Lauren Jackson, 43, makes history with Paris Olympics selection

• Lauren Jackson named in the Opals squad for Olympics
• Jackson retired with debilitating knee soreness in  2016
• Basketball legend will suit up for her fifth Olympics

Lauren Jackson reckons she’s no longer the star but try telling that to her Australian Olympic teammates as she suits up for a fifth Games, 12 years after her last.

The basketball Hall of Famer was confirmed in Australia’s side for this month’s Paris Games on Sunday and will join current Boomers Joe Ingles and Patty Mills alongside Andrew Gaze as the country’s only five-time basketball Olympians.

Four-time medallist and three-time WNBA MVP Jackson’s stint spans seven Games though, the 43-year-old retiring with crippling knee pain before the 2016 Olympics.

She went into basketball administration before the use of medicinal cannabis helped spark a tentative 2022 return that culminated in World Cup bronze.

Jackson announced a second international retirement after that before a torn achilles and serious foot injury last year seemingly closed the curtain on an incredible career.

But the mother of two rose again and, after successful negotiations to have her family in France, will be a centrepiece of the world No.3 side’s mission to dethrone four-time defending champions the United States.

Olympic track cycling champion Anna Meares is Australia’s chef de mission for Paris and said the presence of Jackson would be felt beyond the basketball court.

‘I’m retired and I’m paying a price physically and I’m 40 years of age,’ the four-time Olympian told AAP.

‘The juggle is real, the challenge is real. Being a mum of two young kids, I can appreciate and respect that immensely.

‘She’s an inspiration. There’s a real joy she’s still there. These are the sorts of athletes when we’re gone we really miss them.’

The 2012 Australian flag bearer said she’d never encountered more pressure than in the past two weeks.

‘The last time I was doing this I was the star so I didn’t have to worry about being selected,’ she said.

‘I’m not anymore; I’m the role player, had to work to make sure I got selected.

‘I’m so proud of myself.’

The Opals’ Tokyo campaign was derailed when Elizabeth Cambage, a towering centre like Jackson, left the camp acrimoniously on the eve of the Games.

Jackson returned to the fray the following year with the program’s culture still firmly in the spotlight.

‘There’s been a real shift towards making sure we have great people involved,’ she said.

‘There’s a real effort to ensure everybody has a voice.

‘We’ve been doing the work to make this real, but it’s paying off … and anything is possible.’

Veteran Boomers guard Matthew Dellavedova will suit up for a fourth Games, the 33-year-old forcing his way back into the fray after coach Brian Goorjian had cut him for last year’s World Cup.

Dellavedova was used sparingly when Australia beat Slovenia to win bronze at the Tokyo Games, elite NBA defender Matisse Thybulle instead helping contain star man Luka Doncic to win a historic medal.

But the mentor will take Dellavedova and not Thybulle (27), where pool match-ups in Lille with a stacked Canada and potentially Spain and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece await.

Two-time Olympian Chris Goulding was also cut despite strong form in the recent trial games, so too Xavier Cooks despite being among the Boomers’ best at the World Cup.

Australia’s Gangurrus will play every team in the eight-strong women’s 3×3 field after winning a historic first berth.

AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC BASKETBALL SQUADS

Opals: Rebecca Allen, Kristy Wallace, Marianna Tolo, Sami Whitcomb, Stephanie Talbot, Jade Melbourne, Ezi Magbegor, Cayla George, Alanna Smith, Isobel Borlase, Lauren Jackson, Tess Madgen.

Boomers: Josh Giddey, Dyson Daniels, Josh Green, Patty Mills, Dante Exum, Jock Landale, Duop Reath, Joe Ingles, Jack McVeigh, Will Magnay, Matthew Dellavedova, Nicholas Kay.

Gangurrus (3×3 women): Anneli Maley, Lauren Mansfield, Alex Wilson, Marena Whittle.