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Former NBA player Josh Jackson accused of sexual assault

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Sports Editor

Updated16 Oct 2023

Former NBA player Josh Jackson accused of sexual assault

Ex-NBA player Josh Jackson has been accused of sexual assault in a civil case filed last month in the U.S. District Court. Attorney John Lauro — founder of Lauro Law Firm, now known as Lauro & Singer — is accepting the civil rape lawsuit case to defend the former NBA player.

Jackson hired the lawyer to represent him legally. John Lauro is also helming the criminal defense of former President Donald Trump. Lauro, a former federal prosecutor, runs a criminal defense firm with offices in New York and Florida. A spokesperson for Jackson’s talent agency, Wasserman, declined to comment on the allegations.

Josh Jackson, 26, is accused of sexually assaulting a woman in 2022 after they met at a Super Bowl LVI party in New York. No criminal charges from the alleged incident have manifested.


Daniel Libit of Sportico first reported the story. Jackson’s accuser, whose identity is concealed in court filings, claims that she initially attended the party because she was interested in dating NBA player Andre Drummond, who reportedly co-hosted the party. Drummond was not implicated in the woman’s allegations.

Rather than staying, she left with Jackson and agreed to meet up with him at his hotel in the early morning hours. The accuser trusted that Drummond would accompany her. However, he didn’t.

The plaintiff claims she was intoxicated upon arriving at Jackson’s room at the New York Edition Hotel in New York City. In the room, Jackson propositioned the accuser for sex, offering her $1,500 while bragging about his bank account with $12 million in it, per Libit.

John Lauro, former President Donald Trump’s attorney, is helming the defense side of the civil rape lawsuit case against ex-NBA player Josh Jackson

The woman said she rejected his request before falling asleep on the bed. At an unspecified time later, the plaintiff alleges that she was awakened by Jackson attempting to forcibly have sex with her and tried to fight him off, according to the lawsuit.

The accuser then “left the hotel room, purchased an emergency contraceptive from a pharmacy, and took a train home.” An undisclosed accomplice, who attended the Super Bowl party with Jackson, sent the plaintiff a threatening text message later that same day, accusing her of stealing Jackson’s watch.

Two “imposing, hoodie-clad female individuals” then broke into her apartment hours after the incident. The hoodie-clad physically assaulted and robbed her, searching for Jackson’s watch. They were later charged with larceny and criminal trespassing.

The plaintiff reported the rape two months after the incident to the New York City police. A redacted copy of the report was provided to Sportico by her attorney, Seamus Barrett.

Libit added that the description of the person named in the case document matches the “age and biographical details” of Jackson. Although, he was not named specifically. The NBA player was never arrested or charged with anything related to the allegations.

The 6-foot-8 guard/forward was selected fourth overall by the Phoenix Suns in the 2017 NBA Draft out of the University of Kansas. The California native was picked ahead of future All-Stars De’Aaron Fox, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell and Bam Adebayo.

Josh Jackson spent two seasons (2017-19) with Phoenix. He went on to play for the Memphis Grizzlies (2019-20 season) and Detroit Pistons (2020-22). Plus, he played for the Sacramento Kings in the 2021-22 season. In January, Jackson signed with the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G-League, but he was waived days later.

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