Hackett was born in Forlimpopoli, (Forlì-Cesena), Italy. He is the son of Rudy Hackett, an American professional basketball player, who played in both the ABA and the NBA, and an Italian mother.[2] He grew up in Pesaro, Italy.
In 2012, he signed a two-year deal with the Italian team Montepaschi Siena.[5] In his first season with the team, he was named, both Italian League Finals and Italian Cup most valuable player. Also, in his first career EuroLeague season, he averaged 7.2 points, 3 assists, and 2.3 rebounds over 22 games. On December 24, 2013, he signed a three-year deal with EA7 Emporio Armani Milano.[6][7] On June 19, 2015, he parted ways with Milano.[8]
On July 15, 2015, Hackett signed a two-year contract with the Greek club Olympiacos.[9] With Olympiacos, he won the 2016 Greek League championship.
On July 5, 2017, Hackett signed a two-year contract with German club Brose Bamberg.[10]
CSKA Moscow (2018–2022)
After one season, he parted ways with Brose and signed with the Russian club CSKA Moscow on July 17, 2018.[11] On February 13, 2020, he signed a two-year contract extension with CSKA.[12] With CSKA, Hackett won the club's eighth EuroLeague title in 2019.
Hackett signed with Virtus Bologna of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A in 2022.[17] After having ousted Lietkabelis, Ulm and Valencia in the first three rounds of the playoffs, on 11 May 2022, Virtus defeated Frutti Extra Bursaspor by 80–67 at the Segafredo Arena, winning its first EuroCup and qualifying for the EuroLeague after 14 years.[18] However, despite having ended the regular season at the first place and having ousted 3–0 both Pesaro and Tortona in the first two rounds of playoffs, Virtus was defeated 4–2 in the national finals by Olimpia Milan.[19]
On 29 September 2022, after having ousted Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its third Supercup, defeating 72–69 Banco di Sardegna Sassari and achieving a back-to-back, following the 2021 trophy. However, Hackett did not play due to an injury.[20] However, despite good premises Virtus ended the EuroLeague season at the 14th place, thus it did not qualify for the playoffs.[21] Moreover, the team was defeated in the Italian Basketball Cup final by Brescia. In June, after having ousted 3–0 both Brindisi and Tortona, Virtus was defeated 4–3 by Olimpia Milan in the national finals, following a series which was widely regarded among the best in the latest years of Italian basketball.[22][23]
On 24 September 2023, after having ousted Olimpia Milano in the semifinals, Virtus won its fourth Supercup, and the third in a row, defeating 97–60 Germani Brescia.[24]
International career
Hackett played with the Italian junior national teams. With Italy's junior national team, he played at the 2007 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship, where he won a bronze medal. He averaged 9.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game at that tournament.[25]