guards Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Cole Anthony, as well as four future first-round picks. The trade signaled the end of an era for the Grizzlies, as Bane, Jackson and point guard Ja Morant had formed a trio that was seen as the foundation for one of the up-and-coming contenders in the league.</p>
<p>Amid the retooling, Memphis emphasized its commitment to Jackson as part of its core, signing him to a five-year, $240 million extension in July. (Though it should be noted that Bane was traded after only one season into his own five-year deal.)</p>
<p>"I wasn't too much surprised," Jackson said of Bane's departure. "I mean, when your brothers leave, you are still going to hurt, just because you're a human being. But at the end of the day, it's a business. And we're grown."</p>
<p>Jackson added that his mindset after the trade was to take on a bigger leadership role and make sure the younger players on the team weren't surprised by the volatility of an NBA offseason.</p>
<p>"You're going to get closer to your prime, and things are going to change for you," he said. "I feel like this is a good starting point for a whole new journey of stuff. I'm approaching this year with that spearheaded, disciplined mindset of trying to get us to the promised land."</p>
<p>Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, forward Jaren Jackson Jr. and guard Desmond Bane during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors in Memphis, Tenn., on Dec. 19. (Petre Thomas / Imagn Images file)</p>
<p>The Grizzlies will certainly need Jackson to take a bigger role on and off the floor to return to the ascendant path they were on at the beginning of the decade.</p>
<p>In 2021, Memphis beat Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in the play-in tournament to make the playoffs as a surprise eighth seed. The next year, the Grizzlies pushed the Warriors to six games in the second round — but Morant missed the end of the series because of injury.</p>
<p>Then, after an injury-marred first-round loss in 2023, Memphis missed the playoffs entirely in 2024 — the season Morant was suspended for 25 games after he flashed a gun on social media.</p>
<p>The Grizzlies were swept in the first round this year by the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder — a young team that walked the path Memphis once seemed to be on itself.</p>
<p>"I don't think a goal would be to get back anywhere," Jackson said when he was asked how the Grizzlies can return to their previous track of success. "It's just to put one foot in front of the other and get better every day, because that's what we did before, to get to whatever you're talking about."</p>
<p>Jackson has identified areas of his game he wants to improve ahead of next season.</p>
<p>Jackson during a game against the Los Angeles Lakers in Memphis on March 29. (Grant Burke / NBAE via Getty Images file)</p>
<p>Though he is rehabbing from surgery to repair a turf toe injury on his right foot, Jackson trying to better his playmaking this summer, hoping to become a better facilitator as he anticipates more double teams in his future. He also wants to work on his endurance, so he can carry a bigger load offensively without sacrificing his defense.</p>
<p>While Jackson welcomes the pressure of his new situation, he ignores whatever outside noise comes with being a franchise pillar. (ESPN's Kendrick Perkins labeled him the "most overhyped" player in the league.)</p>
<p>Ultimately, Jackson believes, he's in the right place to lead a new version of this Memphis team.</p>
<p>"Whoever's in the locker room is in your foxhole, and that's where you're going to war with," he said. "What are your habits? What are your techniques? Are you willing to share? Are you willing to talk? Who are the leaders? It's simple, but it's not easy."</p>
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