Lauren Jackson was born to Maree and Gary Jackson on May 11, 1981, in Albury, New South Wales, Australia. Her brother, Ross, came along a year later. Lauren’s mother, who stands 6-2, played basketball for the Opals, Australia’s national women’s team, beginning in 1974. She starred for Louisiana State University from 1976 to 1978, returning Down Under each year to join the Opals. Maree was so dominant a center during the late 1970s and early 80s that she was called the female Wilt Chamberlain.Lauren’s father, three inches taller than his wife, owned a laser-like jumper and also played for Australia’s national team (the men go by the nickname “Boomers”), though he was never a big star. His favorite player was Chamberlain, too. Both parents coached youth teams in New South Wales province during Lauren’s childhood.
She went on her first hoops road trip at two weeks and was holding a tiny basketball at four weeks. At two years, she was guaranteeing Australia would win Olympic gold with her help. At four years, she already looked comfortable on the court—and under the bleachers, where she spent countless hours exploring (and napping) while her parents practiced for, played in, and later coached in national tournaments.
By age nine, Lauren had prodigy written all over her; at 13 she made the national junior squad; at 14 she stood six feet tall and was invited to attend the Australian Institute of Sport; at 15, she accepted.
By her 16th birthday, Lauren stood 6-3 and weighed a gangly 150 pounds. She had always been a streaky player who could pour in points in bunches, but now the rest of her game was coming around. She saw the entire court, and could dribble and pass well enough to move from the pivot and become a playmaker. She was easily the best player on her AIS team.Lauren was invited to join the Opals for the 1998 World Championships in Germany, and at 17 became the youngest player ever on the national squad. What a thrill it was to hob nob with the country’s top player, Michele Timms, and team captain Robyn Maher, who had actually been a teammate of her mother’s years earlier.
Since the age of 19, Lauren Jackson has been touted as the next great WNBA star. In the 2000 Olympics, played in Sydney, Jackson starred for the Australian National Team, averaging 15.9 points and 8.4 rebounds as Australia earned silver. The following year, the Storm made Jackson the top pick of the WNBA Draft. After two seasons where she made the All-Star team but struggled at times with consistency, Jackson reached her potential in 2003, winning MVP and leading the WNBA in scoring at 21.2 points per game. Jackson has followed it up with two more All-WNBA First Team honors and back-to-back runner-up finishes in MVP voting before winning MVP again in 2007. Another outstanding Olympics performance in 2004 saw Australia win silver. Jackson is the youngest and fastest player in WNBA history to score 3,000 and 4,000 career points and was voted to the WNBA's All-Decade Team. Lauren began her professional career at the Australian Institute of Sports in the WNBL before moving on to the Canberra Capitals. She is currently a forward/centre with the Seattle Storm of the WNBA and the Australian national team The Opals. She has won national championships in the U.S., Australia, and Russia, as well as a World Championship.
In 2003, although the Seattle Storm did not make the playoffs, she was voted the WNBA's Most Valuable Player. In 2004, the Seattle Storm team won the WNBA Championship by defeating the Connecticut Sun, two games to one. She was runner-up for the MVP award in that year and again in 2005. In April 2006, she signed a three-year contract to stay with the Storm.On 24 July 2007, Jackson scored a WNBA record 47 points in a 97-96 overtime loss to the Washington Mystics at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C. She also set the record for the most field goals in a game, with 18 made.
On 6 September 2007, Jackson won her second MVP award. She led the league in both scoring (23.8 points per game) and rebounding (9.7) and was second in the league in blocked shots (2.0) as well as leading the WNBA in double-doubles with 17. She was also named Player of the Week five times. In the offseason leading up to the 2009 season, Jackson signed a free-agent deal to return to the Storm. Jackson also received the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2007.
The Australian native captured the WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month presented by Kia Motors honors in May, June and July of this year. In the process, Jackson increased her total haul of weekly honors to 19, the most in WNBA history.
The 10-year pro started all 32 games in which she played and ranked among the WNBA’s top 10 in numerous categories, including finishing fourth in points (20.5 ppg) and seventh in rebounds (8.3 rpg). She also ranked fourth in free-throw percentage (.910), fifth in blocks (1.19 bpg) and seventh in double-doubles (nine).
Jackson finished the season with 656 total points (tallying double figures in all but one game), 264 rebounds (including 175 defensive boards), 38 assists, 38 blocks, and 30 steals. She made 220 of her 476 shots from the field, including 54 of 156 from three-point range.
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