Lauren Jackson announces retirement after helping Australia secure Paris 2024 quota spot: "I’m done"
The 42-year-old basketball Hall of Famer called time on her international career moments after Australia defeated Germany 85-52 at the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belem, Brazil.
Basketball
Australian great Lauren Jackson will not be going to the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
The 42-year-old announced her retirement from international basketball after the Opals beat Germany 85-52 in Belem to secure a quota spot at the Games in France.
“I’m done,” Jackson said in a post-match interview. “I love Brazil, Brazil has been very good to me.
"How fitting that I get to finish my national career with Australia in Brazil. It’s very special.”
Jackson is assured of her place in Australian basketball history, winning the world title in Brazil in 2006 as well as claiming four Olympic medals. The first came at Sydney 2000 when she was 19 years old.
The WNBA and WNBL legend then retired from the game in 2016, and was inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021, before her shock comeback to international basketball for the FIBA World Cup in Australia in 2022.
She notably came off the bench in the third-place play-off to score 30 points against Canada and help secure bronze for the home team.
Lauren Jackson's parting gift to the Opals was to help secure Australia a Paris 2024 quota spot
Lauren Jackson delivers in Brazil after taking on specific role
Jackson's World Cup campaign proved not to be a one-off return as she was named in Australia's roster for the FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Brazil, despite only having recently recovered from an Achilles injury and a broken foot.
But, rather than go to a fifth Olympic Games, she has opted to bow out after securing Australia their quota spot in Paris.
The veteran power forward hinted as much when she spoke to Olympics.com on Thursday (8 February), sharing that she had accepted the trip to play a specific role for coach Sandy Brondello.
She said, “I was about to just obviously say, ‘No, I'm done,' and then Sandy asked me to reconsider and gave me 24 hours to reconsider for this tournament. Because, I guess, I’d started playing better basketball in the WNBL over the last couple of weeks.
“I think the height thing as well... obviously Brazil have got a lot of tall players. And I think the experience, I think that's what the Opals wanted from me for this.
“It’s probably going to be the last time I play for Australia. So, I'm really honoured to be here. I just hope we can get the girls to the Olympics.”
Despite having limited game time in Belem, Jackson helped achieve that objective.
After playing just eight minutes in the win over Brazil, she came off the bench to help turn the tide in the opening period against Germany. Jackson did her job dutifully with nine points, three rebounds, three assists and one block in her 16:46 minutes on court.
Victory clinched an Olympic quota ahead of their final match against Serbia with the Opals set for a 10th Olympic appearance in Paris.
Jackson will not be there, but she has great faith in the next generation, saying, "I think basketball in Australia is definitely in good hands, and it's great that we're starting to see the young players come through now."