Year: 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 and prior
2003
LJ showing her true colours - "The smartest people
are from New South Wales."
LJ on her shins - "I've had the best four months of my whole career just
recently. It's bad [timing] because I've reached my peak ... and now I'm back
to square one, having to have four weeks off."
LJ on her shins - "That's really frustrating but I've got to remember it's
only four weeks in my entire career and I need to take this time to get better
and figure out why I keep getting stress fractures in my shins."
LJ on her shin injury - "Basketball is my life so I'm just going to keep
working towards my goal which is to be number one. I'm not going to back down
from it."
LJ on her month sidelined - "I'm deadset on keeping my fitness so I can
get back in great shape and we [the Capitals] can win the championship. I'm very
driven at the moment."
LJ on her 20-20 - "Well, in Australia, I'm 10 feet taller than everyone
else, so I used to average about (20). But in the WNBA, it's huge."
LJ on MVP talk - "The MVP talk is nice and I'm feeling real confident right
now. But I still need to improve in so many areas. I'm not thinking about the
accolades."
LJ on basketball - "I'm so thankful for basketball. If I didn't play, I'd
be pretty unhappy, still living where I grew up, getting teased for being this
tall, crazy, geeky child -- which I was ... but, ha-ha."
LJ on Anne Donovan - "Anne is definitely my favorite coach. She mentally
pushes me and believes in me, which I really appreciate. She's showing me post
moves that I've never had. Yeah, I want to be where Lisa is and I'm getting there."
LJ on Anne Donovan - "She is a great coach - I love playing for her. I'm
just having fun out there. I feel like Seattle is my home, and I never want to
leave. And it has taken me three years to get used to it here."
LJ on Anne Donovan - "Anne has handled me better than any coach I've had,
She paced me through training camp. The first two years I was tired before the
first game. Last year I was even injured. Anne got me ready for the demands of
the more physical play in the WNBA. She knows what she is doing."
LJ on Seattle - "I couldn't be anywhere else. I love Seattle, and the people
and, all of this."
LJ on Seattle - "I'm so happy now. I want to stay here forever. I can't
see myself ever leaving. This is like a second home for me. I want to buy a house
here."
LJ on the Storm - "We definitely still have a lot to work on. A lot to work
on. We're still on the journey. For Sue and I, we're just getting started. We're
going to play here for a long time and we want to win and all of that. That's
our ultimate goal. But we still have to get better, especially defensively."
LJ on her game - "I know I get banged a lot. I get doubled-teamed. That's
their game plan. People come out to rough me up because they think I'm not going
to play well. And maybe when I was in my teens it worked well, but I'm used to
it now."
LJ on getting the 'MVP' chant - "It feels nice. But it's scary. I can't
believe people do that. It's so sweet. I'm not even an American."
LJ on herself in the US - "A lot of people don't know me. I'm just a little
person from Australia -- err, a tall person from Australia."
LJ saying she's got about six years left in her - "I don't want to get to
the age of 40-42 and I'm still playing and haven't done anything else with my
life. I'm wacky and way out there, out of control and for me there's more to
life. I want to be young and (have) 2.5 kids, a dog and two cars."
LJ on the WNBA/Olympic clash - "My loyalty lies with the Australian national
team, but my professional career is here in Seattle. I have to pay for my house
and my car, and, besides, I'm happy here."
LJ after beating Townsville to host the Grand Final - "At the end of the
game I just burst out in tears, I couldn't believe that we won. We won. I can't
believe it! Can anyone believe it?"
LJ on the Townsville semi - "That last shot was freaky but I sort of pictured
it in my head down the other end before it actually happened."
LJ on the Townsville semi - "It got to the stage where I was like 'bugger
it, I'm going out there and I'm going to be as physical as they are'."
LJ on herself - "I want to be something special, I want to be known as a
great female basketballer. I want to do it so badly and I feel that I have to
do it now. But I know I've still got a lot to learn and I need to be a little
bit patient. I want to do it for a lot of people, none more so than my mum Maree
and dad Gary. They're the greatest supporters I've ever had. My mum gave up so
much to have me and now I want to repay her."
LJ on herself - "Ever since I was a little girl I put a lot of pressure
on myself to perform. I always had the desire to become a great athlete. And
now I don't read what people say about me ... I want to get better and I still
have a way to go."
LJ on her WNBL season - "I've never had a season where I've played so well,
but I can be so much better if I can get up and down the court. It's been a good
year, but a frustrating one as well. I haven't been able to work on improving
my game. There are many areas where I can become a better player and it's going
to require a lot of hard work."
LJ on the WNBL - "All the adversity of the season, all the pain, right now
you realise why you went through it all, to share this moment with your teammates
and your fans, and there's no way I'd give that up."
LJ on her off-season - "I'm just going surfing every day and going to be
a bit of a hippie for a month, I'd like that."
LJ on her off-season - "I turn into a hippie. I stay in my Caravan and relax.
I have to. For my soul, I have to."
LJ on the Seattle transition - "I love it here, but the first couple weeks
are hard for me to adjust without my family and my friends. Going to bed at night
and waking up all alone is really kind of sad, but that's life, and this is my
job. I'm a professional."
LJ on hitting the runner against Connecticut - "I'm actually a center, so
I'm not supposed to do things like that. It was a bit scary. I got the ball and
wondered who I was going to pass it to. Then there was about three seconds left
and I wondered what I was going to do with the ball. But by then I was right
there so I thought, 'Maybe I should shoot it.'"
LJ on saving someone's life at the beach - "But I stepped on a sea urchin.
It was quite painful. The woman who was drowning is fine."
LJ on her leg - "I can't go bang on my leg, otherwise it'll just go bang."
LJ on LL saying she didn't know her - "Funny, I would never forget somebody
who pulled out my hairpiece. I told them (the station), 'She has a bad memory,
she must be getting old.'
LJ on LL - "Listen, from the bottom of my heart, I think Lisa is the best
player in the world. But she needs to respect the players who are just as good
or may be as good as her someday ... "
LJ on her 1000th WNBA point - "I don't care about that stuff. I like lots
of diamonds on championship rings."
LJ on LL's on-court behaviour - "That was Hollywood right there."
LJ on when she was a rookie Opal - "I was 16 and everyone was 10 years older.
I was a baby! I didn't talk, didn't say anything, kept to myself. But I played
with everything I had. It was the only thing I could do."
LJ on the money in the women's game - "I’m really thankful just to
have a professional league to play in over there. Money at the moment isn’t
huge but maybe in about 10 years I can be one of the next generations that are
being paid somewhere near where the men are."
LJ on her goals - "I have two. One is a gold medal at the Olympics. For
obvious reasons that would just be the pinnacle of anyone’s career and
the other is to win the WNBA Championship. Those are my two ultimate goals I
hope to achieve before I retire."
LJ on Brondello and Bevilaqua - "Sandy and Tully are great team-mates. Sandie
plays on the national team and I’m sure Tully will get an opportunity soon.
They both were awesome and like I said great teammates and they really supported
me throughout the season. Sandy, I can’t imagine playing without her, she’s
been around for a while now, especially in my tour with the Australian team.
They were great to have on the team and if we didn’t get those injuries
we could have gone far in the playoffs, but you can’t really help injuries."
LJ on being called a pioneer - "I'm 20 years old so I wouldn’t call
what I’ve done as being a pioneer. I am going to make the most of my achievements
when I retire. I’m focusing on my career right now. I want to be a role
model to young women growing up."
LJ on Phil Brown - "Well I left home at 15 and at that age Brown was more
of a father figure. He was there during a critical growing period (15-18 years
old) and he is a great coach. I think that now, since I left the Institute, I
was playing my best basketball my last year at the Institute. Then this year
it has been my best season ever. From when I was 18, there is that big gap and
I feel like I was playing better basketball at the Institute than I was these
last few years. This year it came along again with Anne Donovan, she kind of
pulled it out of me. There are special people in the world who can do that. Coaches
are very important."
LJ on being a commentator - "I didn't really enjoy it because we weren’t
really playing in the playoffs. Besides that it was fun, I was really nervous,
but it was really fun doing it. Nancy Lieberman really helped me but I think
my calling is in coaching. I would rather be a coach than be in media."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "I think she's ready
to be the best player in the WNBA, no doubt in my mind. She's not
at the top of her game yet -- still having a ways to go with conditioning
and getting back with a small ball and a new system and all that
-- but there's no doubt in my mind that Lauren Jackson is the best
player in the WNBA."
Anne Donovan on LJ's 20-20 - "I've played a lot of cream puff teams in my
day, and I don't know if I've ever had 20 rebounds. And that's (Charlotte) certainly
not a cream puff team."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "Lauren has been unstoppable down low. Unless there
are two or three people collapsing on her, she can't be stopped. She has good
footwork, is strong, has a variety of moves and the biggest thing is she's incredibly
determined."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "That's what really impressed me about Lauren when
I first met her — the fire in her belly. She's not only talented, but has
that competitive fire to be the best."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "Not taking anything against Lisa, who is by far the
best post player in the game and keeps adding to her game, but Lauren is the
more complete player away from the basket. At 22, she physically can't do some
of the things Lisa does, but she's certainly capable of surpassing Lisa. And
you've got to consider that she's playing in a foreign league. Put Lisa in the
same situation and see how she does."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "Lauren is just a monster. What I love about her is
just when it seems like she isn't having a very good game she just takes it over.
The second half again tonight, she just took it over."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "Lauren Jackson is in contention for MVP in my book."
Anne Donovan on LJ's game - "I've been talking about it all year and I think
the national media is starting to see it."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "If you think how hard she is getting hit, but she
is finishing shots and going to the foul line. That's truly a great player."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "We have put better players around her, which takes
the pressure off of her. And her mental approach this year has been outstanding
- from day one, she talked about wanting to be the best, and wanting our team
to be the best."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "When she plays like that, she is unstoppable. You
can see how skilled she is, and how determined she is."
Anne Donovan on LJ being an All-Star - "It's no surprise that Lauren was
named. It's still exciting. I was still jumping up and down this morning when
I got the official word. It is well deserved."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "There's no doubt in my mind. She can do it outside,
2 for 3 from the three-point line (last night), she can do it inside. This is
MVP for sure."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "Lauren was just phenomenal. Who can guard Lauren Jackson
when she’s playing like that: inside, outside, running the floor, hustling
after loose balls. That kind of effort is what makes her one of the best players
in the world."
Anne Donovan on the Storm - "It seems like we stand around and watch Lauren
go to work too much these days. She's playing unbelievably. Just like any spectator,
you get caught up in what she's going to do next, and frankly, I think we got
caught up in that."
Anne Donovan on Vegemite - "I've tried it -- no thanks."
Sue Bird on LJ - "A lot of people see the scoring
and see the rebounding, but it's so much beyond that. Just her presence on the
court, her presence inside. ... It's just the attention she draws."
Sue Bird on LJ - "The only person that can stop Lauren is Lauren. The things
she can do ... she's unbelievable."
Sue Bird on LJ - "She's definitely the MVP of our team and most likely the
league. A lot of people see her scoring and rebounding, but it’s so much
more beyond that – her presence on the court, her presence inside. As a
point guard, I can immediately see the difference as far as when she is on the
court and when she is not on the court."
Sue Bird on LJ - "She’s a 5-6 person in a 6-5 body the way she runs
and the way she moves. She’s got the ability so she’s my first option
in transition. A lot of the centers of the league just can’t keep up with
her."
Adia Barnes on LJ - "She's playing better
than all of the top players in the WNBA. And it's scary how good
she's going to be. She's confident, and I don't think there's any
reason why she shouldn't be."
Adia Barnes on LJ - "She loves to play and it shows. And she's a fighter.
She's not soft at all. She's hard on herself, and that's one of the reasons she's
so great."
Adia Barnes on LJ - "Right now, she's playing like an MVP."
Sandy Brondello on 'the weave incident' - "All I
heard was this 'Uggh!'. Lauren was freaked out and the whole crowd was laughing.
We were getting killed by 20 points and should have been in tears but all we
could do was laugh because it was so funny. Nothing against Lisa, it could have
been anyone and we still would have laughed."
Sandy Brondello on LJ - "She's always had so much belief in her own ability.
When she first came into the national team we thought, 'Damn, she's an arrogant
little thing, isn't she?' But it's not arrogant. It's just that she knows what
she can do, and she does it."
Sandy Brondello on LJ - "Everyone had heard about her. She was coming in
as just a young kid. She might have come off as arrogant, but she was still a
kid."
Sandy Brondello on LJ - "We're at the World Championships and she's got
her arms around her mom's neck. She's playing in the World Championships, and
that. It was cute."
Sandy Brondello on LJ - "She's not going to be intimidated by anybody. That
shows a lot of character for someone so young. She plays hard, but she doesn't
play with too much emotion, which is another good thing about her. There are
some players that can let other players get into their heads, but Lauren won't
let another player get into her head."
Sandy Brondello on LJ - "This is her best season - she's playing better
than I've ever seen her play. I know what she is capable of, and she's performing
day in and day out."
Sandy Brondello on LJ - "Anne is the best coach for Lauren. It's a great
fit, and Anne can help her in so many ways. Anne knows just how to push her buttons,
channel her energies into the right direction, and it just goes to show - Anne
is a great coach and she was a great player."
Sandy Brondello on LJ - "She's such a passionate person. She'll stand up
for what she believes and never back down. A few years ago, she might have. But
this past year, she's grown the most. She has shown a lot of mental toughness
and really built up her body."
Tully Bevilaqua on LJ - "The scary thing
is she is only 22. I see in Lauren's game a lot more maturity this
year. She's such a well-balanced player. She's such a threat from
the perimeter, from under the basket, everywhere."
Lisa Leslie on LJ - "Don't touch me!"
Ann Meyers on LJ - "She's such a sweetie.
You have to get to know her first, but then you find out she's a
real sweetie."
Adrian Williams on LJ -
"Lauren Jackson played an MVP game. She's a great player."
Crystal Robinson to LJ - "You've got
to take the West."
Tamika Williams -
"Lauren Jackson is All-American. She can do it all, and if anybody
on their court is going to take over the game, it's going to be her."
Gary Fox on LJ - "Obviously, we've
got to focus on the superstar because the last two times we've played
them, we've been unable to contain her. She is a superlative player,
but we've got to go after her and we've got to force some of the
others to try and step up and play."
Dave Herbert on LJ - "Lauren Jackson's
amazing isn't she; that's what it comes down to."
Karen Dalton on LJ - "She's a great
player. I think we need to limit the other players. With Lauren,
we have to be as physical as possible, within the rules of course,
and that's what I will tell my players to do."
Karen Dalton on LJ - "If Lauren chooses to score she's going to score. Lauren
is a very good player she's got a lot of tools to her game . . . she's very difficult
to stop."
Carrie Graf on LJ - "You can have a
cup of coffee with her and she's like she's 35 years old. Other times
she's dancing around being 22."
Carrie Graf on LJ - "That's just who she is. She is one of a kind."
Carrie Graf on LJ v LL - "If ever there was a heavyweight bout, that's one,
and it's happening in women's basketball."
Lin Dunn on LJ - "She had so many challenges,
leaving family and friends, so many high expectations. She still
hadn't developed her body. Her overall development -- mentally, physically,
emotionally -- she was still young. But everyone knew all along that
it was just a matter of time. When it came together, wow, watch out."
Lin Dunn on LJ - "She's very down to earth. She lives a simple, quiet life.
She is a hometown hero and handles that well."
Lin Dunn on LJ - "She enjoys the outdoors -- she even had me out trying
to surf. I thought I was going to drown! But it was fun, and that's one of the
things about Lauren -- she likes to have fun."
Allie Douglas on LJ - "Lauren's a tough
competitor and I enjoy playing against her, and as everyone knows,
she is the best."
Narelle Fletcher on LJ - "I was reading
in a magazine that Carrie Graf says she's got some bitch in her,
and it's true. She's such a competitor. You have to beat the best,
so you just try everything you can . . ."
DeMya Walker on LJ - "I love playing physical games. It's always physical
against Lauren Jackson, she's a great player."
Dawn Staley on LJ - "Of course (she's a MVP candidate). Anytime you get
20 points and 20 rebounds, that's a huge feat for any player. But that doesn't
just come by any player. I think she's having a terrific year."
Janell Burse on LJ - "I know how great of a player Lauren is. You have to
give her over a hundred percent every time you play her, or else you're just
going to get scored on. I was trying to play as hard as I could every time I
was around her."
Sheryl Swoopes on LJ - "People will say she's not deserving because her
team didn't make the playoffs. But if you look at her numbers and her defensive
play this season, she deserves it. She's definitely got my vote."
John Shumate on LJ - "(Jackson's) a great player. She was at home, she had
a great night. Great players have great nights. She’s an Olympian, she's
one of the greatest women's players on this Earth."
Trudi Lacey on LJ - "We knew Lauren Jackson was going to be tough and she
finished with 22. We tried everybody on her and couldn’t find an answer. … Whenever
they needed a basket, they went to Lauren."
Trudi Lacey on LJ - "Definitely (Jackson should be MVP), I think. I have
a lot of respect for Lauren because I’m sure she's had injuries, but she’s
played through them and been there for her team. You have to have tremendous
respect for somebody who does that."
Nancy Lieberman on LJ - "Lauren Jackson has been a star for many years but
is now becoming a superstar, and will be the MVP of this league one day.''
Katie Smith on LJ - "LJ is great. She’s versatile. She’s similar
to Lisa (Leslie) in that she can step out and also play down low. She’s
strong and is always a defensive presence inside. She has that little attitude
about her and gets her team fired up. She just can do a lot of different things
and is hard to guard. She’s doing nice things for her team when they need
it. Her and Sue (Bird), that’s a 1-2 punch right there."
MVP Quotes
LJ on being 2003 WNBA MVP - "It means a new generation of youth coming in.
Just being 22 and getting it says a lot - it's awesome. It could have gone to
several other people."
LJ on being 2003 WNBA MVP - "I never thought this would happen. Personally,
this is a great achievement for me."
LJ on herself and AD - "(Anne) really took an interest in my game. I don't
think I'd be here without her."
LJ on being 2003 WNBA MVP - "I didn't believe that I would get it, because
we didn't make the playoffs."
LJ on being 2003 WNBA MVP - "I honestly didn't believe I was going to win
it, and I did convincingly, I heard."
Tom Maher on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "For her to win this at 22, as a foreigner,
it now ranks her as the No.1 player in the world."
Tom Maher on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "It's huge, Loz winning that award. That's
like Mark Viduka winning the world soccer player of the year. The perception,
right or wrong, is that the WNBA was not keen to promote foreign players and
that's been the perception among foreigners over there."
Michele Timms on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "Lauren winning this award is even
bigger than normal because she doesn't play the media - she's won it totally
off being the classy player, the MVP, she was this season. Playing in the WNBA,
you set many goals. For me it wasn't to win the MVP because I knew I never would,
but for Lauren that was one of her goals this year. She wanted to take her game
to the next level."
Michele Timms on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "But on what she's shown this year
. . . on the way Leslie was going before her injury, I still had Lauren pegged
for MVP. She was outstanding. There is no doubt she could go on to dominate this
award like Jordan did in the NBA. She's said throughout the years to me that
she's not going to be one of these players who play forever. 'I don't love the
game that much', she said. But I think deep down she really does but doesn't
want to admit it. I think that there will definitely be a dominance of Lauren
Jackson in world basketball."
Michele Timms on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "She's up against the best players
in the world night in, night out, so this is just huge. It's right up there with
Jana Pittman winning a gold medal at the world (athletics) championships."
Phil Brown on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "From day one there was clearly some
pretty special characteristics with Lauren. The first time I saw her she had
just turned 14 and I'd never seen anything like it in junior level and I don't
know I will again."
Phil Brown on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "She didn't have an outstanding skill
level when she first came into the AIS, but she's just got great hands and moves
so well. She's agile and she's got a competitive streak, so there was a lot in
place already to build from and she worked hard for three years with us. So it
doesn't surprise me what she's achieved."
Phil Brown on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "When she puts her mind to being successful
and competitive you can see it in her eyes. Nothing is going to get in her way
and she's always had that self-belief that she feels she can get it done."
Phil Brown on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "It will be 100 years, if ever, that
we see another as good as Lauren."
Lucille Bailie on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "You can tell when you look into
some athletes eyes there is a hunger to succeed Lauren is extremely driven and
when she wants to achieve something she will."
Robyn Danzey on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "While Lauren has always been well
known in the basketball fraternity this award will make her well known throughout
the wider community."
Robyn Danzey on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "Lauren has the entire package. She
is one of the world's top elite athletes and she has the look. Playing in both
countries makes her perfect for international companies to have a presence in
both places."
Anne Donovan on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "Lauren winning MVP brings a lot to
Seattle and the Storm organization. It's amazing that she is only 22 years old
and has already accomplished so much."
Anne Donovan on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "Lauren Jackson is truly deserving
of the MVP award. She dominated the court this season."
Anne Donovan on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "She came to every practice and every
game focused and determined. She dominated the court this season by leading the
league in scoring, and field-goals made, and finishing fourth in rebounds per
game."
Carrie Graf on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "This isn't the best (Jackson) can
do. Everyone has been talking about her being a phenomenal player since she was
16. Her game is just going to continue to get better."
Carrie Graf on LJ as 2003 WNBA MVP - "Basically it proves what everyone
has been saying about her for the last few years. Everything all the coaches
have been saying, and obviously everything Lauren deep down knew about herself.
She has just put it all into action and gone about dominating the league. She
is destined to be one of the best products of Australian basketball ever."
