Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson tells Sam Squiers what it was like to come back and play at a World Cup at 41 years of age, six years after retiring! Jackson has insisted publicly that the tournament was a one-off return to international competition, but she hints at the possibility of another – for Paris 2024. She also goes into details about her relationship with Liz Cambage, her life-changing professional stint playing in Russia and why she needed a girdle and g-string to play in the Opals’ iconic bodysuits. Lauren opens up on her awkwardness as a teenager, how she struggled to make representative teams and how she coped with home sickness when she was drafted number one overall in the WNBA Draft.

Sportette has asked the most influential athletes and administrator their wish for the women in their sport for next year and in five years.