By Eamonn Tiernan
Lauren Jackson may have spent 16 seasons with the Canberra Capitals, but the Australian basketball legend is now firmly camped in Melbourne Boomers territory.
Jackson became Melbourne's commercial operations executive in May and the Caps' greatest export confirmed she would be rooting for the Boomers when they host Canberra on Saturday night.
Lauren Jackson will become a Canberra rival on Saturday.Credit: Jamila Toderas
"I can't stay neutral on this one, I work for the Boomers and I'm a part of their family now, I want to see our girls win," Jackson said.
"I care a lot about the Caps and how they're doing and I will always have that connection but in the same breath I work for the Boomers' success now.
"Canberra will always have a special place in my heart and one day I might be back working there, but at this stage I'm with the Boomers and that's where my loyalties lie."
Jackson has been keeping a close eye on Canberra's remarkable form turnaround this season despite retiring from all levels in the sport.
She moved to the capital as a teenager to join the AIS program before leading the Capitals to their first championship in the 1999-2000 season.
Jackson signed a landmark WNBL deal with the Capitals five years ago to play three seasons in Canberra between 2012 and 2016.
Injury prematurely ended her career and limited her to just six games with the Capitals in that period.
But she knows first-hand about the bitter rivalry between Canberra and the Boomers after making a surprise WNBL comeback in the 2009-10 season to help lift the Capitals to championship glory.
She left the Capitals almost 12 months ago and the club was at its lowest ebb, losing 20 games in a row before an on-court turnaround this season.
"You want to see your old team be successful and move forward and they are, they're doing great things under Gorry (Paul Goriss) who is a great coach and a great guy," Jackson said.
"Obviously I still still follow the girls and I do miss playing for the Caps but it's still fun to watch them."
The teams have met twice already this season with Canberra winning both, but Jackson agreed the Caps were a great example of how quickly things can change.
"We have been playing well at home even know we haven't been winning as much, but this team was on the brink of folding and never returning to the league," Jackson said.
"We had to put a team together in two or three months so we didn't have a great opportunity to get the best players, but I'm loving my new role down here.
"I'm having a great time and learning a lot. The board are great and it's fun to be a part of it and see what goes into creating a successful team and hopefully next year we'll be right up there with the best."
WNBL ROUND 11
Saturday: Melbourne Boomers v Canberra Capitals, State Basketball Centre, 7.30pm.