Jackson’s vision for WNBL: Australia's best women's sporting competition

Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson has laid out the WNBL’s long term ambition: to become the country’s premier women’s sporting competition.

The seven-time champion and four-time MVP has taken on a new role as the WNBL’s Chief Strategy and Basketball Partnerships Officer, helping drive the league’s next phase of growth.

Speaking at the announcement of Optus joining the WNBL and NBL as a partner, Jackson outlined the League’s vision for 2027 and beyond.

“We’re on a mission to become Australia’s best women’s sporting competition … I think that is something we can do and it is definitely achievable,” Jackson told Code Sports.

“We’ve got a premium product. It is perfect where it is and we want to continue to grow it and build it. I’m really excited about the future — it feels different.”

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Having experienced the highs and lows of the league’s 44-year history, Jackson said fresh investment and new commercial partners are providing the platform the WNBL has long craved.

“We have a great product and where the season sits in the annual calendar right now is perfect,” she said.

“We definitely stalled for a period, but the investment and the way women’s basketball has grown globally is changing the face of the game in Australia.

“There is a chance for us to capitalise on that through partnerships like Optus. There is a long way to go, but we will get there.”

That momentum continues to build, with the return of the Townsville Tip Off pre-season tournament announced earlier this week. Only the second all-club event has happened WNBL history, it is just another sign of a league entering a new era of growth.

Read more about the Tip Off here.

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