Lauren Jackson reflects on the road to basketball comeback with Bandits

The Australian basketball legend announced Wednesday that she's coming out of retirement to join the Albury-Wodonga Bandits for the upcoming NBL1 East season.

It's been six years since chronic knee pain forced her off the court, but the 40-year-old has since been aided by a medicinal cannabis trial.

Jackson will now seek a therapeutic use exemption before the season commences in April.

"That's been critical in my ability to recover and come back," she said

"I'm going through the process of trying to get a therapeutic use exemption, but if I can't get it I'll have to stop.

"My knee's not an issue, it's probably the least of my issues at the moment.

"The stars have really aligned for me."

While it's been speculated that Jackson has had her sights set on participating in the FIBA World Cup later this year, she said it's not on her radar.

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Famer and three-time WNBA MVP is content playing in front of her home crowd in Albury.

"The fact that I get to play basketball here in front of our community is more special than anything I can imagine," she said.

"When I started training again I don't think I expected to even get to this point.

"To have the confidence to say that I'm ready to sign is such a milestone for me.

"Just suiting up for the Albury team is a bit of a dream come true.

"In 2010 I was really drained and basketball had taken a huge toll on me emotionally. I'm a different person."

The Bandits have joined NBL1 East in its inaugural year after leaving South.

"I've had a lot of support from NSW my whole career, so to play what will be the end of my basketball journey here in Albury and NSW is just so special," Jackson said.

She returns to the Bandits after coaching the women's side in 2019.

"They kind of know what I'm about, and as a teammate I'll probably be a bit hard on them, but that's what it takes to get to that next level," Jackson said.

"I hope that I can offer them that experience, some inspiration, and that reality that once you get to this level, the sky is the limit."

Current Bandits' coach Matt Paps, who is four-years younger than Jackson, said he'd grown up watching the star.

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"Having coached against her in the past as an assistant in the WNBL, to now actually have the opportunity to coach her and not have to work out how to stop her is pretty exciting," he said.

Bandits' president Luke Smith isn't shying away from the enormity of the signing for the club.

"It's massive for us to have the world's best female basketballer back in our backyard in her hometown playing," Smith said.

"We're over the moon for Lauren, her boys, and for Albury-Wodonga."

Jackson's comeback game is set to be against the Illawara Hawks at the Albury stadium named in her honour on April 9.

The mum-of-two is looking forward to the opportunity to play in front of her two sons, Harry, 5 and Lenny, 3 this season.

"Mum has already called it, she said I'll be crying in my first game," Jackson said,

"I probably will have a few tears.

"It's like being out on a playground. Basketball is just that for me, it's where I'm happy."

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