To coincide with the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup which starts in Sydney this Thursday, Basketball Australia will launch a documentary taking fans behind the scenes of one of our nation’s most successful female sporting teams.
The documentary “Relentless Persistence” will take viewers back to 2006, when Australia claimed its first international competition gold medal, through the disappointment at the Tokyo Olympics until the current day when Lauren Jackson makes her highly anticipated return. It is an emotional and heartfelt story told by the players and those closest to the team.
Former Seven Consulting Opal, Pat Mickan led the production of the documentary.
“The making of this documentary has been emotional and sometimes jarringly so. To witness the Opals’ coach in tears some months after the upheaval of the Tokyo Olympics, while others grieved over the telling of integral parts of their Opals’ journey, caused me to reflect on the extraordinary connection that exists with this entity called the Opals.” Mickan said.
Current Australian Head Coach, Sandy Brondello and legend Lauren Jackson are both looking forward to basketball fans having closer access to the elite team.
“The Opals are a sisterhood, and this documentary has captured what that means to each player. I’ve been involved as a player and coach and it’s such a huge part of my life. I think the fans will really enjoy some of the stories and recollections from those involved over the years,” Brondello said.
“I’m really excited for the fans to see this documentary and to understand what it means to be an Opal. Wearing the green and gold has been the pinnacle of my career and I think when you see this documentary, you’ll see why,” Jackson said.
Currently ranked third in the world, the Australian women’s basketball team have achieved the most international basketball success for the nation, with 30 medals since their debut in 1957.
“Relentless Persistence” will be broadcast across ESPN and ABC throughout the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. To launch day one action, the documentary will air on ESPN on Thursday 22nd September at 1:30pm and again at 10:30pm and will air on ABC on Sunday 25th September at 1:30pm. (Times AEST).
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MEDALS:
Olympic Games:
Silver: 2000, 2004, 2008.
Bronze: 1996, 2012.
FIBA Women’s World Cup:
Gold: 2006.
Silver: 2018.
Bronze: 1998, 2002, 2014.
FIBA Oceania Championship:
Gold: 1974, 1978, 1982, 1985, 1989, 1995, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015.
FIBA Asia Cup:
Silver: 2017.
Bronze: 2019, 2021.
Commonwealth Games:
Gold: 2006, 2018.
In the spirit of reconciliation Basketball Australia acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.