25
Apr
Project B
How 'Mt Rushmore' Jackson is shaping Project B
Lauren Jackson speaks during Sue Bird’s jersey retirement ceremony at Climate Pledge Arena following the Seattle Storm game. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Highlights
Lauren Jackson shapes Project B as global league eyes Australian pathway impact.
- Six reasons why Lauren Jackson is Australia's GOAT
- Lauren Jackson to advise new league Project B
- Striking Gold! The 2006 World Champion Opals
Australia’s greatest ever basketballer Lauren Jackson’s role in Project B has been paramount to the creation of the “F1 of basketball”.
“She’s a legend of the game,” Project B co-founder Grady Burnett told basketball.com.au in an exclusive interview.
“You think of the top five players in the world – she’s unequivocally on everyone’s list.
“I mean to have her – and our first – so she and Elena (Beard) on our team had known each other from when they played together.
“So, she and Elena, on our team, have known each other from when they played together, and Elena called her, and they got reconnected and started talking about this, and then shortly thereafter, they brought me into the conversation.
“It was, first of all, just a joy to hear them talk, but then it was fun to be in the conversation.
“And she just understood it immediately, you know, having grown up in a different culture, having played a bunch of her professional career and being revered in Seattle in the way that she is, but having roots elsewhere, having played in a bunch of other countries, she just got the idea very quickly.
“And has been just a great advocate and a great advisor for us.”
Superstar Opals centre Alanna Smith yesterday became the first Australian to sign for Project B.
Jackson has not only played at every level of domestic and international basketball, she has dominated and won. The only piece of hardware missing is an Olympic Games gold medal. But that remains every Australian Opals and Boomers goal.
"(Project B) strengthens and expands the pathways that already exist," Jackson told basketball.com.au.
"Domestic leagues do an incredible job of developing young players, and Project B adds another layer of opportunity on top of that.
"Athletes can now see a clearer, more flexible journey, whether that is developing longer at home, moving between competitions, or gaining international experience.
"That kind of structure reinforces the role of domestic leagues while creating more opportunities for talent to be identified, supported, and elevated globally."
She distinctly sees the opportunity for Australian basketballers within Project B.
"I see it as a real opportunity to elevate the quality of domestic leagues even further," she said.
"When players compete in multiple high-level environments, they bring back new skills, experiences, and perspectives that raise standards across the board.
"Domestic leagues remain the heartbeat of the sport, and exposure to global competition only strengthens them.
"With a collaborative approach, multiple strong competitions can work together to lift the overall level of the game."
Lauren Jackson's basketball resume
WNBL
- 7× WNBL champion (1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2024)
- 4× WNBL MVP (1999, 2000, 2003, 2004)
- 4× WNBL Grand Final MVP (2002, 2003, 2006, 2010)
- 6× WNBL All-Star Five (1999–2004)
WNBA
- 2× WNBA champion (2004, 2010)
- 3× WNBA MVP (2003, 2007, 2010)
- WNBA Finals MVP (2010)
- WNBA Defensive Player of the Year (2007)
- 7× All-WNBA First Team (2003–2007, 2009, 2010)
- All-WNBA Second Team (2008)
- 7× WNBA All-Star (2001–2003, 2005–2007, 2009)
- 3× WNBA scoring champion (2003, 2004, 2007)
- WNBA rebounding champion (2007)
- 2× All-Defensive First Team (2007, 2009)
- 3× All-Defensive Second Team (2005, 2008, 2010)
- 3× WNBA Peak Performer (2003, 2004, 2007)
- WNBA 10th Anniversary Team (2006)
- WNBA 15th Anniversary Team (2011)
- WNBA 20th Anniversary Team (2016)
- WNBA 25th Anniversary Team (2021)
- No.15 retired by Seattle Storm — the first in the team's history.
Other accolades
- NBL1 East champion (2022)
- NBL1 East MVP (2022)
- 3× EuroLeague champion (2008, 2009, 2012)
- Spanish League champion (2012)
- 2× Russian League champion (2007, 2008)
- Korean League MVP (2007)
- Australian Basketball Hall of Fame (2019)
“Her resume, I was up in Seattle a few weeks ago with a friend of mine from college, not related to business at all.
“We’re just out at a bar having a drink, and he talked about the Mount Rushmore of Seattle sports, and he put her on it.
“So to have people like that – people like Cheryl Miller, Candace Parker, Elena, who are on our side – that have helped us understand the player experience, understand the travel experience, the needs, etcetera, is just amazing.
“Lauren’s a legend.
“We spent time together when I was down there for the (2026) Australian Open and have regular calls, (she) has woven into the fabric of the company quickly as an advisor, and really has helped us think through a bunch.”
Jackson built one of the most dominant international club résumés in women’s basketball, starring across Asia and Europe while consistently producing elite numbers.
Lauren Jackson's WNBA Career – By the Numbers
Lauren Jackson's WNBA Playoffs Career – By the Numbers
Lauren Jackson's FIBA Career – By the Numbers
South Korea (2006–07)
Jackson exploded onto the Women’s Korean Basketball League scene with Samsung Bichumi:
- Averaged 30.2 points per game
- Named League MVP
- Set a league record with 56 points in a single game
- Won All-Star Game MVP
Russia – Spartak Moscow Region (2007–11)
One of the most successful stretches of her career came in Russia alongside WNBA stars:
- Won multiple Russian Superleague titles
- Won EuroLeague championships (2008, 2009)
- Played with stars like Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Tina Thompson
- Averaged 23.6 points and 7.1 rebounds (2007–08)
- Recorded a 35-point EuroLeague game (career high in Europe)
Returned in 2010–11 before injury cut her stint short.
Spain – Ros Casares Valencia (2011–12)
Jackson added another European title in Spain:
- Won the EuroLeague championship (2012)
- Shot 41.5% from three
- Provided veteran scoring and floor spacing in a championship system
China – Heilongjiang Shenda (2013–14)
Late-career stint in China showed her continued impact:
- Averaged 22 points, 9.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals
- Led team to playoffs
- Season impacted by injury (heel and knee issues)
