Finished playing basketball, KU’s Darnell Jackson emerges as G League coach & author

After playing basketball four years at the University of Kansas, three years in the NBA and nine seasons overseas, 2008 NCAA champion Darnell Jackson has decided to pursue a career in coaching.

“My goal is to build one of the biggest dynasties the NBA has ever seen,” the soon-to-turn-38-year-old Jackson said of his future path.

Jackson — he said his “favorite coaches to watch in the NBA” are Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors and Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs — has landed a job as an assistant coach with the NBA G League’s Ontario (California) Clippers, a Paul Hewitt-coached team affiliated with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jackson, who says he’s also open to someday being a head coach in college or the G League en route to winning those multiple NBA championships, believes he has much to offer after a pro career that took him to NBA franchises in Cleveland, Milwaukee and Sacramento, as well as nine countries (Ukraine, China, Philippines, Turkey, Venezuela, Poland, France, Greece, Germany).

“I’m grateful to coach Hewitt for giving me the opportunity and trusting me with his culture and his system. What he brings to the table every day, giving me the opportunity to add a little to that, I’m thankful for that,” Jackson stated Friday in a phone interview with The Star.

During the 2022-23 season, he worked part time for the Ontario Clippers in on-court player development.

“If I continue learning and building the foundation of me, understanding the terminology, the rules, how to scout a player, how to develop a player, understanding the analytic knowledge of players on the court, then I can (emerge as a head coach),” Jackson said. “A lot goes into it. It’ll take me time.”

Patience will not be a problem. Jackson has proven to be patient in pursuing his goals.

Jackson has completed a book that he started writing in 2011 — not long after his mother Shawn died in April of 2010 back in Darnell’s hometown of Oklahoma City. Shawn had undergone numerous surgeries to repair serious injuries sustained in a car wreck. The wreck, caused by an impaired driver on a highway in Las Vegas, claimed the life of Jackson’s grandmother Evon in 2005.

Jackson’s book, entitled “Behind The Smile,” is available as an e-book at Amazon.com. It will be available in hardcover on Nov. 5. The book is a sometimes poignant, always direct take on the life of the 6-foot-9, 270-pound Jackson, who was a starter on KU’s 2008 NCAA title team.

“I now can call myself an author if you want to say that,” Jackson said with pride.

In the book, Jackson examines his relationship with his mom, a forgiving person who actually asked a judge in Vegas to consider a lesser sentence for the impaired driver who caused her so much pain physically as well as mentally following the loss of her own mother.

The driver received a 5-year sentence for causing the accident.

“The reason I wrote the book,” Jackson told The Star, “is just to give a lot of people insight of my life, what I went through as a kid, a teenager. A lot of people know what happened to me at Kansas (he writes about his KU days in the book) but not after Kansas. I wanted to share that. This is a way of me healing some scars I still had open a long time.

“I am excited about the book, kind of nervous, too. I did talk about a lot of people, even family members. I think it is powerful, truthful. It’ll affect some people in this generation to come. I want to help these people understand there is still a way to fight through things and not give up, by having the right people around you.”

Jackson had some trying times as a youth. He had little contact with his dad growing up and was raised by his beloved mom, whose death came at the age of 41, and his grandmom.

“This is a way of me healing and letting things go and trying to forgive myself for things I did,” Jackson said. “My life was like a roller coaster. There were mistakes. There was frustration. There were doubts. There was confusion. There was happiness … in starting out at the beginning and not knowing what was going to happen in the future, the unknown.

“That’s the scary part. You never know what will happen tomorrow, next week or a month from now. My main focus in everything I do now is for my kids (son Maceo and daughter Mila living with Darnell and wife Clarissa in California; oldest daughter Evonna lives in the Kansas City area). My main focus is building a foundation for them. That excites me, makes me happy. That’s my life, being with my children every day.”

Jackson said his main motivation in writing his book is “not for a money grab” but to help youths and adults who might be struggling. He has some advice to get them through hard times.

“I’ve always had the opportunity as a player to go back home to Oklahoma and talk to the Boys and Girls Club and high school kids. I’d tell them a little about my story, give them that guidance,” Jackson said. “We all need guidance. We all have to answer to life. I tell kids, ‘Put yourself under somebody that has already been through it. You can take bits and pieces from people in your life or parents and grandparents. When they are telling you something just soak it in.’

“When you are trying to figure it on your own, that’s when bad stuff happens, I always tell these young kids it takes just one negative emotional decision to ruin your life — one.”

The book, of course, also delves into Jackson’s basketball career.

He mentioned the fact LeBron James is the person who took him to his first rap concert. He discusses sleeping in the locker room at night in a practice facility in Cleveland in an attempt to put in extra work to further his career.

He also mentions a close relationship with KU coach Bill Self, who flew to Las Vegas to visit with Jackson’s mom and grandmom in the hospital right after the car accident took place, both women fighting for their lives.

“When coach Self called me and asked If wanted to come to Kansas I said, ‘Heck yeah,’’’ said Jackson, the No. 54-rated prospect in the recruiting class of 2004 (by Rivals.com) out of Midwest City (Oklahoma) High School.

Jackson actually decided to come to KU when “tagging along” on a recruiting trip of fellow OKC native J.R. Giddens to KU’s campus back in 2002.

“A lot of people back home didn’t believe I’d fit with Kansas, that I wasn’t going to be that blue collar guy. I feel that’s what gave me that motivation, to push to be that type player. Winning the championship was the ultimate goal not only for me and my teammates, but also coach Self and the entire staff,” Jackson added.

Jackson said practicing against KU’s fellow bigs every day his senior year helped his own development.

“Every day it was somebody different,” Jackson, who picked up the nickname “D-Block” during his KU career (2004-08) said. “One day it might be Sasha (Kaun), one day it might be Cole (Aldrich). Darrell Arthur brought it every day. He raised the bar for the bigs. He was so consistent. Without Darrell playing like he played Kansas doesn’t win a national championship.”

Of being a starter and key piece of an NCAA title team, Jackson said: “I remember coach T (Kurtis Townsend) walked up to me at practice one day (senior year). He said, ‘Hey do you want to start?’ I said, ‘I’m OK coming off the bench. Sasha is the starter.’ The only thing I was focused on was winning. It didn’t matter how we did it, just win the game.”

He said he has no regrets from retiring in 2020. It was time to move onto coaching and writing.

“I feel my legs would fall off if I (kept playing),” he said. “This generation … these guys are more athletic, more explosive, faster. I have the strength and can still shoot the ball a little bit. I love sitting back watching these guys play, giving my experience in the game to help these guys be successful on the court and off as well.”