Triple Vision: Jaren Jackson Jr. wants more chaos, more contrast, less chill
One night during the summer of 2024, Memphis Grizzlies All-Star Jaren Jackson Jr. rode through the Florida Everglades in the back of a pickup. (Courtesy David Herrera)
‘Triple Vision,’ is a four-part behind-the-scenes look at Memphis Grizzlies star Jaren Jackson Jr.’s summer YouTube vlog series. In it, Jackson shares details about his growing passion for videography, its connection to basketball and the unique experiences he produces by pushing creative boundaries. The series began Monday and runs through Thursday.
Act 2, Scene 1 — Offseason beginnings
Sitting in an ice bath, Jaren Jackson Jr. is asked about regrets.
He doesn’t pause before firing back a pair of answers — both related to basketball — for the closing scene of the first video he created in the summer of 2024.
“Maybe not getting that block against LeBron (James) in Game 4 (in 2023),” Jackson said before a deep exhale. “I totally regret that. I should have jumped sooner.
“Missing that shot against Draymond (Green) in Game 5, two years ago, I think.
“We don’t regret much around here, it’s all learning. But if there’s anything that’s going to keep me up at night, it’s going to be the only thing I care about, which is basketball.”
The scene drew inspiration from “Life in Pink,” a documentary about rapper Machine Gun Kelly. It was both carefully calculated and raw, requiring the right moment and the right setting.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (13) during Game 6 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series, April 28, 2023, in Los Angeles. (Jae C. Hong/AP Photo file)
Jackson was still reeling from the Grizzlies’ disastrous season, wrecked by injuries. He was angry.
“There’s a part in (“Life in Pink”) where (Machine Gun Kelly) was coloring or drawing, and he’s not wearing a microphone,” said Jackson, talking about the video later. “He’s talking very low, so you can barely hear it. What he’s saying isn’t as important as what you perceive when watching it, which is that he’s upset. I related to that.”
In his own scene, Jackson chose to use the ice bath as a moment of distress, adding his twist to expressing extreme discontent.
“I was still thinking about (playoff failures), even though it was a year before that,” Jackson said of that moment. “Because, I mean, we weren’t in (the playoffs) last year, as badly as I wanted to be. We all saw it coming based on how it was trending.
“So, I’m still thinking about how if I blocked that shot (against James), everything could have been different. If I blocked that shot, we could have an entirely different locker room right now.”
The mood of the scene clashes against the backdrop — a warm and sunny day in Miami with palm trees surrounding the house.
Jaren Jackson Jr. (left) trained at the University of Miami practice gym during the summer of 2024. (Courtesy David Herrera)
Jackson did not go there for vacation but as a way of separation. He left immediately following exit interviews with the Grizzlies and did not take a break from basketball.
Getting out of Memphis was supposed to signify the start of a new season: the offseason. But it was also supposed to be a door to a livelier and more uncontrolled environment for the start of his video process.
Or so he thought.
He had to shake that funk first.
“It’s funny how it worked because I still didn’t really think we knew what we were doing from a filming perspective at the time,” Jackson said. “I wasn’t happy with it. We were just filming around Miami, going to do a few things. I was like, ‘Guys, this isn’t what we are down here for.’
“I wanted the videos to be grimier. I wanted stuff that was out there and different. I wanted to do new things. I didn’t want to be at the beach.”
It led to a four-minute tangent by the Grizzlies star off-camera about how much he hates vacation destinations and why going to South Florida may have initially been a mistake.
“For some weird reason, I don’t like beaches. I don’t like sand. I don’t like anything that looks relaxing,” Jackson said. “When I watch someone at the beach, I don’t connect with that. I don’t connect with the reasons people go because I feel like they go to procrastinate, relax, and celebrate. Unless I see you grind, I don’t know if I’m with that.”
Jackson instructed his video team to reflect the same vibe. More chaos. Less chill. Jackson tried to match his basketball and fashion persona, not someone escaping from the cold.
The day after delivering that message, the Grizzlies star was in the bed of a pickup truck wearing black face paint, headed deep into the snake- and alligator-infested Florida Everglades in the middle of the night.
“That was exactly what I was looking for, for sure,” Jackson said. “It was grimy, confusing, unknown and wet.”
Act 2, Scene 2 — Contrast
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Drew Hill
Drew Hill covers the Memphis Grizzlies and is a top-10 APSE winner. He has worked throughout the South writing about college athletics before landing in Memphis.
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