Australia’s top female basketball player, Lauren Jackson, has bid farewell to the international stage on a winning note with a 30-point haul as the Opals thrashed Canada 95-65 to win the World Cup bronze medal playoff in Sydney.
Jackson was overwhelmed with emotion after the final siren sounded after returning from retirement to play in the tournament. The Aussies never seemed to lose: They led 27-21 after the first quarter and extended that lead to 51-43 at halftime. In the third quarter they increased the defensive intensity even more to win the term 20-11 to maintain a 71-54 lead heading into the fourth.
Jackson re-entered the game late to a huge roar from the Qudos Bank Arena crowd as the Opals closed out the win to secure the bronze medal and when they gave him an early mark with two minutes left, the team and fans they stood as one to greet her.
The 41-year-old put in her best performance of the tournament in her farewell appearance, leading all scorers with 11/16 shooting while also recording seven rebounds and two steals. Jackson confirmed before the game that the women’s basketball World Cup bronze medal game will be the Opals’ last.
Jackson, 41, made an impressive return to the Australian team at the World Cup in Sydney, having played his most recent game for the Opals three years before retiring through injury in 2016.
He became the face of the tournament and played a major role in ensuring that the World Cup was attended by more than twice as many fans as the last World Cup, which featured four more games than the 2022 edition.
Local organizing committee chairman David Reid said the announcement of Jackson’s return and subsequent selection to the Opals team had increased ticket sales by about 125 percent.
Jackson came off the bench in each of Australia’s eight games at the 2022 tournament. The uncertainty surrounding his injury situation meant that Jackson did not receive an international swan song upon his retirement in 2016.
“I just realized that this will be (my) last game in green and gold and how lucky I am to have had this chance to represent Australia and also say goodbye, I didn’t have that chance so many years ago. ”, the seven-time WNBA All-Star posted on social media.
“I am so proud of our Opals girls and regardless of the outcome, this has been the most incredible journey of my basketball life.”
Facing players some 20 years her junior, Jackson played limited minutes at the World Cup. She had a starring role in the quarterfinal against Belgium, scoring 12 points as the Opals cruised to a resounding victory.
With the triple she scored in the first match of the tournament, she became the third woman to accumulate 600 points in a World Cup career. Off the court, Reid said Jackson had been a top adviser to the organizing committee before she joined the Opals.
“She had a big role in this event long before she announced she would try to play,” Reid said. “The effect of Lauren’s involvement as a player has certainly had a profound effect on the culture of the (Australian) team. Lauren’s involvement has been significant on multiple levels.”