Lauren Jackson

Jackson's Southside Flyers and Sydney Flames on Saturday night drew 7681 fans to John Cain Arena, eclipsing the 7500 fans who attended the Adelaide Lightning ...

It was so inspiring to see a full arena, a special thank you to my family, Gerry and the Flyers fans for coming out tonight,” Jackson said. “If I had’ve found out it was broken straight away I might not have played on it. Widely regarded as Australia’s greatest basketballer after a dominant and decorated two-decade career across the globe, Jackson was initially forced into retirement in March 2016 due to a persistent knee injury. Jackson pulled up sore from a defensive play where she appeared to receive little contact while guarding Flames import Jocelyn Willoughby. Jackson is still considering whether to continue her remarkable career. “I was always waiting to see how the surgery on my fractured foot in the off-season goes before making a decision on my future,” she said.

A record WNBL crowd of 7,681 at John Cain Arena fell silent as Lauren Jackson was assisted from the floor just 62 seconds into the game.

Claiming another medal for the national team could have been the perfect swansong for Jackson, but her work was not yet done, with her presence in the WNBL a delight for basketball fans young and old. "I obviously had a lot of time to take in the atmosphere and the crowd was just incredible. Postgame, Jackson took part in a presentation on court, before remarkably presenting to the media for a press conference that she could and should have been expected to skip. Gerry and Ian and our whole team should be so proud of what our front office was able to do, to bring that crowd out here tonight. It was great to be able to prove that it can be done and I'm pretty sure every single person in that stadium enjoyed that game." Just minutes earlier, the legendary Jackson was the final player announced to a raucous ovation.

The former WNBA MVP became emotional in distressing scenes during her own tribute match.

“I don’t know whatever it is. “This was absolutely incredible. “I felt something pop and I said to the referee, ‘I don’t think I can walk’,” Jackson said. “I think we have the best team in the league, there’s no doubt about it, and I’ve just got to regroup and get back out there.” To be a part of it was just magic, but it was a shame I couldn’t play more than 10 seconds,” Jackson said on court after the match. In tears as she left the court, the basketball icon returned to the bench early in the second quarter on crutches.

Australian basketball legend Lauren Jackson's glittering career could be over after suffering an Achilles i...

"If I had have found out it was broken straight away I might not have played on it. "I'm only sorry that I couldn't be out there on the court making an impact. It drew a WNBL-record 7681 fans to John Cain Arena. READ MORE: