Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson, 42, returns to WNBL’s Southside Flyers

Australia’s greatest hooper Lauren Jackson has defied the odds again, overcoming traumatic injuries to announce a stunning return to the court at age 42.

Lauren Jackson is back.

The most decorated Australian basketballer in history, at age 42, is adding another chapter to her incomparable story, defying the odds to return to the court with the Southside Flyers in the WNBL.

In a massive boost for the sport that will reverberate all over the world, Jackson has not only recovered from the mental and physical trauma of dual-major surgeries but says she is fitter and stronger than when she returned to the international arena to help guide the Opals to a bronze medal at last year’s FIBA World Cup in Sydney.

“Yep, I’m back,” Jackson, echoing another ‘GOAT’ of the sport, Michael Jordan, told Code Sports.

“I don’t think anyone thought I would come back — but I still thought I could play again.

“The rehab went really, really well, I was back on court a couple of months ago and it just got to a point where, physically, I don’t think I’ve felt better than this, at least in the last five or six years.

Aussie basketball legend Lauren Jackson will return for a final season in the WNBL with the Southside Flyers.

“I didn’t want to be left wondering how I would feel in 10 years time if I looked back and I didn’t play this season, knowing that I was fit and able.

“I know it’s my last shot. One more year.”

Following last year’s World Cup glory, Jackson joined Southside and quietly played through the pain of a Lisfranc fracture in her left foot.

In February, she ruptured her right Achilles tendon, a minute into the Flyers’ clash with Sydney Flames in front of a record WNBL crowd.

The 7681 at Melbourne’s John Cain Arena were silenced as the three-time WNBA MVP fought back tears as she hobbled to the Southside, souring what was to be one of the biggest celebrations of the WNBL ever.

Many thought Lauren Jackson’s injuries would spell the end of her career. Picture: Getty Images

Many thought it was over but the four-time Olympic medallist, even then, refused to close the door — she still felt fit and didn’t want to end as she did in 2016 when knee issues forced her into premature retirement.

“It’s really hard to close the door after everything that I’ve been through,” she said.

“It was so traumatic, just going through the break and then the Achilles, I was in so much pain, but I thought ‘look I’m going to get fit, I’m going to stay fit’, my mind was in a place where it didn’t matter if I played or not.

“Everyone was asking me ‘are you going to do it?’

“Even my best friends and my family will tell you I really didn’t know for sure until only recently.”

Lauren Jackson will pull on the Flyers jersey again in the WNBL this season. Picture: Getty Images

TURNING POINT IN AN ‘UNBELIEVABLE RECOVERY’

Jackson’s initial goal when she went under the knife was to recover enough — and in time — for a farewell tour with her hometown club Albury-Wodonga, which plays on a court named for her in NBL1 East, next year.

But, as rehab progressed, so did the once remote prospect of a WNBL return. A turning point on the court, coupled with a recovery that left her surgeon floored, helped solidify Jackson’s decision.

“The injuries were pretty nasty and I didn’t think I would get to a point where I’d be ready to play before the WNBL season,” Jackson said.

“Had surgery in February, started my rehab pretty intensely in April and was running by early May.

Jackson’s remarkable World Cup bronze-medal performance at last year’s FIBA World Cup in Sydney was another iconic moment in her brilliant career. Picture: Getty Images

“It was so painful, and I was pulling up sore but, in June, I turned a corner.

“I’ve tested it massively, the last two months, running with a weighted vest every day and just putting as much load through the Achilles to make sure my body’s ready to do it again.

“When I went back and saw my surgeon a couple of weeks ago, he said ‘I honestly never thought I would see you the way you’ve recovered, it has just blown me away. As a 42-year-old, this is unbelievable’.

“It’s been a bit of a journey, for sure.”

A basketball journey, for Jackson and the nation, still to reach its final destination.

FAMILY FIRST

The key to it all was Southside’s support in helping Jackson relocate to Melbourne to have her two beloved boys Harry, 6, and Lenny, 4, by her side.

“It was hard last year because they weren’t with me and we were coming back and forth from Albury. I can tell you right now there were times I was so sad, I missed them desperately and it would have been too hard to do it again,” Jackson said.

“The club has been so supportive and we’re in the process of moving to Melbourne at the moment, I’ve been down with the team and running some camps.

Jackson, pictured last year, with son, Lenny. Picture: Michael Klein

“I love that my children get to be around a female basketball team, they’re going to get so much out of it and being in a team environment is so important for them, especially at their age.”

Harry’s a chip off the old block, possessing a similar attitude to mum and a heavy interest in the sport that made her an icon.

“Harry’s really into it, I’ve got him in a team down in Melbourne over summer, which is fun,” she said.

“He’s probably still a little bit too young but he loves it, watches NBA all the time, loves the WNBA as well, loves the women’s game, loves everything about the sport.”

A Jackson in the NBL, Boomers or NBA is a distant dream, right now, but a young Lauren Jackson dared to dream, so why can’t we?

Jackson will revert to the No.15 she made famous with the Seattle Storm in the WNBA for her final season. Picture: AP

*Jackson wore No.25 last year in her return to the Opals, aged 41, marking a quarter of a century since she first pulled on the green and gold, and carried that on with the Flyers last season. One of only two Australians and the only player from Down Under to be inducted in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Jackson will revert to the famous No.15, worn by her mother Maree during her career and retired by the Seattle Storm. To celebrate, the Flyers are offering 15 per cent off all new memberships. Visit wnbl.basketball/southside to sign up.

Originally published as Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson, 42, returns to WNBL’s Southside Flyers