Year: 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 and prior
2005
LJ on herself and America - "America hasn't changed
me. I'm just who I want to be."
LJ on herself and career - "I still feel like I've got so much more I can
improve on in every aspect of my life."
LJ on her life - "I can't complain. I mean, really, I have a fairytale life."
LJ on wanting to be the best - "... I find myself wanting to be the best
at whatever I'm doing. I could be wrapping Christmas presents and it would have
to be perfect or I'm not happy. I'm a bit of a freak, but that's just me."
LJ on when she retires - "I want to help people. I'd love to have a women's
refuge, get involved in the community or maybe do something with developing coaches
for younger players."
LJ on Suzy Batkovic - "She's like one of my sisters. At the (AIS) we lived
together, like we grew up together basically from when we were 12 to 18."
LJ on Batkovic coming to the WNBA - "There will be a huge adjustment for
her - I think it's a lot harder, more demanding physically, but I think that
she'll be fine. She's a big body and she's strong and she doesn't take any crap
- sort of what I was like in my first year in the league."
LJ on Batkovic coming to the WNBA - "She'll get more technical fouls than
I did."
LJ on her ankle - "They (doctors) said they needed to do the reconstruction.
They said they needed to do all that stuff, but I think they found more damage
in there than what they originally thought they were going to. Luckily, they
did it, because they said if I had left it for a couple of years, it would have
been irreparable."
LJ on being at training camp early - "Yeah, it is weird. Yesterday was weirder,
going through the fine book and everything. I was thinking, 'See, I had an excuse!'
Now I have to do everything."
LJ on the circa 2002 Storm van picture - "They need to change that. That's
the breaking news. I'm not happy with that photo."
LJ on being 24 - "I've got a problem with getting older. 24 feels old because
I am always used to being the youngest and now I'm not anymore."
LJ on her break from basketball - "I hadn't had a break in many months.
In addition to the physical strain, it was hard emotionally for me when my grandmother
passed away, so that time off was definitely needed. Then when I found out that
I needed to have the surgery on my ankle, it was like a godsend. It was great
that someone else was telling me to take the time off because I might not have
done it myself."
LJ on her pets - "I have a dog named William and a cat named Ginger. I had
another cat but he died last year. The dog is a bit of a mix of everything. He's
got some pitbull, lab and kelpy, which is an Australian dog. He's quite big and
beautiful. He lives with my mom and dad. He's my best mate."
LJ on surfing - "I enjoy a little bit of surfing. I learned how to surf
about five years ago and now I just go out there and have a bit of fun with it.
I've got a massive longboard, like an 8-foot board, so it's not that hard to
stay up. I only do it along the coastal areas in Australia where I'm familiar
with the beaches. I don't go down in South Australia where we have Great White
sharks."
LJ on the B&W magazine - "I was surprised at just how controversial
it became. I'm completely naïve to that kind of thing anyway. I generally
don't read newspapers. I'll do something if I want to do it and that's how I've
always been."
LJ on her hair colours - "It depends on what sort of mood I'm in. If I'm
in an all-conquering mood, I'll do it myself. That's when it typically doesn't
turn out so well. Generally, I go to a hairdresser, and my favorite one is back
in Australia.I was black for a little while, then I went red, settled on blonde
and then wanted a mix of everything. It just depends on what mood I'm in."
LJ on being a better dancer or singer - "Oh God. Neither. It's shocking.
I have no skills in that department whatsoever. I thought I was decent, but I'm
not."
LJ on wearing the #15 - "I used to wear my dad's number when I was younger.
All of a sudden they stopped giving me that, and then 15 was the only number
that I could have. That was just fine because it was my mother's number, and
I wanted to be just like my mom because she was a great basketballer."
LJ on getting another MVP title - "I don't really think about it because
the greatest thing that happened in my career was winning the championship. It
was unbelievable. Obviously, the MVP Award is something I would love to win again,
but at the end of the day, it's really about the championship. It was the best
thing that has ever happened to me and I want to experience that again with the
girls."
LJ on Sue Bird - "I love playing with her. She's the best point guard there
is ... Sue always plays 100 percent and brings out the best in everyone else.
I wouldn't want to be playing against her, that's for sure."
LJ on beating Detroit without Sue - "We all wanted to play well for Sue.
Especially me, since I'm the one that did it."
LJ on Sue Bird two games after the broken nose - "Sue's unbelievable. Everyone
talks about Sue and Lauren and how we click together as teammates and that's
true. ... Yeah, I miss her a lot, but when she gets back, we'll be fine."
LJ on Sue Bird and the 4-game road trip - "I can't say it's been a bad trip.
I don't think a lot of people really had faith in us as a team without Sue. But
we proved we can play without her, but it is a lot harder. If she was here, we
would have won by more. I know we would have. Oh, God, I just want her to hurry
up and get back."
LJ on her condition at the start of the season - "Strength-wise, I'm where
I need to be physically to play as well as I did a couple years ago. In term
of getting up and down the court, as a post player I'd be fine. But running around
like a little guard isn't what I do best."
LJ on the Comm Games - "I love Australia, and as a little kid growing up
I watched the Commonwealth Games, and to be there next March will be a dream
come true."
LJ on the Comm Games - "This is going to be huge and I want to be part of
what will be a great advertisement for our sport and showcase the class of the
Australian team."
LJ on the Comm Games - "It's the first time basketball has been involved
and it's in Melbourne, so my family can see me play. And aside from everything
else, we should be getting a gold medal. It seems it's a huge big deal. I remember
watching the Commonwealth Games when I was young with my family so it's something
I want to be part of."
LJ on rep basketball - "To represent your country is the ultimate, and while
a gold medal in Beijing is my No. 1 priority, Melbourne is right up there."
LJ on her plans - "I am a very proud Australian and am in the process of
developing the Lauren Jackson Foundation to help kids in rural areas achieve
their sporting dreams."
LJ on her national pride - "I am totally committed to representing Australia
and winning gold for my country."
LJ on getting the win in Charlotte on June 12 - "I just didn't want to lose.
We just had to win this game. I'm glad this road trip is over and I'm certainly
ready to go home."
LJ on the NBA salary of millions upon millions - "I don't mind
— I wish that would be the same for me and anyone else that
was the No. 1 pick, because that's a huge number."
LJ on Andrew Bogut before the NBA Draft - "But if he got No. 1, it would
be huge for basketball in Australia, so I think it's awesome."
LJ on being benched - "The last time I was benched was by my mum in under-12
play."
LJ on being voted in as an All-Star starter - "It means a lot to me to be
starting. All of Seattle, we really worked hard for this. And I heard I got a
lot of votes from Australia, so it's just awesome."
LJ on being voted in as an All-Star starter - "I feel honored, because
I think that a lot of people from my country voted a lot,. I heard that
there was a huge surge of voters from Australia online, which means the
world to me. More than anything, for my country, it's awesome for my fans
in Australia."
LJ on the July 3 win over Sacramento - "I was so driven to win that
game."
LJ on the July 3 win over Sacramento, speaking in third person
-
"Lauren got her groove back."
LJ on Sheryl Swoopes - "She is one of my closest friends in this league.
She is a funny, funny person."
LJ on winning her second ESPY - "Ever since I did my nudie shots, I'm
a little bit more famous than I ever was. It's, 'Oh, there's that girl that
did the bikini shots. We're gonna vote for her.'"
LJ on Sheri Sam - "She talks so much crap. The whole game she was talking.
She's just funny."
LJ on the July 31 win over LA - "It looks like a cat attacked me. It
was pretty physical."
LJ joking about a possible rivalry with Nicole Ohlde - "When I start
pulling her hair, that sort of thing, then there will be a rivalry."
LJ on Anne Donovan's 100th WNBA win - "For someone to make a team want
to win for their coach is a pretty powerful thing."
Anne Donovan on the Jan 26 Canberra v
AIS game -
"Oh yeah, I'm just here to evaluate everybody, and of course Lauren
and Tully, my two favourite Aussies. Renae Camino's a nice player. I'd heard
a lot about her coming into the game, and Caitlin Cunningham had a great
game, so those two stood out for me."
Anne Donovan on LJ breaking Sue's nose - "Lauren knows, rationally,
it just happened the way things do in games. But you could tell, especially
when she saw Sue with the black eyes the next day in the airport … she's
a kid, and she just feels terrible."
Anne Donovan on LJ after the July 3 win against Sacramento - "It was
probably her best night of the season, I would say, by far."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "Lauren, even though offensively she hasn't been
as efficient, she's rebounded like I've never seen her rebound. Consistently.
Every night. Defensively, she's been a different player this year."
Anne Donovan on Seattle's leadership - "I thought our leadership was
great between Sue and Lauren really setting the way and doing some great
things for us."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "It's my opinion that Lauren is the best player
in the league, based on skill and intangibles. That willingness to put the
team's success ahead of her personal success is one of those intangibles
that makes her the best player in the league."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "Statistically, if she's not doing something on
the stat sheet, she's playing defense like nobody else, so to me she's an
MVP night in and night out."
Anne Donovan on LJ - "I think people take Lauren for granted. They
get used to what she does."
Sue Bird on LJ - "I'm going to stick
up for her right now because people are getting on her for being
tired and all this stuff. If I had to go down low and get banged
around by (Sparks center) Lisa Leslie, I'd be exhausted. Lauren
is good at the banging, she doesn't get tired at that. But we
had her running around like a crazy person. So it's a different
kind of tired. You can't overlook that."
Sue Bird on LJ - "She is the star of our team –she's the MVP,
an MVP candidate pretty much every year, and she thrives on that pressure.
It's what makes her great. You guys (in the media) have been fueling her
fire, I'll tell you that much."
Sue Bird on LJ after the July 3 win against Sacramento - "[Jackson]
was a monster. When she hit a couple of outside shots early, I think that
got her confidence going. And when she's inside, I'm not a post player,
so I don't know how tough it is, but it looked hard."
Carrie Graf on LJ after the WNBA regular
season - "Obviously we've played them and we've seen a lot
of scouting tape on her. She plays at both ends of the floor
and is a complete player. She plays inside and out, is a great
defender and rebounder, and opens up the game for the rest of
her teammates. She's a clear MVP."
Carrie Graf on LJ - "She doesn't take shit and she'll let you know.
She's a bitch. She's a bitch and she doesn't stand for losing. She's a fighter,
she's a warrior and that's what makes her so great."
Carrie Graf on LJ - "Don't go there, don't mess with her. If you do
you'll stir up a hornet's nest."
Carrie Graf - "You're out of your mind if you don't go watch [Jackson]
play in your home town. One day you'll be going, 'Oh, damn it, all those
years Lauren Jackson played in Canberra I didn't go see her play'. That's
like living in Chicago and then when [Michael] Jordan retires you go, we
could have had a season ticket and watched him play every week."
Diana Taruasi on catching a break with
LJ leaving the floor - "You would think. When you take away
the best post player in the world, you'd think you'd have a better
chance, but you know what? Seattle played really well. They always
play well at home and today they showed that again. They're going
to be tough in the playoffs."
Tom Maher on LJ - "She can be a drama queen."
Comm Games Chairman Ron Walker on LJ - "Lauren's inclusion will lift
the team and standard of competition at the basketball as high as any international
competition in the world."
Neil Mumme (LJ's manager) on LJ - "Lauren
is a proud and passionate Australian and she wouldn't miss the
Games for the world."
Neil Mumme on LJ and the salary differential of male and female
athletes - "You look at some male athletes who are untested and on
$4 million or $5 million a year, where female athletes are nowhere near
that. There's a great divide between male and female athletes in terms of
endorsements and I'd like to think Lauren will lead the charge for female
athletes in closing that disparity."
Neil Mumme on LJ and the salary differential of male and female
athletes - "Lauren is indisputably the best female basketballer in
the world and we believe she's perfectly placed to bridge that [salary]
gap."
Andrew Webster in his article on LJ - "Finally
she's starting to fit into the body and position the big fella
upstairs handed her."
Andrew Webster in his article on LJ - "She is a once-in-a-generation
freak of nature, but also an engimatic and intriguing individual laden with
contradiction."
Michele Timms on LJ - "I feel like a Lauren Jackson groupie."
Journalist Jane Hutchinson on LJ - "The frightening thing is that most
agree Jackson isn't even near her peak yet."
Journalist Jane Hutchinson on LJ - "... it was never about the money.
It was always just about her childhood dream of becoming the best player
in the world."
Janell Burse on LJ - "I love playing with Lauren,. Whenever I get a
blocked shot or something, she just loves it and gets all excited. She's
such a great post partner to pass the ball to. I feel like I can always
get LJ the ball down low because she's so athletic and she can pretty much
grab anything."
Jan Stirling on LJ - "She has size, agility, strength and great shooting
range and a brain for basketball. She is a complete basketballer and is
passionate about playing for Australia. Every Australian should be excited
at the prospect of seeing her play for her country at this level."
Nancy Lieberman on LJ - "She can play anywhere on the court and can
take you off the bounce or shoot over you. She's redefining the game with
how she plays."
Michelle Voepel on LJ - "Her combination of phenomenal natural ability,
versatility and willingness to keep learning make her better each season."
Trudi Lacey on LJ after Storm dft Charlotte on June 12 - "They were
playing a high-low game and just throwing it up there. Lauren's going to
get it. We were sending help and everything else we can do, but she's a
great player. We still held her to 17 points, and for playing against the
best player in the world that's not too bad."
Tangela Smith on LJ after Storm dft Charlotte on June 12 - "I knew
she was a great player going into the game and very physical. I had to do
what I could to limit her touches. But it wasn't all about me. I had to
get help from my teammates because she's a great player."
Janel McCarville on LJ and Seattle after Storm dft Charlotte on
June 12 - "They'’re tough. Lauren Jackson is a big reason why
they are where they are. It's just night in, night out, you've got to go
against players like that. You can't let her abuse us like she did, but
we put forth a pretty good effort. She's a premier post player. (She can)
step outside, play inside. (She uses) finesse and strength when she needs
to."
John Whisenant on LJ after the July 3 game - "Even though she's still
not as good as she was, she's awfully good."
Sheryl Swoopes on LJ - "I think there's a lot of pressure on [Jackson].
Maybe not as much as a Diana Taurasi or a Sue Bird, because they're here
[American players] and people know who they are and have followed their
careers. But there's pressure on [Jackson] because people know how good
a player she can be."
Dan Hughes on LJ after the July 15 game - "Lauren Jackson played extremely
well and Sue Bird got it going in the second half. When they have those
two elements going, they're in pretty good shape ... Jackson hurt us early
inside and then she went to the perimeter a little bit... that's why she's
so difficult to guard."
Amy Lawson (Sun-Herald reporter) on LJ - "'If Jackson were a man she'd
be worth $200 million', says a Sydney player manager."
Pat Coyle on LJ - "There was always someone around her and probably
grabbing her. She is a great player. She is one of the greatest players
in the world."
Aussie marathon great Rob de Castella on LJ - "It's very good for athletes,
even when they have superstar status like Lauren does, to return to their
roots to keep a sense of where it all came from and keep it all in perspective."
Aussie swimming great Petria Thomas on LJ - "It's pretty amazing to
see [Lauren] still playing here in Canberra. She's arguably the best in
the world at what she does and to have her playing in town week in, week
out is pretty special really."
Alana Beard on LJ - "She's too cool for school, mate."
