Storm Q&A: MVP Lauren Jackson
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Jackson Player Page
Jackson Named WNBA MVP
Get Storm Headlines!The WNBA announced Wednesday that Seattle Storm forward Lauren Jackson has been voted the league's MVP for the second time in her prolific career. The honor caps a standout season that also saw Jackson lead the league in both scoring and rebounding, win Defensive Player of the Year and be named to the All-WNBA and WNBA All-Defense First Teams.
From Detroit, where she was presented with the MVP trophy prior to Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Jackson spoke to storm.wnba.com about her reaction and more.
storm.wnba.com: When did you first hear you had won MVP? Was the first phone call to your mother?
Jackson: I found out about last Thursday, so it was pretty cool. The first phone call I made was to my mother, yes it was.
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It was pretty special. It was really special. Just walking in there and seeing the trophy and everything, I got really excited. It's always special. You work hard, and it's nice being rewarded, especially when we couldn't advance in the playoffs.
Did winning come as a surprise given all the MVP talk in the Seattle media?
Honestly, I didn't know. I really had no idea. It was a relief when I got the call from Donna. It was definitely a relief and definitely a load off. I was very excited and it was fantastic.
Does an honor like this naturally reflect on your teammates as well?
My teammates have definitely been a huge influence all year. We train against each other every day, so they make me better regardless of how we do in the season. Every practice, we made each other better and then we went out after it. We train hard. You've got to give most of the credit to them and the people who work with you. Also, I give a lot of credit to my teammates in Korea and my coach in Korea as well. Being over there definitely made a huge impact on my fitness and my headspace. I rejuvenated a lot of things toward basketball and my headspace. Everything was great.
As the first pro athlete ever to win two MVPs in Seattle, you continue to cement your spot in the local sports landscape. How important is the city to you?
Seattle's definitely been wonderful for me. I love it there. It's been fantastic to me. The city itself, it couldn't be better. I'll raise my family there if I ever have one. The fans have been so passionate and have supported me throughout my career. My relationship with Seattle and the people there, it's never been better and every year it gets stronger. Hopefully this brings some satisfaction to the people that have supported the Storm, knowing that we didn't make the second round. Hopefully people can get some satisfaction from this.
Is it tough to be at the Finals and know that as a team you hoped to be there and had the talent to get there?
Definitely. I think the last week has been hard, just watching the games on television. Honestly, I can say that I've been in a state of depression. I think that everybody goes through it that gets knocked out, but the way it happened to us, it just seemed to be déjà vu. It's definitely frustrating and hard being here, but today is a special day for me. I'm just going to take it for what it is and enjoy it.
What's your Finals prediction?
I'm going to say Phoenix. I'm saying bring it back to the West. I think that they're the best team in the league right now.
