Jackson’s Aussie first
AS a young girl growing up in Albury with her Bill Russell autobiography in hand, Lauren Jackson dreamt of joining her hoops idols in basketball immortality.
In the early hours of Monday morning, Jackson achieved her dream when she became the first Australian player to be inducted into the prestigious Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Her status as Australia’s greatest player has been cemented as she joins hoops royalty like Russell, an 11-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in the exclusive group.
Jackson (pictured) hopes her hall of fame induction will inspire a generation of girls to follow their dreams.
“I feel like being the first (Australian) athlete and the first female, a lot of young girls will see that and think, ‘damn, I can I get there as well’,” said Jackson, now Basketball Australia’s Head of Women in Basketball.
“I’m just a girl from country NSW who worked hard to be the best I could be and if that inspires others to follow in my footsteps and chase their own goals and aspirations, then that’s the most enriching award I can receive.
“As a young athlete I dreamt of being in the Hall of Fame, and throughout my career I definitely felt like it was something in the back of my mind.
“This just highlights that it doesn’t matter where you are from, you can also achieve it, which I think is really special.”
Jackson fittingly found out about her hall of fame induction while playing mixed basketball in Albury late last Wednesday night.
“We’d just finished the game, my knees were hurting, my hips were hurting, and I was having a bit of a whinge,” she said. I then got a call from the hall of fame, which was really lovely, so I called my parents and gave my kids a cuddle.
“It has been a crazy ride and this sort of recognition really makes me reflect on the career and positive experiences that I’ve had.”
Jackson’s achievements include a seven-time WNBA All Star (2001-2003, 2005-2007, 2009) and three-time WNBA most valuable player (2003, 2007, 2010) with Seattle Storm.