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Rickea Jackson's boyfriend, James Pearce Jr., dodged the question about facing his girlfriend in a 1v1 scenario as he revealed the LA Sparks star as his favorite athlete ever. On Thursday, ESPN's women's basketball Instagram handle, espnW, shared a video featuring a brief interview with the Atlanta Falcons rookie with Tori McElhaney.
In the video, McElhaney asked Pearce Jr. if he had ever played a one-on-one game against his girlfriend. The former Tennessee Volunteers' defensive end immediately deflected the question in his response.
"Let's not talk about that," he said.
Before this question, McElhaney had asked Jackson's boyfriend to name his favorite athlete growing up, regardless of the sport. In a loving gesture, the Falcons' rookie named his girlfriend in his answer and explained the things he likes about the LA Sparks star's game.
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"Rickea Jackson," He said.
"What do you like about her game?" McElhaney asked.
"Everything, fluid, smooth, sound, technical... yeah I like that," He replied.
Rickea Jackson and James Pearce Jr. both attended the University of Tennessee, and their relationship likely started in their time together in college. There were rumors of them dating early in the year, but the couple hard-launched their relationship at the 2025 NFL draft.
Rickea Jackson shows up for her boyfriend James Pearce Jr. to support him on his big day
After months of speculation surrounding her relationship status, LA Sparks star Rickea Jackson announced herself as a taken woman when she appeared at the NFL draft alongside her boyfriend James Pearce Jr.
On April 25, Pearce Jr. attended this year's NFL draft as one of the best prospects in the country. The Atlanta Falcons drafted him in the first round as the 26th pick. When the draft announcement was made, the Sparks' star was seen sitting beside the Falcons' rookie, who was celebrating getting drafted.
She wore a black one-piece dress and rubbed her boyfriend's thigh as he hugged some of his family members on the big day. After the video went viral, attracting attention from Jackson's fans, she joked about the incident and tweeted that the person in the video was her "doppelganger".
Rickea Jackson had a good rookie season in the WNBA, where she made regular starts for an injury-ridden Sparks roster. She played 40 games and averaged 28.8 minutes of game time. Her on-court performance was great as she averaged 13.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 assist per game in her rookie season.
