If Bobby Jackson's storied Sacramento stay indeed ends this season, the final act couldn't be more fitting.

The most beloved of Kings exudes bravery in his return from injury, playing despite a fractured face that doctors would have fixed had he let them. Instead, he dons a protective purple mask and looks the part of hoops hero. "Purple Haze," as one fan suggests his comic book name should be, or perhaps "The Purple Protagonist."

That scene may unfold tonight at Arco Arena, where the veteran who broke his left cheekbone against Cleveland on March 13 is a game-time decision against Memphis.

"That shows a lot of heart," rookie forward Jason Thompson said. "It shows that he's not here to just pick up paychecks. Obviously we're not in the playoff picture, so he could've easily just said, 'I'm going to think about me and take care of myself and see what happens next year.' But he's not, and that shows he's a leader."

If Jackson hadn't scored one point or grabbed one rebound this season, his presence would have been worthwhile, if only because of sentiments such as Thompson's. And while so many of last summer's plans have not been executed to the Kings' liking, this one was.

Jackson, who spent from 2000 to 2005 in Sacramento and was traded back to the Kings from Houston in the Ron Artest deal in August, was intended to be a valuable veteran on a team full of impressionable youngsters. He would be an example of the model professional, the player who always has appreciated his lot in life and treats the job with respect.

That the 36-year-old has done so while showing he still can play is a bonus for Jackson, an unrestricted free agent this summer who wants to play two more seasons. Despite a season that remains on track to be the worst in franchise history, Jackson said he would consider returning.

With a recent addition to the family, he and his wife have five children and a home in Sacramento that he never sold through stops in Memphis, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Houston. The losing environment, however, has given him cause for pause when he thinks about coming back.

"(The season) has spoiled it, because you have expectations on how good you want to be, and then you're not reaching that," Jackson said. "It's a setback. It's not going to jar my decision at the end of the season. ... I'm going to have to sit down with my family and my agent and decide whatever scenario is best for me."

Meanwhile, Jackson is making it clear he will be himself no matter what's happening around him.

With the Kings in New York on March 20, Jackson's itinerary had him scheduled to be at UC Davis Medical Center for surgery on his cheekbone. But he had second thoughts before heading for the hospital.

"I was like, 'If I don't have to have another surgery, I'm not going to have one,' " said Jackson, who doesn't plan to have surgery after the season, either. "I've been put to sleep so many times.

"(Another factor was) if I did have surgery, it would cause some nerve damage. They said there was a slight chance, so when they said that ... I didn't even go to the hospital. I called the hospital and told them I was canceling surgery. I didn't feel like doing it."

Not that being held off the floor meant he wasn't having an impact. After the Kings fell behind by as many as 20 points early against Philadelphia on Sunday, Kings coach Kenny Natt said Jackson conveyed a message in the locker room at halftime.

"Even when he's not dressed for a game, it's his presence on the bench, talking to his teammates and getting (on) their behind," Natt said. "The other night, he came in and voiced his opinion about how we were playing at halftime. Those things are great to have. ... (And) now that he's got a mask on, it's like, 'Well, if he can play with a mask, then surely I can pick my game up.' That all comes into play."

As always has been the case, Jackson will come to play, too.

Read the Kings blog at www.sacbee.com/kingsblog.