Los Angeles Sparks star Ricket Jackson appeared to raise his eyebrows during the opening round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
The video, which spread throughout social media on Thursday night, appears to show the 24-year-old WNBA player sitting next to former Tennessee football star James Pierce Jr.
The moment NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell walked to the podium on the Green Bay draft stage and announced that the Atlanta Falcons had selected Pierce using the 26th pick, the camera switched to the Pass Rusher home in North Carolina.
Jackson smiled, wrapping his arms around Pierce, rubbing his legs as the footballer’s family and friends celebrated the special moment.
Rumors about the romance between Jackson and Pierce have been swirling for over a year. Both athletes attended the University of Tennessee.
Jackson eventually caught the wind of the viral video, took an X and issued a response to chat.
“I have a doppelganger, I’m amazing,” she said. I wrote it on x Late Friday night.
The post had elicited more than 1.7 million views as of Friday afternoon.
Jackson’s response was filled with some skepticism, but others noticed the humor in Sparks Star’s message.
Jackson’s NCAA basketball career began in Mississippi. She eventually transferred to Tennessee, where she rose to stardom for two seasons as a member of Lady Vol. Sparks drafted Jackson in the first round of 2024. She averaged 13.4 points per game during her rookie WNBA season.
The Falcons had the NFL’s second-lowest sack total last season. Pierce finished his final season with Tennessee with a 7½ bag.
However, the Falcons gave up a key draft to get Pierce back in the first round on Thursday night.
Atlanta sent the Los Angeles Rams in this year’s draft with a second round and a seventh pick and a first round selection for the team in 2026. In addition to the rights to the 26th overall pick, the Rams sent the third round pick this year to the Falcons.
