WNBA's Rickea Jackson Supports James Pearce Jr. During NFL Draft

WNBA star Rickea Jackson may be off the market after being spotted with Atlanta Falcons draft pick James Pearce Jr. at a watch party on Thursday ... but after her appearance made waves on social media, she elected to handle it all with some humor.

The chatter began after the Falcons traded up to pick the former Tennessee linebacker with the 26th selection of the first round ... when the broadcast went live to Pearce's viewing setup, which revealed the fellow ex-Volunteer was seated to his right and rubbing his leg.

Fans expressed their thoughts on the apparent hard launch on social media ... with some sharing their heartache after realizing the L.A. Sparks star might be unavailable.

One user wrote on X, "Fell to my knees when I saw Rickea Jackson sitting next to James Pearce Jr. on draft night 💔💔."

Rickea addressed it all on her own page ... saying, "Soooo I have a doppelganger. Wow."

Jackson and Pearce Jr.'s dating timeline is unknown, but it may have started when they were on campus as Tennessee students.

Jackson, 24, was the fourth overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft ... and was named to the All-Rookie team after averaging 13.4 points per game last season.

Pearce Jr. secured 19.5 sacks during his Volunteer career and was ranked third in the SEC for sacks in 2023. He was also the first UT defensive lineman to earn back-to-back first-team All-SEC honors.