Two weeks ago, Australia’s Lauren Jackson – perhaps the greatest female basketball player of all time – told me she did not believe in fairytales. No matter. On Saturday, Jackson farewelled her remarkable career in true fairytale fashion. It would be hard to script a more appropriate ending. On home soil, the Opals beat Canada to win the bronze medal – or “rose gold,” as Australian fans like to say – at the Fiba Women’s World Cup. Jackson reprised her form of old, leading the scoring with 30 points, to add a fourth World Cup medal to her tally (alongside four Olympic medals).
It was a comeback no one anticipated. Jackson, 41, who made her national team debut a quarter of a century ago, had retired from basketball in 2016 due to injury. A farewell at the Rio Olympics was dashed as her efforts at rehabilitation floundered. The giant forward was never given the opportunity to go out on a high. Until now.
