- First, I want to do a shot with the money all on my lap.
[upbeat trumpet hip-hop music]
What's up everybody?
This is Jaren Jackson Jr.,
and this is how I spent and saved my first million dollars
[hip-hop music continues]
Falling in love in basketball was really kind of
an easy thing to do in my household.
It just was always around.
My dad played professionally for many years.
And he won a ring with the Spurs in 99',
the same year I was born.
Lived in Maryland my early life.
And then in Indiana. I was there mostly through high school.
That's kind of what,
like really made me basketball-wise I think.
I was blessed to get recruited by like
every school in the country.
Obviously I picked Michigan State,
but that was just because they kept it real with me.
I remember like if we had a bad game,
all the schools would call me and be like,
"Oh my God like you play so well. Like you're you're it."
Like all that stuff,
but Izzo and Michigan State would call me
and they'd be like, "Yo, what are you doing?
Like you're literally messing up. Like are you good?"
Like I used to hate that. And then I thought to myself
like they obviously want me to be great.
Like they're keeping it real.
- I was more thinking about coming back
from my second year. I went into is Izzo's office
and I was like, "Yo, I'm trying to stay.
Like lets run it back. Ah, you know, my guy."
And he basically laughed at me
and he was just like, "What are you doing?
Like, you know, get outta here man. Like, I don't know."
And then he drove me to class.
He was like,
"Yup, this is kind of symbolizing you moving on.
And I was like, man.
When I got drafted I just remember
being able to see the amount I was gonna make
kind of hit hard. Probably a little harder
than I thought it was gonna hit.
Here are the details of my rookie contract
with the Grizzlies.
[hip-hop music]
And then I remember my dad coming up to me and being like
I just made more than he made on one night basically.
That all happened when I was like 18.
So it is just hard to comprehend all that.
Because you're just growing up.
You're just flowing through it. You're a kid you don't know.
But once you know put your pen on paper,
sign something, go for it. Like once, once that happens,
like get your big boy pants on.
Like it's the show. It's time.
Like I don't even think it still has really hit me you know.
First of all, I want to say this is like,
this is like damn near therapy for me.
You don't get to reminisce about all these moments,
which is really crazy.
Like I probably take some time,
but even since I was drafted,
I've just been on the go.
All right now you guys know how I made
my first million dollars.
This is how I spent my first million dollars.
[hip-hop music]
You know when you get a lot of money,
make sure you invest it.
Put it into a fund. Get people around you trust to help you,
and give you advice with your money.
For me basketball, isn't going to be forever.
You're gonna wanna make sure you have money for your kids,
future kids, whoever.
It's just the responsible thing to do.
I just wanna get that out the way.
And it seems boring. It's not boring.
[hip-hop music]
After I invested my money,
the first thing I spent money on was probably my watch.
I got a gold Rolex, which was around
50K, and I want to say,
a bunch of other jewelry
for about 100K.
The gold Rolex, I just wanted to have a nice piece on me
that I could just wear with anything. It was clean.
It wasn't too in your face.
But you know, I also hang around my friends
and at the time we're like 19 still,
so we're just hype on everything.
That's when you get like ice, like bling.
Stuff that's like bust down flooded.
And that's kind of where 100 bands goes into.
[hip-hop music]
I had an apartment that was around 50.
You know in Memphis, cost of living isn't very high.
The funny thing is I didn't have a car,
because I didn't have a license yet.
Because I was just chilling.
I was Ubering in some games, weirdly enough.
I had to stop doing that cause it got weird.
I have some of the interns come pick me up for the games,
because I couldn't Uber no more.
Yeah. And I was, thank God for them. Shout out them.
They deserve some of this money too.
I should give them some.
[hip-hop music]
Another thing that's really important to me is music.
I've been free-styling since I was,
I don't know middle school school.
So it's like you know,
lunch table with your homies, at the crib, wherever.
I got into recording probably my first year in the league.
But I was like, man, I really wanna record at the crib.
So I was just like, let's do it.
Then we bought all the studio equipment at once,
which was crazy.
That plus all the studio time I spent
was probably 50 as well.
I make it mandatory. The guys come through and make songs.
There's some songs that people have that
have been made in my studio.
You may never hear them, but they exist for sure.
And they're nice. Believe me.
[hip-hop music]
Well eventually I had to get a license.
And when I got a license, I wanted to get a car
that I definitely wanted for a while.
And I got a Range Rover. Range Rover Sport,
and it was black and it was around 100,
and I have red brakes on him black wheels, black car, tint.
Can't see me. And the interior is peanut butter.
I call my car PBR. It's kind of like my little PBR car.
Just a little thing for you.
[hip-hop music]
In the summertime, I was still homesick from Michigan State.
You know how Freshman years are,
it's lit everything's hype and then I'm just poof gone.
So I really wanted to go back a lot and visit
and see my friends and I was going on vacations
and I was taking my homies on vacations.
You know, take the gang. I'll go crazy.
Definitely spent a lot on traveling,
and going to like the beach or going wherever, you know?
And that was around 80 for vacations.
You know, you wanna remember those things forever.
Because when you're hanging out like that,
it's just, it's priceless.
[hip-hop music]
I think this just goes without saying
clothes mean the world to me.
It's never really about what you wear. It's how you feel.
But you express how you feel, what you wear.
If people don't like what they have on, I can tell,
cause I love what I have on sometimes.
And I feel like that guy, and then your whole day,
you feel like that guy, and you go to sleep
you feel like that guy.
And I spent about 300 and that includes clothes.
That includes working with my stylist.
You gotta understand. I'm huge. You know,
Seven feet tall, probably still growing.
I think I grew last week.
You know, I can tell when I grow my back starts
to hurt, all that type of stuff and you need new clothes.
You gotta revamp the closet, get jeans.
You gotta get stuff like, you know.
That's why I have a stylist to help me get clothes.
Like I don't also have time. What am I gonna go to the mall?
And, and what? Find a shirt? No.
My coats have ears.
So at the end of the day, I need to get them somehow.
[hip-hop music]
Huge, huge 70 right there.
It's probably the best 70 K I spent.
70 on my gang. My people, my family, my friends.
Anybody I care about.
Being grateful, paying back for love given
throughout my whole life.
When you make it, you make way for everybody else.
You want to bring everybody else with you.
I'm generous. I definitely take care of my own.
And I take care of people who have always loved me,
and cared about me and people who I love.
I feel really good about how I spent this.
If I wanted to change anything, I wouldn't. Being honest.
I love how I did it, because I was smart up front.
I got things that were like kind of bucket list things.
I got things that I really care about.
I took care of my people.
If I was alone, who knows what I would've done.
Get people around you that you trust.
Good people around you give you good advice.
And don't think it's easy either.
Don't think like, you know, it's not easy.
It's not supposed to be.
Yup. It's trip.
You've seen how I spent my first million dollars.
That's all for me.
I'm sure I'll see you again.
GQ