{"id":274889,"date":"2025-04-25T07:29:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T07:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/25\/rickea-jackson-responds-to-social-media-buzz-over-james-pearce-jr-dating-speculation\/"},"modified":"2025-06-25T17:08:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T17:08:45","slug":"rickea-jackson-responds-to-social-media-buzz-over-james-pearce-jr-dating-speculation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/michigandigitalnews.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/25\/rickea-jackson-responds-to-social-media-buzz-over-james-pearce-jr-dating-speculation\/","title":{"rendered":"Rickea Jackson responds to social media buzz over James Pearce Jr. dating speculation"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> [ad_1]<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-content\" data-postid=\"4890876\" data-slug-id=\"2490649\">\n<div class=\"vidazoo-player-container\">\n<span class=\"vidazoo-close-btn  hidden \"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/cmc-predictor\/v2\/cross-icon.png?w=40\" width=\"20\" height=\"20\" alt=\"close\"\/><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Social media was buzzing after <strong>Rickea Jackson<\/strong> was seen with James Pearce Jr. at the 2025 NFL Draft. Pearce was drafted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/nfl\/atlanta-falcons\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Atlanta Falcons<\/a> with the No. 26 pick as his family celebrated in their home in Charlotte, North Carolina. Some fans noticed that he was sitting with Jackson, who broke her silence on the dating speculation.<\/p>\n<p>In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Jackson responded to all the buzz around her being with Pearce for one of the most important moments of his life. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/los-angeles-sparks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">LA Sparks<\/a> star nonchalantly and jokingly denied that it was her with the edge rusher prospect.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Soooo I have a doppelganger. Wow,&#8221; Jackson tweeted.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><template id=\"bets-today-poll\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"preview-card-holder bets-today-poll\">\n<p><span class=\"date\"\/> \u2022 <span class=\"time\"\/><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"march-madness-logo\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/march-madness-logo.png\" height=\"42\" width=\"99\" alt=\"march madness logo\"\/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p><template id=\"also-read-articles-template\"><\/p>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<p>According to the New York Post, there have been rumors before that linked Rickea Jackson to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/college-football\/james-pearce-jr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">James Pearce Jr.<\/a> It was the first time they were seen together in a public setting, possibly confirming their relationship. They follow each other on Instagram and both went to the University of Tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>Jackson transferred from Mississippi State to Tennessee in 2022, playing for the Volunteers for two seasons. She was selected fourth overall by the LA Sparks in last year&#8217;s WNBA Draft, averaging 13.4 points per game as a rookie. She was selected for the WNBA All-Rookie Team for her efforts.<\/p>\n<p>In the offseason, Jackson signed to play for Unrivaled and was drafted by Mist BC. However, they failed to make it to the single-elimination playoff tournament after finishing the regular season with a record of 5-9. They had the same record as Vinyl BC, but they lost the tiebreaker. <\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, Pearce spent three seasons at Tennessee before entering the 2025 NFL Draft. He was ranked the third-best edge rusher in the class behind Penn State&#8217;s Abdul Carter and Marshall&#8217;s Mike Carter, as per CBS Sports. <\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<h2>Rickea Jackson not looking forward to facing Seattle Storm rookie<\/h2>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"sk-app-thumbnail\" alt=\"Rickea Jackson not looking forward to facing Seattle Storm rookie. (Photo: IMAGN)\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" class=\"lazy-img\" width=\"8640\" height=\"5760\" data-img=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=190 190w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=720 720w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=640 640w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=1045 1045w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=1200 1200w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=1460 1460w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=1600 1600w, https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg 1920w\" alt=\"Rickea Jackson not looking forward to facing Seattle Storm rookie. (Photo: IMAGN)\" data-img-low=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/editor\/2025\/04\/24262161-1745564641.jpeg?w=640\" bad-src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,&lt;svg%20xmlns=%22http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg%22%20viewBox=%220%200%208640%205760%22&gt;&lt;\/svg&gt;\"\/><figcaption>Rickea Jackson not looking forward to facing Seattle Storm rookie. (Photo: IMAGN)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>LA Sparks star <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/basketball\/rickea-jackson\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-is-sponsored=\"false\">Rickea Jackson<\/a> has a good sense of humor, which is one of the reasons she has built a fanbase on social media. Just like many WNBA fans earlier this month, she tuned in to the 2025 draft that was headlined by Paige Bueckers.<\/p>\n<p>However, Jackson took notice of the No. 2 pick, Dominique Malonga of the Seattle Storm. Malonga is known for her height, footwork and athleticism, making dunks look easy, which is why Jackson doesn&#8217;t want to make history next season. <\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Lord please don\u2019t let me be the first WNBA player to get dunked on,&#8221; Jackson tweeted. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>The Sparks and Storm are set to face each other four times next season, so Jackson has four games to avoid getting posterized by Malonga. <\/p>\n<div class=\"article-post-rating-widget\">\n<p><template id=\"post-rating-feedback-modal-template\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-feedback-box\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-content\">\n<div class=\"post-rating-feedback-data\">\n<p>Why did you not like this content?<\/p>\n<p><textarea id=\"dislike-feedback-text\" rows=\"4\" placeholder=\"Please type your feedback...\"\/>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<button class=\"close\">Cancel<\/button><br \/>\n<button class=\"submit\">Submit<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/template><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-widget-parent hidden\">\n<div class=\"rating-parent-container\">\n<div class=\"rating-content-holder\">\n<p>Was this article helpful?<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-rating-action-container\">\n<div class=\"like-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-like-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"like\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"like selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"dislike-container\">\n<button class=\"post-rating-dislike-button post-rating-button\" data-action=\"dislike\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"post-dis-like-image post-rating-image\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/like-articles\/upvote-icon-grey.svg\" height=\"20\" width=\"20\" alt=\"avatar selected\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\nThank You for feedback\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"post-author-info-parent\">\n<span class=\"about-the-author\">About the author<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author-info-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-pic-holder\">\n<img decoding=\"async\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"author-pic\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,&lt;svg width=\" height=\"100\"\/><rect width=\"100\" height=\"100\" style=\"fill:rgb(128, 128, 128);\"\/>&#8221; data-lazy=&#8221;https:\/\/keedag.sportskeeda.com\/user-pic\/591451-1634031427-200.jpg?w=200&#8243;<br \/>\nalt=&#8221;Juan Paolo David&#8221; height=&#8221;72&#8243; width=&#8221;72&#8243;&gt;\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"author-bio-detail-holder\">\n<div class=\"author-bio\">\n<p class=\"author-bio\" id=\"author-bio-text\">\nJuan Paolo is a journalist for Sportskeeda who covers the NBA and WNBA. He&#8217;s been writing about basketball since 2015 and has been with Sportskeeda since 2021.<\/p>\n<p>Juan&#8217;s allegiance lies with the Golden State Warriors and his journey with the Warriors began with their memorable victory over the Lakers in 2000, and he experienced the successes of the &#8216;We Believe&#8217; era and the rise of Steph Curry.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>What Juan loves most about basketball is its ability to evoke a range of emotions, from adrenaline-fueled excitement to the highs of victory and the lows of defeat. To ensure complete accuracy in articles, he conducts thorough research before writing his articles.<\/p>\n<p>The Warriors&#8217; victories in the 2022 and 2017 championships hold a special place in Juan&#8217;s memories, as well as iconic moments like Baron Davis&#8217; dunk over Andrei Kirilenko and Goran Dragic&#8217;s performance in the 2010 Western Conference semifinals.<\/p>\n<p>Off the court, Juan enjoys watching football, TV and movies, caring for his numerous cats, and cooking whenever time permits.\n<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"author-know-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/author\/juan-paolo-david\" aria-label=\"Author know more\">Know More<br \/>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"tag-cloud\">\n<div class=\"tags-text\">\n<div class=\"scrollable-content-holder  article-padding\">\n<p class=\"article-p  \">Quick Links<\/p>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerLeft\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Left \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-left.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button><\/p>\n<nav id=\"pnProductNav\" class=\"pn-ProductNav\">\n<\/nav>\n<p><button id=\"pnAdvancerRight\" class=\"pn-Advancer pn-Advancer_Right \" type=\"button\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"background: none;\" src=\"https:\/\/staticg.sportskeeda.com\/skm\/assets\/article\/article-scroll-right.svg\"\/><br \/>\n<\/button>\n<\/div>\n<p>More from Sportskeeda<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n<span class=\"publisher-name\">Edited by Juan Paolo David<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>[ad_2]<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sportskeeda.com\/us\/wnba\/news-rickea-jackson-responds-social-media-buzz-james-pearce-jr-dating-speculation\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[ad_1] Social media was buzzing after Rickea Jackson was seen with James Pearce Jr. at the 2025 NFL Draft. 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