OLYW - Jackson the all-time leading scorer

LONDON (Olympics) - Lauren Jackson underlined her status as one of the greatest players the world has ever known by becoming the all-time leading scorer in women’s Olympic basketball history.

The 31-year-old, playing in her fourth Olympic Games, poured in a team-high 18 points on Wednesday to lead Australia to a 67-61 victory over Brazil.

The 1.96 Jackson surpassed the previous record held by USA legend Lisa Leslie, who had 488 points and four gold medals in her glittering Olympic career.

Jackson, who is still in pursuit of her first Olympic gold but owns silver from her three previous Olympics experiences, now has 497 points in her career and the opportunity to score a lot more before the London Games are over.

Asked about it after the win over Brazil, Jackson admitted she was not aware of the record.

"I didn't know about that. I haven't even thought about it, I'm old," she revealed.

"It's something that, when you're in a team sport, you just want to win."

When told about the record, her coach Carrie Graf paid tribute to Jackson.

“She is an iconic basketball player for Australia,” she said.

“At this Olympics, for her to be the flag bearer spoke volumes for who she is as Australia's leading sports person.

“In terms of women's basketball, she is iconic.

“I think it's fitting that at this Olympics as a flag bearer she gets a record like that."

FIBA