NBA player Josh Jackson, who was selected fourth in the 2017 NBA draft by the Phoenix Suns, has been accused of raping a woman in New York last year and orchestrating an apparent robbery attempt, according to a lawsuit filed by the woman, identified as Jane Doe. Jackson’s attorney, John Lauro, states that Jackson “emphatically denies” the allegations.
According to the lawsuit, the woman claims she met Jackson in New York on February 13, 2022, at an afterparty she was invited to by another player. After visiting two nightclubs, she went to Jackson’s hotel room at the New York Edition. The woman alleges that she was sexually assaulted by Jackson while she was sleeping and later woke up to threatening texts accusing her of stealing Jackson’s watch.
The woman also received messages from a different number claiming to know her address. Subsequently, two women, identified as sisters, broke into her apartment, with one of them appearing to be holding a gun. They threatened her with murder before being apprehended by doormen and arrested by the New York police.
This is not the first time Jackson has faced legal troubles. In 2017, he was charged with misdemeanor property damage for allegedly vandalizing the car of McKenzie Calvert, a Kansas University women’s basketball player. In 2019, he was arrested for resisting an officer at a musical festival in Florida and accused of using marijuana near his infant daughter in Maricopa County, Arizona.
Jackson last played in the NBA for the Detroit Pistons during the 2021-22 season. He signed with the Stockton Kings, the G-League affiliate of the Sacramento Kings, in January 2023 but was waived four days later. He is currently not signed with any NBA or G-League team.
Both the rape and armed robbery have been reported to the New York Police Department. The investigation is ongoing.
