Lauren Jackson, by far and away the greatest basketball play Australia has ever produced (and arguably the greatest sportsperson in Australian history) has been forced to immediately retire from the sport she describes as “the love of her life” due to mounting injuries.
The 34-year-old announced she’d be stepping away from professional basketball in a press conference at the AIS this morning, surrounded by her Opal teammates.
Prior to the announcement, Jackson hinted that her career was over in a post on Twitter.
Doctors recently informed Jackson that her body would not stand up to the rigours of an Olympic campaign with the Australian national team, and her retirement today rules her out of a 5th Olympic appearance at Rio in August.
Jackson is, by a long distance, Australia’s most decorated basketball star – and would figure heavily in any conversation about the greatest female basketballers of all time. Having helped the Opals to three Olympic silver medals and one bronze, Jackson dominated the professional circuit both home and abroad, winning the WNBA‘s league MVP award 3 times, securing 2 WNBA championships, 7 WNBA All-Star selections, and making the WNBA All-Decade side in 2006.
Back home, Jackson raked in 4 WNBL MVP trophies, along with two national titles for her much beloved Canberra Capitals.
Chronic knee issues are at the root of the decision, which cuts short a glittering career before Jackson could pursue her one final goal – an Olympic gold medal.
“It breaks my heart I’m not going to Rio, but I know the Opals will win.”
“This hurts right now. I’m not going out the way I want to, my career has been cut short.”
At her peak, Jackson was considered the best player in the world, and commanded contracts in excess of $1million, including a three-year third-party deal with the Capitals that remains the largest contract ever offered by an Australian basketball team.
An absolute icon of the sport, and one of the finest athletes in our nation’s history.
Cheers, Lauren. Here’s to a career the likes of which we’ve never seen before, and are unlikely to see again anytime soon.
Photo: Stefan Postles/Getty.
