Yahoo Sports Former WNBA 1st-round pick Tiffany Jackson dies at 37 after battle with breast cancer
WNBA veteran forward Tiffany Jackson died Monday night after a seven-year battle with breast cancer, the University of Texas announced. She was 37.
Jackson played four years at Texas where she became the only player in Longhorns women's basketball history with 1,000 points, 1,000 rebounds, 300 steals and 150 blocks. She was drafted No. 5 overall pick by the New York Liberty in 2007 and played three seasons there before she was traded to the Tulsa Shock in 2010.
Jackson was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer during her fourth full season with the Shock in 2015. By 2016, her cancer was in remission and she returned to professional basketball, this time in Israel. She returned to the WNBA in 2017 after signing with the Los Angeles Sparks and played one season before retiring in 2018.
She averaged 6.2 points per game and 4.5 rebounds per game in 225 career games.
After her playing days ended in 2018, Jackson became an assistant coach at Texas. She was named the head coach at Wiley College, an NAIA school in Marshall, Texas, this past April.
"We are deeply saddened to hear the news of the passing of Tiffany Jackson, one of the greatest players in the history of Texas women's basketball," Texas head coach Vic Schaefer said. "From her days as a player for DFW Elite to her days as a player at the University of Texas, Tiffany has meant so much to so many people in this great state of Texas. I know she was so excited to be the head coach at Wiley College for the upcoming season. She will be sorely missed by so many. Our deepest sympathies go out to her family."
