11 May 2016

Cedric Jackson heading to Melbourne

6:05 am on 11 May 2016

The former Breakers basketballer Cedric Jackson has signed to play for Melbourne United for the next ANBL season.

Jackson had two stints with the Breakers and won helped them win the championship three times.

Cedric Jackson celebrates the Breakers' win over Melbourne United, Vector Arena, Auckland, 20 February 2016. Photo: Anthony Au-Yeung / www.photosport.nz

Cedric Jackson celebrates the Breakers' win Photo: Photosport

Jackson said Melbourne Head Coach Dean Demopoulos was a key factor in his decision making.

"Coach Dean was the reason I wanted to sign with Melbourne. We had a quick conversation after the first round of the play offs and I picked his brain a little bit.

"We then caught up again during the off-season in the US and we had a good conversation. He had a good vibe about him as a person and coach.

"With both of us sharing prior NBA experience I think he has what it takes to relate and elevate my game as a player."

The Breakers had earlier said they were not going to get involved in a bidding war to keep Jackson.

Jackson holds the unique record of having played four seasons in the NBL and won a championship on three out of the four occasions while also having played in a Grand Final Series every year.

He was awarded the Andrew Gaze trophy for the Most Valuable player in 2012-13 and was the Grand Final Series MVP in 2014/15.

He is the only player in NBL history to lead the league in assists in his first four seasons in the League - topping the NBL ladder in 2015/16 at 6.3 per game. He is also the only current NBL player to have had a triple double, and he has had five in his NBL career.