Lauren Jackson AO OLY

About Lauren

Lauren Jackson AO OLY is widely regarded as the greatest Australian women's basketball player of all time and one of the most decorated players in the history of the global game. A five-time Olympian who represented the Australian Opals from Sydney 2000 through to Paris 2024, she won five Olympic medals — three silver and two bronze — and was central to a golden era for Australian women's basketball. Her WNBA career with the Seattle Storm produced two championships, in 2004 and 2010, and three MVP awards, in 2003, 2007 and 2010. She also captained Australia to gold at the 2006 FIBA World Championship.

What gives Lauren's story its particular resonance is the comeback. After years away from elite competition due to serious injury, she returned to play at the highest level once more, qualifying for and competing at the Paris Olympics. That decision — to subject herself again to the demands of elite sport at an age when most players are retired — speaks to a competitive spirit and love of the game that define her character. As Head of Women in Basketball at Basketball Australia, and from 2025 a part-time special advisor to the WNBL, she is focused on shaping the next generation of Australian talent and driving the growth of women's sport at every level.

For leadership, sport and strategy audiences, Lauren Jackson speaks with the authority of someone who has been the best in the world at what they do — and who continues to compete in the arena, this time as an administrator and advocate. Her perspectives on leadership, strategic focus, gender equity in sport and high performance are grounded in two decades of lived experience at the very top of elite competition.