Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson has been inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame, joining some of Australia’s finest sporting stars.
The prestigious accolade recognises Jackson’s enormous contribution to the Australian basketball landscape as one of Australia’s all-time greats of the sport.
Jackson, who is currently the Head of Women in Basketball at Basketball Australia, is a four-time Olympian, having won three silver and one bronze medal. She became a World Championship winner in 2006, and received two bronze medals in 1998 and 2002. She also won gold at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.
She is perhaps one of Australia’s most recognised female sports stars, with her presence elevating the profile of women’s basketball in Australia.
At a domestic level, Jackson is five-time WNBL champion, and during her time in the US, she became a key figure in the WNBA, where she won two championships, three Most Valuable Player awards and is a seven-time WNBA All Star. In 2001, the Seattle Storm selected her as the overall number one draft pick in the WNBA.
At the London Olympic Games, she was given the honour of carrying the flag during the opening ceremony in recognition of being the highest point scorer in Olympic history for women’s basketball.
Congratulations to Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medallist @laurenej15 on being inducted into the @sportaushof 2020 class.
— Commonwealth Games Australia (@CommGamesAUS) December 5, 2020
Basketball made its @thecgf debut at the 2006 Games & the @basketballaus superstar powered the Opals to a dominant gold medal victory.#sahof2020 pic.twitter.com/QV9lkquSnR
Jackson, who became an inspiration for a generation of basketball players during her time in the game, has continued to influence basketball since her retirement from the game four years ago.
As Basketball Australia’s Head of Women’s Basketball, Jackson was one of the key instigators of the WNBL’s first ever collective bargaining agreement, helping to develop the framework that was signed off on in November. The agreement has established minimum professional standards for women basketball players in the Australian competition, with wage rises for rostered and development players over the next three years. It also includes improved health care standards for players, including private health insurance and physiotherapy.
In 2015, Jackson was awarded the Order of Australia for her services to basketball as both an athlete and as a mentor for women in sport. In 2018, she won the International Olympic Committee’s women in sport award for Oceania. Last year, she was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame, and is expected to be inducted into the US Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 as an international player.
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