Jackson reveals greatest achievement

Feature image via: jamesodphotography

Lauren Jackson revealed her return to basketball, ignited by her historic 2022 NBL1 season, is her greatest career achievement. 

Related: Australia's greatest returns to the NBL1

After retiring from basketball in 2016 with ongoing injuries, Jackson returned to basketball through the NBL1 East, and went on to win the conference MVP and her hometown club’s first state title. 

(Basketball NSW: Albuy-Wodonga Bandits championship team)

Her NBL1 success proved she was ready to rejoin the Opals and led them once again, claiming the bronze medal at the 2022 FIBA Women’s World Cup in Sydney. She then made her return to the WNBL with the Southside Flyers – then she tragically tore her Achilles in the middle of the season. 

Upon revisiting her surgeon to be cleared for the upcoming WNBL season, Jackson was reassured she was ready and healthy to wear the Bandits colours again. 

“I went and saw the surgeon to get cleared, two or three weeks ago for Southside,” she told 7News Border.

“And he looked at me and he’s like ‘I didn’t expect at your age, after the injuries you’ve had, that you’d be playing again or you’d even be back to this point’.” 

Jackson revealed that her comeback from the start of 2022 has been her greatest achievement in her career, not only representing her hometown but her country at the highest levels. 

“Someone asked me, ‘What’s the greatest thing in your career?’ and I said last year was. This whole comeback has been,” she said. 

“Because I’ve had to work so hard for it and commit to a process, which is very single day. Regardless of how I’m feeling, if I’m sick, if the kids are sick.” 

Jackson said that her biggest regret would be having the ability to play, but not suiting up and feeling like she wasted an opportunity down the track. 

“I’m not playing because I miss it, or I want to be doing it or creating some bigger legacy or something like that.

“I’m playing because I love being with my teammates and I know in 10 years' time if I look back and regret it, I’ll be very mad. So I’m not going to. 

With Jackson turning 43 next season, it will be interesting to see how much Australia’s greatest will actually play. But with retirement looming for a second time, Jackson has no idea when she’ll finally hang up her shoes for good. 

“I know there’s not long left, I know that much,” she said.

“How long? How long is a piece of rope? I don’t know.”

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