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WATCH: WNBA Great Lauren Jackson Opens Up About Depression

By Howard Megdal

SEATTLE, WA - JULY 15: Retired WNBA player Lauren Jackson is honored during a ceremony retiring her No. 15 jersey which became the first jersey retired by the Storm at Key Arena, after a win against the Washington Mystics in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Joshua Huston/NBAE via Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JULY 15: Retired WNBA player Lauren Jackson is honored during a ceremony retiring her No. 15 jersey which became the first jersey retired by the Storm at Key Arena, after a win against the Washington Mystics in Seattle, Washington. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Joshua Huston/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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For WNBA fans, Australian Lauren Jackson represents the pinnacle of the sport. An inside-outside threat who led the Seattle Storm to a pair of championships, won three MVPs, and posted the two best Player Efficiency Rating seasons in league history, Jackson represents the very best the league has seen at her position to date.

Jackson’s accomplishments need to asterisk, but it is fair to wonder just how great her numbers would have been, if not for a constant, career-long battle with injuries. It is a tribute to Jackson’s ability to battle.

On Friday, she revealed another battle, one that came just after her playing career ended: depression that left her at her parents’ house, working up the strength to live on her own once again.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 18: Lauren Jackson of the Opals drives to the basket during the Women’s FIBA Oceania Championship match between the Australian Opals and the New Zealand Tall Ferns at AIS on August 18, 2013 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Postles/Getty Images)
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – AUGUST 18: Lauren Jackson of the Opals drives to the basket during the Women’s FIBA Oceania Championship match between the Australian Opals and the New Zealand Tall Ferns at AIS on August 18, 2013 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Stefan Postles/Getty Images) /

“When I retired, I felt like I was put out to pasture,” Jackson said. “Meanwhile, my body’s crap—sorry, I could have said something else… and I was on anti-depressants throughout my career. You spend your whole career doing one thing, and then, suddenly, it’s over.”

Jackson’s willingness to come forward continues the process of bringing depression out of the shadows. It sounds like she’s figured out a way to move forward emotionally, too.

“I’m glad I retired, because I feel like a whole person now,” Jackson said.

Watch the whole interview here.

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