This was published 13 years ago
Time-out gives this MVP a chance to regroup
An Achilles injury has brought Lauren Jackson home. She's not licking her wounds - there are too many challenges ahead, writes Michael Cowley.
By Michael Cowley
SHABTAI von Kalmanovic brought two Jacksons to Moscow. One was an instant success, adored by locals, and given every luxury one could desire by the Lithuanian multimillionaire. The other was Michael.
A decade after convincing Michael Jackson to perform in Russia, von Kalmanovic, a basketball-loving businessman and a former KGB spy whose background would not be out of place in a John le Carre novel, enticed Lauren Jackson to join his Spartak Moscow Region team.
Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson smiles at a "bobble head" doll likeness of herself.Credit: AP
Von Kalmanovic - who spent five years in jail in Israel for spying - would regularly be courtside, cheering and offering high fives to his team, which also included American stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. They were rewarded with large salaries, palatial accommodation, chefs, drivers, shopping trips to Paris and bonuses for major wins.
All that ended in November 2009, when von Kalmanovic was killed in a hail of an assassin's bullets while his car was at traffic lights in Moscow.
Lauren Jackson in action for the Canberra Capitals.Credit: Andrew Sheargold
For Jackson - Lauren, not Michael - it was devastating. Von Kalmanovic, she said, was the only reason she was in Russia. He had taken her under his wing. He had been her safety net. She was at home in Canberra at the time of the shooting rehabilitating after a back injury, but she was able to fly to Israel for the funeral. She did not think she could handle returning to Spartak.
There were grave concerns for the club with von Kalmanovic gone, but his wife, Anna Arkhipova von Kalmanovic, stepped in with a promise to continue his legacy and the club subsequently won a fourth successive European title. The success also persuaded Jackson to return.
''It was an incredibly difficult time,'' she says. ''You don't expect that sort of thing to happen to someone you know. When the team was taken over by his wife, who I had played with, there was no question about whether I would go back. I was pretty close to his family and when they offered me the contract, I said 'yeah' in a heartbeat.''
Jackson's second coming at Spartak, however, was again cut short by injury, her European season coming to an end earlier this month when she suffered an Achilles tendon injury.
She returned for treatment to Canberra. There, after years of playing in Asia, Europe and the US, the globetrotter has come to realise how important her home country is to her.
''I'm probably five or six years away from retirement and it's just hitting home now how much I need to be with my mum and dad, and my very close family in Albury,'' 29-year-old says. ''It's really important just to get back here and reconnect, any time.''
You don't need Wikipedia to learn about Jackson's hoops history. She is considered the best female player in the world, has won championships and awards on five different continents, and missed out on just one, an Olympic gold, having won silver three times with the Opals.
When she calls, we could talk basketball all afternoon. Or, to mix it up a little, we could chat about everything. So we do, starting by seeking a description of Lauren the person. ''I don't know - a roll-with-the-punches sort of gal?'' she offers. What about the girl who reads horoscopes and she's a ''bit of a fairy'' at times?
''Yeah, I still do that. I've got quirks and a lot of contradictions, but that's just who I am. I can't really explain it. My friends often say, 'Who really are you?' I say, 'I don't know'. I'm a bit of a chameleon. I'm pretty shy, and I think a lot of people - especially because of my size and what I've achieved - mistake that for an arrogance. But I'm just an extremely shy person. Sometimes I just get really shy in situations where I have to speak … I've been that way my whole life and when I was younger I struggled with it, so I chose to keep my mouth shut.''
From the minute Jackson could talk, basketball was what she wanted to do. Both parents had played for Australia, and when she was two weeks old she was with her mum, Maree, on a bus, heading to a tournament. They never pushed her, but she knew it was something she would do. But if her life had turned out otherwise …
''I'd imagine my life would have probably not been too different to a lot of people, just growing up in the country and I probably would have had a family by now and be living in Albury still, which all sounds lovely, and I'll probably be doing it 10 years down the track rather than now. I still see myself as an Albury girl and see myself living back there at the end of my career and hopefully having a family and things like that as well.''
Family? Things like that? Is there something we should be hearing about Lauren? For someone with such a high profile, it's amazing how well she has done to keep her private life just that.
''It's not like I've purposely tried to hide anything, I don't really have a private life. I've found it difficult as an athlete to maintain a relationship, it's not one of my best points but I've got family and friends who compensate for that.
''I've become very much focused on school and playing. I really don't go out. When I was younger I went out and had a lot of fun, and there were moments when people criticised me for that and, you know what, I'm young, I'm going to do that, and anyone who is going to get on me for that … I really didn't care.
''As I got older the most enjoyable thing for me is just sitting around with family and friends and having a quiet drink. I don't need to be out.
''And like I said, I've never been in a really important relationship, that's not who I've ever been. I like my space and especially with sport I'm pretty selfish in terms of that, unfortunately, and I don't have it forever.
''But once I decide to settle down and actually be with someone, I wouldn't have any pre-conceived ideas about being private about it.''
Twice Jackson has made headlines away from the court. The first time was her nude photo shoot for the Athens Dream publication, then her appearance in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
She really enjoyed stepping outside of her comfort zone. Sport is her thing, not fashion. Well, not yet anyway. Besides, Jackson also has other interests she wants to give more time.
Having been moved by the plight of abused women in shelters during her time in Canberra, Jackson decided the best way she could help was to go back to school. While in Russia, she started studying psychology at Lomonosov Moscow State University, which she is continuing at Macquarie University in Sydney.
''It's pretty unreal to be still wanting to learn as I get to 30. It's something that's driven me to go back to school and learn more about gender issues in general and put them into play after basketball. I want to work with under-privileged people. I want to be out there helping people.''
And maybe she'll find just a little bit more time for herself, too.
''Wearing high heels and dresses has never been my thing,'' she says. ''On very special occasions I get done up and I feel like a goddess, but I'm an athlete and love being an athlete and I work hard on my body to get it right. I wished that I loved wearing dresses more and getting glammed up more, but it's just who I am. I think that when I retire I'll probably put much more effort into that sort of stuff, but now it's just a case of I'm usually too tired or too sore.
''But I'm every part a woman and love all things woman and what we do and how we do it, and there will be a time when I'm definitely back in the real world, and doing all that stuff. Not just yet though.''