Lauren Jackson was an athletic, lanky 15-year-old when Tom Maher first set eyes on the young prodigy from Albury.
It was 1996 and Maher had just coached the Opals to Australian basketball’s first Olympic medal in Atlanta. He was sitting in a regional NSW stadium watching the national junior championships where Jackson, the daughter of Australian representatives Marie and Gary, was playing for NSW Country.
“From the first moment I saw her I thought that’s going to be the best player ever,” Maher told ESPN.
“There’d been a meeting for the intensive training centre coaches from around Australia, so they’re all sitting in the stands. We’re all talking about Lauren, it was clear she was special. There was a time out and Lauren’s looked up and there’s 40 men just looking at her, in awe.
“I said at the time she’s not going to be just the best player of the generation. I used the example of the Australian cricket team, at this time Steve Waugh is the best player and at this time this player is the best, but Bradman’s hailed as the greatest.
“And I said this is not going to be the best player, Lauren is going to be the greatest.
“Some people associated were saying ‘we need to keep things down, we need to keep a lid on her, we don’t want her to get…
