Clippers' Reggie Jackson on Overcoming His Mental Struggles: 'I Found Fun in the Game Again'

Two years before Reggie Jackson found success as the L.A. Clippers' starting point guard, he was struggling mentally and seriously considering retiring from the league.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, Jackson opens up about the mental and physical challenges that almost kept him from growing into the NBA team's most beloved player.

Before arriving in Los Angeles in January 2020, Jackson played five seasons in Detroit, where he says he "could feel the atmosphere" around the organization losing faith in him after a back injury sidelined him for multiple weeks.

"I knew my career was dwindling down," he says, explaining that it was taking his mental health with it. "I just wanted to finish my contract. I'm somebody that I wanna honor my word."

After parting ways with Detroit, his first months with the Clippers were spent "still finding myself and trying to regain my confidence and just regaining purpose in playing" he says.

Part of that purpose started to become clear for Jackson during the 2020 NBA Playoffs, played in a bubble, as he watched the country navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice movements. "Once we lost in the bubble, it was tough, it sucked, everything felt like we spiraled outta control, especially the way it felt like we were flowing and the pandemic, the stop for a while, then us going to the bubble, never really clicking."

He recalls feeling overwhelmed, which only pushed him further away from basketball. "Everything was going on. Social justice movements at the time and just everything's going on felt like we didn't fulfill something that we wanted to."

Jackson says once he "started being appreciative of being able to wake up" and "realizing I was going through something during the pandemic, but realizing I still was better off than somebody else" was eye-opening.

"Watching the news as all that happened, made me just become more aware and count my blessings more," he says, adding that it helped him gain perspective. "People didn't have basic necessities, the baby formula, we know how big that epidemic still is. Shoot, just what we were doing for natural resources and what you need for necessities at home and how people were hoarding them."

"I started counting a blessing each and every day and writing it down," says Jackson. "Then, it became about leaving the game better than what I found it," which for him, means appreciating every moment.

Jackson isn't an NBA All-Star, but over the last two seasons, he's become one of the NBA's most beloved role players. "I found the fun in the game again."

The growth in his confidence and personality are evident in all aspects of Jackson's game. He sports mismatched colored sneakers when he plays and one of his most viewed highlights begins with him skipping up the court before scoring the game-winning basket.

These days, Reggie says he plays with "a newfound joy and a new mission," and he credits teammate and longtime close friend Paul George with helping him embrace his uniqueness in the game.

George, 32, tells PEOPLE he and Jackson have "been through a lot together" during their 12-year friendship. "We've been tight. We've been close. So it's good that I can be in his ear, I can be in his corner, vice versa, just because we get each other."

In fact, it was a pep talk from George that Jackson says really inspired him to get back on the court.

"It was kind of just easy talk, like, 'You got a lot more left, and you're skilled, you're talented, you're one of the staples of this team. There's no way that you can just hang it up just that quick,' " George recalls.

"We both envisioned playing on the same team, and I thought the career at that point was short-lived."

Jackson also credits his older brother Travis for being there for him during that time. Their father was in the military, and moving from city to city gave the brothers a unique bond.

"Travis reminded me why I first loved the game," he recalls. "So once I got back to just being appreciative of the game, being appreciate of the gift of life, that's kind of where everything changed."

On Wednesday, Jackson led the Clippers in scoring, putting up 23 points against his former Detroit team.

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Looking back, he's proud of the change he's seen in himself as an athlete and a person. "I think now I'm confident in who I am mentally, physically, and definitely spiritually."

"Every night I touch the ball it's always about having fun like when I was a kid," says Jackson, who may have uncovered a secret to success.

"I figure the people who are having the most fun usually are successful."