There was one question on every Canberra Capitals fan's mind once they heard Lauren Jackson was making her return to the Opals squad.
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Does this mean the four-time MVP will return for her old side in the WNBL?
Capitals coach Kristen Veal said those talks had not been had, as she understood Jackson was focused solely on her journey back to the national team.
But as she is amidst building her squad for the 2022-23 season, if it was something the 41-year-old wanted, she would welcome those conversations.
"We actually haven't had a conversation yet," Veal said.
"We're good mates, she has my number, so we'll definitely have a conversation at some point if this is something that she's interested in pursuing.
"There's been no cheeky text or call, so that for me gives me the impression that she's really focused on what she's doing at the moment in NBL1, looking after herself and the Opals.
"I'm just letting her do her thing. As I think for her it's about putting the green and gold on again, helping the Opals, and playing in front of her kids."
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Veal and Jackson donned the same Opals and Capitals jersey in the late 1990s and early 2000s together.
Jackson won five championships with the Capitals, and spent almost a decade with the club during stints in 1999-2006 and 2014-16, before her retirement.
Her return to the court for the Albury Wodonga Bandits in the NBL1 this season, and news on Tuesday she had been selected to attend an Opals camp, received widespread praise.
The power forward will be vying for selection in the 2022 World Cup team to compete in Australia in September, after a nine-year absence from the national team.
Veal said Jackson's return to the court, and potentially the Opals' World Cup squad, was everything basketball needed.
And it was a win-win situation either way.
"For her it's the comeback story but then also for Australian basketball to have a role model and superstar like Lauren, who served the game and the Opals for so long, to be back in the fold is great for the sport," she said.
"I don't know if Lauren would be doing this if it wasn't a home World Cup. The impact that we can have on the sport with a home World Cup is enormous. BA knows that, Lauren knows that.
"I know what it feels like to be 40, so she's superhuman in some respects. She has always has been pushing the boundaries and I'm super excited to see what she can do with it."
One Capitals player who is likely to join Jackson in the Opals camp next week is Jade Melbourne.
No doubt the young guard, who was picked up by Seattle Storm in the 2022 WNBA draft, will be eager to hear about Jackson's time, and more than a decade, with the club.
Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
