Jackson and Cambage on ESPN's Aussies Abroad

Lauren Jackson premiering Wednesday 18 July @ 8:30pm AET on ESPN

 

Liz Cambage premiering Thursday 19 July @ 8:30pm AET on ESPN

With the 2012 London Olympic Games just 11 days away ESPN’s Award winning series Aussies Abroad catches up with two of the Australian Womens’ Basketball team’s biggest stars — Opals Lauren Jackson and Liz Cambage.

Both women reveal to Aussies Abroad host Jason Bennett the highs and lows on their two very different roads to the top - both on and off the court -  in these revealing episodes premiering this week on ESPN.
 
Awarded a scholarship to the AIS in 1997 aged 16, Lauren Jackson took the Basketball world by storm and has never looked back. From her beginnings in Albury, country NSW, she has amassed Championships and MVP Awards in Australia, the US, Russia, Spain and Korea. Her star studded career has seen Jackson rise through the ranks to become a three time Olympic Silver Medallist, a superstar for the Seattle Storm in the WNBA and one of the greatest winners the sport has known.
 
While she has taken it in her stride, it hasn’t been without a tireless work ethic that has earned her ultimate respect from team mates and rivals alike, but as most great sporting stories go, it  has had its fair share of tears and dramas behind the scenes.  In this episode of Aussies Abroad Jackson reflects on her 15 year career, the struggles she has faced juggling life and basketball, the times she thought injury may have ended her career, her desire to have children and the flame that burns within as Captain of the Australian Team to lead the Opals to Olympic Gold come August.
 
Aussies Abroad Lauren Jackson premieres on ESPN Wednesday 18 July @ 8:30pm AET
 
The following night, the Aussies Abroad Olympic special on the Opals continues with a revealing interview with Jackson’s teammate and Olympic Games rookie Liz Cambage.
 
Like Jackson, Cambage was labelled the “Next Big Thing” when all 6 foot 7 inches of her exploded onto the scene in 2007 as she made her debut in the WNBL for the Dandenong Rangers, but unlike Jackson, Cambage’s journey had been a painful and difficult one full of childhood angst and struggles with self confidence.
 
Despite dominating performances for the AIS and Bulleen, as well as numerous awards in the WNBL, Cambage’s introduction to the Tulsa Shock in the WNBA in 2011 was tough and she has weathered a roller coaster of confidence over the years, but the likeable Aussie has done the hard yards and is ready to explode on the international stage.
 
Cambage’s Olympic debut in London could potentially be the 20 year old’s time to announce herself as a star in front of the biggest audience in the world.
 
In this episode of Aussies Abroad, host Jason Bennett gains a great insight into the personal and professional struggles Liz has been through to establish herself over the last couple of years and speaks to those closest to her including her mother Julia, coaches Tom Maher and Michele Timms, team mates Sharin Milner (Bulleen), Samantha Richards (Opals) & Ivory Latta (Tulsa) and one of her biggest fans Lauren Jackson.
 
Aussies Abroad Liz Cambage premieres on ESPN Thursday 19 July @ 8:30pm AEST
 
Encore 60 minute screenings of Aussies Abroad: Lauren Jackson/Liz Cambage will air:

Fri, July 20 at 6pm on ESPN2
Sun, Jul 22 at 1pm on ESPN2
Sun, Jul 22 at 9pm on ESPN
Mon, Jul 23 at 6pm on ESPN2
Wed, Jul 25 at 8:30pm on ESPN
Fri, Jul 27 at 11am on ESPN2
Sat, Jul 28 at 3pm on ESPN
Sat, Jul 28 at 6pm on ESPN2
Sun, Jul 30 at 8am on ESPN
Sun, Jul 30 at 7pm on ESPN2
Thu, Aug 2 at 8pm on ESPN2
Sat, Aug 4 at 1pm on ESPN2
Sun, Aug 5 at 8am on ESPN