Lauren Jackson

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these template messages) This article may be in need of reorganization to comply with Wikipedia's layout guidelines. Please help by editing the article to make improvements to the overall structure. (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. Consider splitting content into sub-articles, condensing it, or adding subheadings. Please discuss this issue on the article's talk page. (March 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Lauren Jackson

Jackson in 2012 following the London Olympics
No. 15 – Albury Wodonga Bandits
Position	Power forward / center
League	NBL1 East
Personal information
Born	(1981-05-11) 11 May 1981 (age 43) Albury, New South Wales, Australia
Listed height	196 cm (6 ft 5 in)
Listed weight	85 kg (187 lb)
Career information
High school	Murray (Albury, New South Wales)
WNBA draft	2001: 1st round, 1st overall pick
Selected by the Seattle Storm
Playing career	1997–2016, 2022–present
Career history
1997–1999	Australian Institute of Sport
1999–2006	Canberra Capitals
2001–2012	Seattle Storm
2006–2007	Samsung Bichumi
2007–2009	Spartak Moscow Region
2009–2010	Canberra Capitals
2010	Spartak Moscow Region
2011–2012	Ros Casares Valencia
2013–2014	Heilongjiang Shenda
2014–2016	Canberra Capitals
2022	Albury Wodonga Bandits
2022–2024	Southside Flyers
2024–present	Albury Wodonga Bandits
Career highlights and awards
WNBL: 7× WNBL champion (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2024) 4× WNBL MVP (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004) 4× WNBL Grand Final MVP (2002, 2003, 2006, 2010) 6× WNBL All-Star Five (1999–2004) WNBA: 2× WNBA champion (2004, 2010) 3× WNBA MVP (2003, 2007, 2010) WNBA Finals MVP (2010) WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2007) 7× All-WNBA First Team (2003–2007, 2009, 2010) All-WNBA Second Team (2008) 7× WNBA All-Star (2001–2003, 2005–2007, 2009) 3× WNBA scoring champion (2003, 2004, 2007) WNBA rebounding champion (2007) 2× All-Defensive First Team (2007, 2009) 3× All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2008, 2010) 3× WNBA Peak Performer (2003, 2004, 2007) WNBA 10th Anniversary Team (2006) WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011) WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016) WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021) No. 15 retired by Seattle Storm Other: NBL1 East champion (2022) NBL1 East MVP (2022) 3× EuroLeague champion (2008, 2009, 2012) Spanish League champion (2012) 2× Russian League champion (2007, 2008) Korean League MVP (2007) Australian Basketball Hall of Fame (2019)
Stats at WNBA.com
Basketball Hall of Fame as player
Women's Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals Women's Basketball Representing  Australia Olympic Games 2000 Sydney Team 2004 Athens Team 2008 Beijing Team 2012 London Team World Cup 1998 Germany 2002 China 2006 Brazil 2022 Australia World Junior Championships 1997 Brazil Commonwealth Games 2006 Melbourne Team

Lauren Elizabeth Jackson AO (born 11 May 1981) is an Australian professional basketball player. Arguably the most notable Australian women's basketball player, Jackson has had a decorated career with the Australia women's national basketball team (the Opals) and has had multiple stints in the Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) between 1997 and 2024. Between 2001 and 2012, she played in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

With the Australian Opals, Jackson played at the Summer Olympics in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012, winning three silver medals and one bronze medal. In the WNBL, she is a seven-time champion (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2024) and a four-time league MVP (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004). In the WNBA, she won two championships (2004, 2010) and three league MVPs (2003, 2007, 2010).

The daughter of two national basketball team players, Jackson was awarded a scholarship to the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 1997, where she debuted in the WNBL when she was 16. She helped the AIS win the WNBL championship in 1999 before joining the Canberra Capitals, where she won championships in 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2006 during her first stint. She won her sixth championship in 2010 with Canberra and her seventh in 2024 with the Southside Flyers. She earned WNBL Grand Final MVP in 2002, 2003, 2006 and 2010.

In 2001, Jackson entered the WNBA draft and was selected by the Seattle Storm. She played 12 seasons for the Storm, with her final WNBA season coming in 2012. She helped the team win championships in 2004 and 2010 while earning Finals MVP in 2010. Jackson ranks among the top WNBA players in games played, minutes played, field goals, three-point shots, and turnover percentage. She collected multiple individual accolades and was named to multiple WNBA Anniversary Teams.

Jackson has also played in Korea, Russia, Spain and China.

In 2016, Jackson retired from basketball. She came out of retirement in 2022 and returned to the WNBL and the Opals.

Jackson was inducted into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020, and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.