Luke Jackson, an NBA champion with the 76ers, dies at 80

Former 76ers star Lucious “Luke” Jackson died Wednesday at a hospital in Houston because of heart problems, according to KFDM-TV in Beaumont, Texas. He was 80 years old.

Jackson, who played with the Sixers from 1964-72, won a NBA championship with the franchise during the 1966–67 season. He played with two-time champion and 13-time All-Star Wilt Chamberlain.

The 76ers marked his passing with a heartfelt statement on Thursday: “We send our deepest condolences to the family and friends of Lucious ‘Luke’ Jackson, who passed away at the age of 80. An NBA All-Star, Jackson spent his entire eight-season career with the 76ers, playing a key role on the 1967 title-winning team. He will be missed.”

Marva Jackson, Luke’s wife, recalled a story to KFDM-TV that “The Big Dipper” once referred to her husband of 57 years as one of the most powerful men he played with during his career.

“Luke Jackson was the second-strongest man I ever played with,” Chamberlain once said, as Marva stated. “I’m [Chamberlain] the first.”

Jackson’s rugged interior play coincided with four straight trips to the Eastern Division finals, including a 1967 triumph to snap Bill Russell and the Celtics’ run of eight straight championships. That Sixers team went on to beat the San Francisco Warriors for the championship, with Jackson tallying 13 points and 21 rebounds in the title-clinching Game 6.

Jackson’s opportunity to play for Philadelphia came after he helped the U.S. men’s basketball team earn an Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games in 1964, defeating the Soviet Union. From there, the Sixers pursued Jackson, drafting him No. 4 in the 1964 NBA draft.

During his eight-year NBA career, Jackson averaged 9.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 522 regular-season games. In the postseason, Jackson tallied 9.7 points and 9.1 rebounds in 56 games. His career numbers took a dip after he never fully recovered from a torn Achilles tendon.

Jackson’s highest totals in points and rebounds of his career came in his first season with the 76ers. He averaged 14.8 points and 12.9 rebounds and landed a spot on the league’s 1964–65 All-Rookie Team. During the 76ers’ championship season, Jackson averaged 12 points (third-highest of his career) and 8.9 rebounds while recording 11 points and 11.7 rebounds in the playoffs (highest postseason mark of his career).

The San Marcos, Texas, native played one season on scholarship at Texas Southern before transferring to Pan American College, which became University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Following his NBA career, Jackson served 25 years as Beaumont’s parks and recreation director before he retired. Marva said her husband was a “fun-loving person” and a “family man.”

Jackson is also survived by his three children, all of whom played collegiately. Daughters Nicole and Andrea played for the University of North Texas and Lucious III played basketball for Syracuse.