From Australian country school girl to an international sporting superstar, Lauren Jackson tells her extraordinary story for the first time. Enjoy the interview with Lauren Jackson where Simon Lauder of ABC SOUTH EAST chats with Lauren covering her early years, her career and life after an international career.
Audio: Lauren Jackson interviewed by Simon Lauder Oct 8th 2018
'I've realised my dreams, been there for my teams, experienced so many highs and lows. The game of basketball, the game that has given me so much, is almost an analogy for my life. You take the hits, you get the ball, you score the buckets, you just play it to the best of your ability.' Recognised as one of the finest women basketballers of all time, Lauren Jackson has had to overcome many challenges, both professional and personal, with determination and strength. But along the way, she has always been grounded and supported by her family in Australia and her basketball community as she battled anxiety and the demands of sporting fame to find a place in the world where she felt comfortable and secure. Written with great honesty, Lauren details the missteps, set-backs, successes and controversies of a professional career that saw her representing her country and playing in the United States, Russia, Spain, Korea and China. But above all she reveals her compassion and intelligence. This is truly an inspiring story of a great Australian. Lauren was only fifteen years old when she made the Australian under-20 team and one year later, found herself playing for The Opals. Her statistics are extraordinary. She's represented Australia in four Olympics winning three silver medals, won a world championship and spent twelve seasons with the Seattle Storm where she was the first foreigner to be crowned Most Valuable Player. Since retiring in 2016 she has continued her involvement with the game as assistant general manager and board member of the Deakin Melbourne Boomers (source)
