Will Lauren Jackson be Canberra's highest paid athlete?

Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson will become Canberra's highest-paid athlete on a per-minute basis should she accept a $220,000 offer to make a brief WNBL appearance this season, writes Chris Dutton for The Canberra Times.

The Canberra Capitals, ACT Government and local businesses are working together to lure her back from Russia.

Jackson will still stand alone at the peak of the capital’s sport stars despite the ACT Brumbies forking out a considerable amount to sign Matt Giteau for the 2010 Super 14 season.

If she signs with the Capitals for an 11-game stint and averages about 30 minutes on the court each match, the 28-year-old will earn $666 per minute.

Given Jackson is returning from a back injury, she is unlikely to stay on court for a full 40-minute match. Brumbies flyhalf Giteau will earn roughly $425 per minute should he play every minute of the Super 14 season, from his deal with the Brumbies plus a consortium of local businesses who helped secure his services.

Giteau also gets top-up funding from the ARU for Tests, which takes his annual salary to about $900,000.

Canberra Raiders five-eighth Terry Campese will take home about $156 every 60 seconds he’s on the field, if he plays all of the 24 NRL matches.

To compare how much the trio earns per game, Giteau will get about $34,000, Jackson $19,980 and Campese about $12,500.

While it’s a lot of money, most of Canberra’s business community and rival WNBL coaches agree Jackson is worth every cent.

‘‘You can’t put a figure on what she’s worth,’’ Sydney Uni Flames coach Karen Dalton said.

‘‘For the league it’s fantastic. I don’t think anyone could afford it except for Canberra, so good luck to them.’’

Actew chairman John Mackay has already raised $160,000 of the $220,000 needed to lock Jackson into a short-term Canberra deal.

The Capitals must register her with the WNBL by Wednesday to ensure she can play.

The world’s best female player still has two years to run on her contract with Russian club Spartak Moscow. But the murder of Spartak boss Shabtai von Kalmanovich has clouded the 28-year-old’s future.

An indication of the 196cm centre’s popularity is the fact the Brumbies and Raiders have both committed $10,000 from their marketing budgets to boost Jackson’s salary.

Brumbies chief executive Andrew Fagan said it was a ‘‘worthwhile investment’’.

‘‘We recognise how important it is to have heroes representing your team and Canberra,’’ Fagan said. ‘‘What professional sport people earn is relevant to the industry they are in and they earn every dollar.

‘‘They’re the people who drive coverage of the sport, they generate sponsorship, they boost your membership and attendances.’’

Most WNBL players are lucky to earn $20,000 a season. But Basketball ACT boss Mark Cartwright said the Jackson deal could spark a boom in the sport.

‘‘Lauren is unique so if you want to be real about it the girls understand she’s a one off,’’ Cartwright said.

‘‘What excites us is that hopefully it makes the game more accessible to kids and maybe the Jackson factor can cause a mini boom in basketball here.’’

Mackay $60,000 short of target ACTEW chairman John Mackay has called on ACT businesses to ‘‘chip in’’ to help him find another $60,000 and bring Lauren Jackson back to the capital.

Three days after starting an audacious bid to lure Jackson to Canberra, Mackay had yesterday raised $160,000 of the $220,000 required by Wednesday.

The ACT Government has kicked in $50,000 and the ACT Brumbies and Canberra Raiders added $10,000 each yesterday.

WNBA all-star Jackson is contracted to Spartak Moscow for two more years.

But the murder of her Russian boss Shabtai von Kalmanovich has her ready to return to the Australian competition.

The Capitals need to register Jackson with the WNBL before their game against the AIS on Wednesday night.


SPLASHING THE CASH

LAUREN JACKSON - CANBERRA CAPITALS

About $220,000 for 11 WNBL games

Average of 30 minutes per game

= $666 per minute

MATT GITEAU - ACT BRUMBIES

About $510,000* for 15 Super 14 games

Average of 80 minutes per game

= $425 per minute

TERRY CAMPESE - CANBERRA RAIDERS

About $300,000 for 24 NRL games

Average of 80 minutes per game

= $156 per minute

* Giteau also receives an Australian Rugby Union top-up payment for Wallabies Tests which takes his total annual earnings to $900,000. This ARU money was not taken into consideration when calculating his games for the Brumbies.