Lauren Jackson has been celebrated for her braveness and bravado, with the basketball nice revealing she competed in her fifth Olympics in Paris only a month earlier than a knee alternative.
Jackson was honoured on the Sport Australia Corridor of Fame awards in Melbourne on Monday, receiving The Daybreak Award — named for swimming legend Daybreak Fraser.
The award recognises a person, crew or organisation who “present braveness and bravado and have modified sport for the higher”.
Jackson, 43, competed at her fifth and ultimate Olympics in Paris and have become the primary Australian athlete to win a medal in 5 Video games.
That was an enormous triumph and worthy of The Daybreak in itself — however she was additionally capable of assist the Opals to a different bronze medal whereas significantly injured.
“I all the time mentioned proper from the start of me beginning to play once more that I used to be on borrowed time, and I knew that my knee sooner or later was going to go,” Jackson advised AAP.
“And it did, however I obtained by way of and I am so proud that I proved to myself that I may, and to be part of one thing tremendous particular.”
Carrying black and white sneakers to match her formal robe quite than heels, Jackson mentioned receiving an award named in honour of Fraser was “humbling”.
“I am actually honoured as Daybreak is somebody I’ve seemed as much as for a very long time,” she mentioned. “She’s impressed the nation, however she’s additionally my buddy.
“Through the years we have all the time caught up and had a few beers collectively and he or she’s somebody that I am very keen on.
“It is such a particular honour to be receiving an award named after her.”
Working with Basketball Australia for the previous 20 years on its feminine applications, Jackson formally referred to as time on her on-court profession 24 years after her nationwide crew debut.
A 3-time WNBA MVP who gained two championships within the US, she additionally gained seven WNBL titles and was a four-time MVP within the league.
Jackson first retired from the game in 2016 on account of a knee drawback, and the mom of two additionally had her season ended early in 2023 by an achilles harm.
However she answered the decision from the Opals and mentioned having her younger sons Harry and Lennon within the crowd in Paris made it the proper send-off.
“I by no means anticipated that they’d see me play basketball once more, so it was a dream come true to get again so far and for them to return and be part of it with me was actually unreal,” she mentioned.
“It was completely different for me, as a result of I used to be taking part in a really completely different position this time, it was positively extra a management position.
“However I used to be a part of one thing so particular and the children obtained to essentially embrace all of it and so they wore my medal residence on the aircraft so hopefully it conjures up them too.”
