Lauren Jackson back? (tomara que sim)

Lauren Jackson back?

The world's best female basketballer, Lauren Jackson, could make a shock return to the Capitals next month, if a $220,000 bid to draw the superstar back to Canberra is successful.

A team of local businesses, headed by Actew Corporation chairman John Mackay, hopes to raise the funds and entice Jackson back to the WNBL, should her contract with Russian club Spartak Moscow fall over.

ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope committed $50,000 yesterday to get the ball rolling, while Mr Mackay hopes his consortium can produce the rest of the money by next week.

Jackson is contracted to play in the EuroLeague Women competition for the next two years, but her club's financial stability has been questioned after the murder of its billionaire owner Shabtai von Kalmanovic earlier this month.

If the money dries up at Spartak Moscow and Jackson becomes a free agent, returning to Canberra would present an attractive proposition to the 28-year-old. WNBL rules state all players must be signed with a club before 50 per cent of their regular-season games have been played, which gives the Capitals until tip-off against the AIS next Wednesday night to secure Jackson.

Mr Mackay was confident the money would be available by next week. ''I would be very surprised if we weren't in the position to make that, even if we were just a bit short I'm sure I could find somebody to underwrite it until we got the final bit,'' he said.

A local consortium involving Mr Mackay and headed by Macquarie Bank's Stephen Johnston raised $400,000 earlier this year to secure Wallaby Matt Giteau's move back to the ACT Brumbies.

Several WNBL clubs are understood to be interested in securing Jackson's services if she becomes available and, while her manager Bruce Kaider said Canberra had been most proactive in luring the superstar, he maintained Jackson had every intention to serve the final two years on her Russian contract.

The towering forward has been in Canberra recently recovering from stress fractures in her back, and is on track to return to the EuroLeague early next month.

Last week, Capitals coach Carrie Graf met Jackson to discuss the possibility of moving to Canberra if the opportunity came up.

Graf said luring the four-time WNBL champion back to the Capitals would be a fantastic achievement, not just for the club, but the entire city.

''It would be monumental.''

nossa, eu to torcendo pra que ela volte para Canberra
ta certo que na Russia ela ganha mto e tals, mas agora que o tiozinho lá morreu, e ele que era o 'papa' das meninas do time
mta coisa com certeza vai mudar
so
acho melhor ela voltar a jogar na Australia

LooLkita escreveu:nossa, eu to torcendo pra que ela volte para Canberra
ta certo que na Russia ela ganha mto e tals, mas agora que o tiozinho lá morreu, e ele que era o 'papa' das meninas do time
mta coisa com certeza vai mudar
so
acho melhor ela voltar a jogar na Australia

Eu também acho melhor.