“Almost 20 years after starting at the AIS as a 16 year old, I would like today to commend Lauren Jackson on a stellar career.

Lauren and I share Albury as our home town, but that is virtually all we share – she has set the standard for female athletes in Australia, is a sporting icon, four time Olympian and, at her peak, Lauren was the best player in the world.

As Australia’s greatest female basketballer, Lauren has made a ground breaking contribution to female athlete domestic contracts and I know her work in this area will benefit generations of sport-swomen to come.

I am sure this is not the last we will hear from Lauren and I wish her all the best for the future.”