Basketball Australia is delighted to have two Australian Basketball superstars as Aussie Hoops program ambassadors – Lauren Jackson and Matthew Dellavedova.
LAUREN JACKSON BIO
Arguably the finest female basketballer of all-time, Jackson tipped off her career at the AIS in 1997. Quickly making a name for herself in both the WNBL and internationally, she led the Chemist Warehouse Opals to silver medals at the 2000, 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, as well as gold at the 2006 FIBA World Championships. Jackson was taken with the first pick of the 2001 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm, where she led the Storm to two WNBA Championships while continuing to win four WNBL titles with the Canberra Capitals. Stints in Korea, Russia and Spain followed with continued success, before collecting a fourth Olympic medal in London, where she became the first female to carry the Australian flag at the Olympic Games Opening Ceremony. In 2016, Lauren joined the new ownership group of the Melbourne Boomers WNBL team, being named the team’s commercial operations executive. She was recently appointed by Basketball Australia to the position of Head of Women in Basketball.
MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA BIO
One of Australia’s finest homegrown athletes, Matthew “Delly” Dellavedova started his basketball career in regional Victoria playing for his hometown, the Maryborough Blazers. He spent three years at the AIS, before representing Australia for the first time captaining the U/19 Australian team at the World Championships in New Zealand. Dellavedova received a full athletic scholarship to attend St Mary’s College of California in the USA. His standout collegiate career led to an invitation to join the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2013 NBA Summer League. From there, Delly earned himself a spot on the Cav’s roster and the team went on to win a coveted NBA Championship in 2016. As a member of the Australian Men’s National Team, Delly has previously represented his country in two Olympic Games and a FIBA World Championship campaign. In addition to playing for the Boomers, he currently plays in the NBA, having returned to Cleveland in December 2018 from the Milwaukee Bucks.