Rickea Jackson and James Pearce Were the NFL Draft’s Surprise Couple
Los Angeles Sparks star Rickea Jackson and new Atlanta Falcons rookie James Pearce appeared to hard-launch their relationship on NFL Draft night.
Pearce, 21, went to the Falcons with the 26th overall pick in the draft, the first round of which played out Thursday, April 24.
When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement, ESPN’s cameras cut to Pearce’s draft party. Pearce took plenty of hugs and congratulations from friends and family sitting around him, including from Jackson, 24, who was seated by his side and clad in a black dress.
Pearce attended the University of Tennessee with Jackson, who played the last two years of her college career with the Vols after starting at Mississippi State.
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As social media lit up with WNBA fans reacting to Jackson’s NFL Draft cameo, the second-year Spark took to X to have some fun with them.
“Soooo I have a doppelganger. Wow,” she posted late Thursday night.
Meanwhile, the fans watching from home couldn’t get enough.
“Look at Rickea,” wrote one fan via X. “This why James BEEN the man lowkey lol.”
“Go ahead and trade Rickea to the Atlanta Dream too,” said another, referring to the WNBA team.
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As another fan pointed out, the Falcons acquired their pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. If the Rams had hung onto their pick and used it on Pearce, he would be able to play in the same city as his apparent girlfriend.
A potential romance between Jackson and Pearce has been rumored for over a year, dating back to their shared college days. Pearce was there when the Sparks drafted Jackson at the 2024 WNBA Draft and even shared video of her selection that night via his Instagram Story.
Jackson and Pearce aren’t the only WNBA-NFL couple. New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu is married to center Hroniss Grasu, who played for six different NFL teams in his career. They both attended the University of Oregon and share a Romanian background.
Jackson’s new teammate, Kelsey Plum, joined the Sparks this offseason and was married to Darren Waller, a former member of the New York Giants from 2023 to 2024. Meanwhile, Washington Mystics rookie Sonia Citron is in a relationship with a fellow Notre Dame alum, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau.
Looking ahead, the Sparks make only one trip to Atlanta to face the Dream, but it’s for two games. We’ll see whether Pearce shows up to either contest on September 3 or 5.
