Lauren Jackson weighs up WNBL future with Olympics on the horizon

The 42-year-old widely considered the greatest Australian basketball player of all time says she feels physically ready for another season after a ruptured Achilles and a fractured foot brought a premature end to her last campaign.

But a potential return to the Southside Flyers hinges on "a mental game" as Jackson considers whether she has the drive to complete another WNBL season which will put her on the road and away from her young family.

A WNBL return would put Jackson in the frame for the Opals squad ahead of the Paris Olympics which are exactly 12 months away.

Jackson came out of retirement to lead the Opals to bronze at last year's FIBA World Cup and another WNBL comeback will spark dreams of the Australian legend suiting up for one last roll of the dice at the Olympics.

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"I'm very fit and healthy, I'm running again. I'm on the court, I'm doing everything just in case I do decide to play again," Jackson said.

"I haven't decided though. At my age, with what I've just been through again and then with my kids, it's a bit of a mental game for me at the moment.

"Physically, it's not an issue, I think physically I am probably in a better position than I was last year at this time.

"It's just whether or not I can wrap my head around it for another year."

An Achilles injury in front of a record WNBL crowd of 7681 in Melbourne this past February threatened to spell the end of Jackson's incredible career.

Ask anyone among Australian basketball circles and they will tell you Jackson has the right to finally retire on her own terms.

She was denied that opportunity when she initially retired in 2016 after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament, long before mounting a stirring comeback.

Jackson has joined forces with a team of researchers commissioned by Medibank to shed light on the increased risk of ACL injuries among women.

Female athletes are up to five times more likely than men to injure their ACL.

Jackson admits the months following the ACL tear which ended her career marked "a dark time in my life".

Now she wants to aid researchers as they search for ways to reduce the risk of ACL injuries, fearing the physical and emotional toll they take on an athlete could be a major barrier for women wanting to play sport.

"When I found out I ruptured my ACL, I think my immediate reaction was 'this is it'," Jackson said.

"The moment I found out, I thought 'I can't get back from this, this is absolutely a disaster'. There had been a lot of surgeries I'd had in the previous two years on my knee, and I just didn't see any hope for me back on court.

"When it happened, I was in a lot of pain, but I was pretty resolute that that was it, I was done and I couldn't come back from that. That's when I announced my retirement as well.

"It was a pretty dark time for me, and when it all happened I definitely didn't feel like I had a lot. I felt pretty downhearted, and I really struggled through it.

"It was a dark time in my life, but I think it's great I get the opportunity to talk about it and help raise awareness around these issues because they affect a lot of women in sport."

Jackson has been flooded with stories from people affected by ACL injuries since unveiling her partnership with the project dubbed ACL United.

The Canberra Capitals legend has joined a host of elite athletes including AFLW superstar and former basketballer Erin Phillips, Steph Talbot, Lydia Lassila and Sara Blicavs in partnering with researchers.

Jackson says she can feel the heartache every time she sees an athlete suffer an ACL injury - because she has been on both sides.

A winner of five WNBL titles and two WNBA championships, Jackson will never forget the sight of Seattle teammate Adia Barnes tearing her own ACL.

"I remember her rupturing it, she did it right in front of me," Jackson said.

"Her knee just shifted, and that was it. She blew her whole knee up basically, and it was just one of the most brutal things I have seen in my whole life.

"Every time I see an athlete go down with an ACL injury, I feel it. I know what it felt like for me, I know what it felt like when I saw my best friend do it, I've seen a lot of people go through these injuries.

"Women, statistically, are up to five times more likely to rupture their ACL than men in sport. That's something that needs to be talked about.

"Injuries in general are barriers for female athletes, and ACLs take a lot of time out of careers.

"The rehab and the preparation to get back from an ACL injury is time-consuming, it's hard physically and emotionally. You see it across all codes, no one is free from being impacted from it.

"It's really important we are talking about it and doing the research."

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