"I’d break down and cry": Jackson’s comeback battle

She is widely considered to be Australia's greatest female basketball player of all time and one of the best-ever to grace the women's court, but Lauren Jackson has recently opened up about one of the most challenging times of her career.

In her first stint as a professional basketballer, Jackson guided Australia to the 2006 World Cup gold medal and numerous Olympic medals, while also becoming a three-time WNBA MVP and two-time champion, among a range of other incredible accomplishments.

But on March 31, 2016, Jackson decided to hang up the shoes and retire due to an ongoing knee injury.

Then, six years later, the seven-time WNBL champion decided to return to the hardwood, firstly with her Albury-Wodonga Bandits.

"It was so painful, training and playing. I remember the first couple of weekends we played. After games, I'd be shaking. My body was in shock after playing a 40-minute basketball game, but I was playing well," Jackson told the Financial Review.

Then, after just eight games in NBL1, Opals coach Sandy Brondello reached out and tested Jackson's pulse on returning to the national setup.

"In the back of my mind the whole time, I thought, 'I'll give it a go. The worst thing that can happen is my knee gives out, and I've already been through that before'," Jackson said.

"Then all of a sudden, I was in New York, trying out for a World Cup team with the Australian team. I never thought that I was going to make it. It was highly emotional too. There were days when I'd break down and cry because I just didn't want to put myself in a situation to get hurt again. I felt guilty because I was away from my kids for the first time ever.

"Emotionally, it was probably one of the hardest times of my life, because I had so much trauma around the way my career had ended eight years ago. I doubted myself so much, but I kept taking one step forward, and it got me to where it did."

Jackson, a four-time WNBL MVP, went on to make that Opals team and help the squad win the bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup in Sydney, with 30 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals in her side's 95-65 victory over Canada.

Fast-forward two years, she helped the Opals qualify for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

After this qualifying tournament in Brazil, Jackson contemplated retirement once again but decided to play at her incredible fifth Games, where she once again helped the Opals win a bronze medal.

At the conclusion of the Paris Games, Jackson retired for good after undergoing knee surgery.

Jackson is now part of the FIBA Hall of Fame and is helping taking the sport in Australia to new heights as the WNBL's Chief Strategy and Basketball Partnerships Officer.

Read the full story here >> ‘The phone stopped ringing’: How retirement shock hit this Olympian