Lauren Elizabeth Jackson is a sensational Aussie basketball player born on 11^th May 1981 in Albury, Australia. There are a few players in basketball whose impact transcends the boundaries of the sport. One such big name is Lauren Jackson who is an inspiration for young basketball players across the globe. The star player has an indelible mark on Women’s basketball in general and Australian basketball in particular. She has been a dominant and chirpy player on the court. Being a child of basketball-playing parents, she was destined to make a big name for herself to add to the glory of her family. In Australia, she is described as the best player that has ever stepped on the basketball court.

Early Life & Career

Lauren Jackson is the daughter of  Gary Jackson and Maree Bennie. Both Gary and Maree have been professional basketball players. Gary and Maree represented the Boomers and The Opals respectively. The couple has a daughter Lauren Jackson and a son Ross Jackson. Lauren is older than Ross.

The game was already in her blood but her mother, Maree Bennioe, started coaching her at the court in her home’s backyard when she was only six. Lauren played at the Albury Sports Center.

Lauren Jackson grew up in Albury and attended Murray High School. In 1996 she was offered a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sports but she denied it. Because her parents wanted her to stay at Albury.

In 1997 again, she was awarded a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sports which she accepted. The same year she earned a Higher School Certificate in Canberra. She was Captain of the AIS team that won the Women’s National League tournament. Her skills were honed at the Australian Institute of Sports. She participated in various tournaments at a very young age.

• Playing In Under-14 Tournaments

Lauren would tell her peers that one day she will represent Opals. Her mother coached her for Two years. At the young age of six years, she represented a local club in an under-10 tournament. At 11 she participated in Under-14 Australian Country Championship.

She had an absolute resolute. When she had an injury playing in the under-14 tournament, her parents told her not to play if she doesn’t want. In response she sat at her computer and wrote “From this day on, nothing will stand in my way”.

• Participation In The Under-20 National Championship

At the age of 14, she helped her team New South Wales win the national championship. In the tournament, her skills caught the attention of the national selector Tom Maher. He said describing Lauren that “Is this the best thing I have ever seen?”

In the 1999 Australian under-20 national championship she won the Bob Staunton Award which is the Most Valuable Player award of the tournament.

• A Star In The Making

Lauren Jackson had taken the sports circles by storm with her performances. She burst onto the national level when she played for the team of AIS. Given her remarkable display of skills and towering height, she was called to the Australian Women’s National Basketball team at the age of 16.

Lauren Jackson Playing For Australian Women’s National Basketball Team

She got a call up to the national side at the age of 16 owing to her extraordinary skills. The national coach Tom Maher was all praise for Lauren’s skills.

She was part of the 1997 Silver medal-winning Australian Junior Women’s team at the World Championship in Brazil. She averaged 14.3 points per game.

In 1998 she made her impact felt at the World Championship in Germany. She was the youngest team member. Opals was the Bronze medalist of the tournament.

She played a staggering role in the 2002 World Championship in China. With an average of 23.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, she won a Silver medal for her team.

She was Co-captain of the Opal that won the 2006 Commonwealth Games- and Captain of the team in the 2006 World Championship in Brazil. Her average in the tournament was 21.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

In 2010 the Opals played at the World Championship in the Czech Republic. Lauren Jackson performed with 13.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

Lauren Jackson’s Performance In The Olympics

Jackson was part of the 2000 Summer Olympics national basketball side. She helped her team win a Silver medal. In the Gold medal match, she scored 24 points and had 13 rebounds. Overall she averaged 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds a game.

In the 2004 Summer Olympics, her team got the Silver medal after losing to the United States in the final. Her average in the Olympics was 22.9 points and 10.0 rebounds per game.

In the 2008 Summer Olympics, her team won a Silver medal. Her average per game was 17.3 points and 8.6 rebounds.

She was the Australian Flag bearer in the 2012 Summer Olympics game but she didn’t get to showcase her talent much due to an injury.

Professional Career of Lauren Jackson In The WNBL

In 1999, Canberra Capital signed Lauren Jackson when she was 18. She played for the Capitals until 2006. She helped her team win four WNBL titles. The prodigy continued playing for the Capitals on and off, from 2010 to 2016 during the off-season of the WNBA.

She won the Rookie of the Year award for the WNBL season 1998-1999. In 2001-2002 she received the MVP award of the season which marked the beginning of a streak of individual honors. She received the MVP award for two subsequent seasons making it three in a row.

Overall, she played 64 games for the Canberra Capitals with an impressive average of scoring 21.9 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. Her contribution to the team was exceptional.

Lauren Jackson’s Career In The WNBA

Lauren’s long career in the WNBA is exceptional. She displayed excellence, dominance, and immense skills. Her impact on the WNBA is massive.

In WNBA, she played for Seattle Storm. She helped her team win the WNBA title in 2004 and 2010. Overall, she played 317 games in her WNBA career with an incredible average of 18.9 points per game. Besides, she averaged 2.0 blocks, 1.8 assists, and 7.7 rebounds each game.

Her accolades in the WNBA are a testament to her talent and impact on the game. She has been awarded WNBA’s most valuable player three times in 2003, 2007, and 2010 respectively which shows her value to the team and tournament. In 2003,2004,2005,2006 and 2010 she has been named to the All-WNBA team. In 2007, her skills as a defensive player were impeccable which helped her team win the championship. The same year she was given the defensive player of the year award.

Lauren Jackson Playing In The Foreign Basketball Leagues

• Korean Women’s Basketball League

Lauren Jackson played for Samsung Bichumi in the South Korean Women’s Basketball League. Although she played for Four months, her stats were staggering. She scored 32.0 points per game. Her career-best score, 56, came in the league against Kumho Redwings. She was the Most Valuable Player in the All-Star game of the league.

• Jackson Playing For WBC Spartak Moscow Region, Russia

In 2007, she signed a lucrative deal with Spartak Russia. The pay was four times more than her WNBA pay. Her teammates included international players like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Tina Thompson. Lauren Jackson helped her team win the Russian Super League in 2007,2008, and 2009.

Her best performance in the 2008 Euro-league Women was in April 2008 against UMMC Ekaterinburg. She scored 35 points in the game. The same year her team won the tournament with Jackson playing a pivotal role.

In the 2010-11 season, she played for Spartak with an average of 17.3 points, and 8.4 rebounds per game but an injury cut short her season with the team.

• Lauren Playing For Ros Casares Valencia Spain

Lauren played for Ros Casares Valencia in 2011-12. She was ranked 16^th in three-point shooting percentage and 17^th for three-point field goals per game. She scored 16 points against Sparta. She averaged 8.0 points and 2.9 rebounds per game.

• Jackson Playing In China

She signed a deal with Heilongjiang Shenda Club China in September 2013. During a short stint with the club, she averaged 22.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game. She suffered knee injuries which shorten her stay in China. Her knee injury would worsen in the coming time.

Lauren Jackson’s Struggle with Injuries

She has a formidable career as a player. But injuries created a lot of difficulties for her. A series of injuries led to several surgeries on her feet and prolonged rehab periods. But still, she was brave enough to weather the challenges.

In 2008 she suffered an ankle injury. Lauren had two fractures in her back in 2009. She pulled her muscle in 2010 while playing on the court which worsened to hip and Achilles injury. She had surgeries done between January 2011 and February 2012 to recover from hip and Achilles injuries.

She kept playing for the Canberra Capitals despite injuries. But she didn’t give much to the wounds after rehabilitation periods. She signed a 2-year contract with the Capitals from 2014 to 2016.

Lauren Jackson Retirement

After sustaining a few more injuries and an enhanced rehab period she felt like the injuries have taken a toll on her body. In a press conference at the Australian Institute of Sports surrounded by her Opal teammates, she drew curtains on her illustrious career. She said that she wanted to compete for a Gold medal in the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics but unfortunately, her health won’t allow her to continue.

Involvement In Basketball Administration

After retirement, Lauren expressed interest in working as a basketball administrator. She was interested in the political side of the game.

She heads the Women’s Division of Basketball Alliance, a trade union formed for basketball to cater to the needs of women players. One of the main goals of her struggles is to get tertiary education for the players.

In 2016 Jackson joined the ownership group of Melbourne Boomers. She was named the Commercial Operation executive of the team. She was also on the commentary panel of Channel Seven for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Lauren Jackson Charity Work

Apart from sports heroics, Lauren Jackson is paying back to the community that has given her so much. She has worked for Children’s health, education, and gender equality. She has worked with UNICEF to raise awareness about children’s diseases all over the globe. She has also been involved in fundraising for cancer research.

She worked for the women victims of domestic violence and collected charity for their rehabilitation. She also did charitable work for underprivileged children to get them involved in sports.

Lauren Jackson Coming Out Of Retirement In 2022

In April 2022 in a pleasantly shocking surprise, Lauren announced that she is returning to the court. At the age of 40, she signed up to play for Albury Wodonga Bandits in NBL1 East.

In August 2022 she was announced in the Opals squad for the 2022 FIBA World Cup. She played a formidable role in her team’s victory scoring 30 points and 7 rebounds to win against Canada in a bronze medal match.

She signed a deal with Southside Flyers for the 2022-23 WNBL season. In a match against Sydney Flames, witnessed by more than Five thousand spectators coming to see the return of Aussie GOAT; she sustained an Achilles injury to the disappointment of the crowd and was ruled out for the rest of the season.

READ THE IMPACT OF AUSSIES PLAYERS IN THE LATEST SEASON OF WNBA

Personal Life of Lauren Jackson

Lauren Jackson got married to Australian Journalist Paul Bryne in 2014. They have two children Harrison and Lenny.

Autobiography of Lauren Jackson

In 2018 she wrote her autobiography titled “A Life In Basketball And Beyond”

The Honours of Lauren Jackson

• Australian International Player of the Year in 1999, 2000, and 2002.

• In 2005 inducted into the Australian Institute of Sport ‘Best of Best’

• The Albury Sports Stadium was renamed Lauren Jackson Sports Center in 2011.

• The flag bearer of the Australian National Flag at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

• Appointed as Officer of The Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.

• In 2020, Jackson was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall Of Fame.

• Inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2020.

• Inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

• The first inductee into the University of Canberra Sports Walk of Fame in 2022.

Conclusion

Lauren Jackson is excellence personified in basketball. Her extraordinary skills, unparalleled achievements, and dedication to the game have rendered her the GOAT of the game. She has taken basketball to another level. Her name will be synonymous with basketball in the annals of history.

Read Lauren Jacksons last accomplishment as an Australian Opal during the FIBA World Cup