The 2012 London Olympic flag bearer Lauren Jackson AO has been named as a finalist for the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF).
Jackson was named as one of 12 finalists at the Baylor University v University of Connecticut game on Thursday 9 January at the XL Centre in Hartford, Connecticut, USA. The WBHOF’s Board of Directors select individuals to be inducted based on an impressive selection criterion, including being a contributing team member of an Olympic side and having had professional experience with honours (WNBA MVP etc.). The four-time Olympian has had an illustrious 19-year career in basketball playing in Australia, the United States, Europe and Asia. During this time, she has collected a long list of honours and achievements including three WNBA MVP awards and six WNBL Championships. Jackson was welcomed into the Australian Basketball Hall of Fame in May 2019 and was more recently named as Basketball Australia’s Head of Women in Basketball having already made a positive impact on the women’s basketball community across the country. Michele Timms, a Basketball Australia Hall of Fame Legend, is the only other Australian in the WBHOF. The final inductees to the WBHOF will be announced on February 10 at the University of Connecticut v University of South Carolina game from 7:00pm (11:00am AEDT). If Jackson is named as one of the inductees, she will be officially inducted on June 13 in Knoxville, Tennessee. Lauren Jackson’s Basketball Achievements: Achievements in the WNBL include: 4 x WNBL MVP (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004) 5 x WNBL All Star (1999-2004) 4 x WNBL Grand Final MVP (2002, 2003, 2006, 2010) 6 x WNBL Championships (1998/99, 1999/00, 2001/02, 2005/06, 2009/10) Achievements in the WNBA include: WNBA All Decade team (2006) 2 x WNBA Champion (2004, 2010) 7 x All-WNBA First Team (2003-2007, 2009, 2010) WNBA Top 15 team (2011) 7 x WNBA All-Star (2001-2003, 2005-2007, 2009) 3 x WNBA MVP (2003, 2007, 2010) WNBA Finals MVP (2010) WNBA Rebounding Champion (2007) Achievements in the Olympics: 4 x Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012) All-time leading points scorer in Olympic women's basketball history Other achievements include: Commonwealth Games gold medal (2006) 3 x EuroLeague Championships
