Lauren Jackson

Lauren Jackson is an Australian professional basketball player. Both of Jackson’s parents were national basketball team players. She began playing basketball at fouryears-old and at 6, she told others that she would play for the Australian National Basketball Team one day. At 14 years old, Jackson made the Australian under-20 team and she was called up to the Australian Women’s National Basketball Team at 16. During the 1999 Australian Under-20 national championships, Jackson won the Bob Staunton Award for the tournament MVP. At 17 years old, she was described as a basketball prodigy. Jackson played for the Women’s Korean Basketball League in 2007 and she was named the league’s Most Valuable Player. She has also played club basketball in Europe. Jackson has been playing for the WNBA since 2001 when the Seattle Storm drafted her. She has also participated in the 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics. She is known as Australia’s answer to Michael Jordan or Shaquille O’Neal and the best female player in the world.