Rachael Pamela Sporn (born 26 May 1968, in
Murrayville) is an
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal A ...
former
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
player and three time Olympian. Sporn was Development Executive for the
Australian Melanoma Research Foundation
The Australian Melanoma Research Foundation participates in various activities to raise funds and raise awareness of melanoma.
References
Cancer organisations based in Australia
Health charities in Australia
Medical and health organisations ...
but has since left the organisation.
Career
Born in
Murrayville,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
,
Sporn played for
Adelaide Lightning
The Adelaide Lightning is an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The club was formed in 1993 and they play i ...
in Australia's
Women's National Basketball League where she was twice league
MVP
In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...
and seven times selected in the WNBL All-Star Five. She heads the all-time points scoring and rebound list for the WNBL.
The
Women's National Basketball Association
The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...
club
Detroit Shock recruited Sporn for the 1998 season.
Sporn played 304 games for the
national basketball team, the Opals, including three Olympic Games—two silver medals (2000 and 2004) and a bronze (1996)—and three
World Championships
A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
(1990, 1994 and 1998).
Sporn is a member of the
Australian Sports Hall of Fame and the
Australian Basketball Hall of Fame.
She was awarded the
Australian Sports Medal
The Australian Sports Medal is an award given to recognise achievements in Australian sport to commemorate Australian participation in major sporting events. Original recipients of the award included competitors, coaches, sports scientists, offi ...
in 2000 and the
Centenary Medal in 2001.
Rachael Sporn is currently the only
Adelaide Lightning
The Adelaide Lightning is an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The club was formed in 1993 and they play i ...
player to have her number retired by the team, having begun her stellar career when the club commenced in the 1993 season. Her #14 singlet hangs on the western wall of the
Adelaide Arena
Adelaide Arena (known commercially as Adelaide 36ers Arena) is a multipurpose indoor sports stadium located in Findon, an inner western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
It is the former home arena for the Adelaide 36ers of the NBL and th ...
alongside the Lightning's 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2008 WNBL championship banners.
Personal
In 2015, Sporn was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia. Sporn is married to Maurie Ranger with whom she has two children. She has remained active in promoting the
Adelaide Lightning
The Adelaide Lightning is an Australian professional women's basketball team competing in the Women's National Basketball League ( WNBL). The club is based in the city of Adelaide, South Australia. The club was formed in 1993 and they play i ...
, and in 2015 campaigned to secure vital funding for the team. In May 2015, the club secured a one-year agreement with the Motor Accident Commission as key sponsor.
Her older brother
Kieran Sporn
Kieran Sporn (born 28 August 1966) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with and in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 1989-94.
Career
Originally from South Australia where he played for South Australian National Footb ...
(born 28 August 1966) was also a top level athlete who played
Australian rules football.
See also
*
List of Australian WNBA players
The following is a chronological list of Australian players who have played at least one game in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The list includes both past and present players. Active WNBA players are shown in bold.
Austral ...
*
WNBL All-Star Five
The All-WNBL Team is an annual Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) honour bestowed on the best performing players in the league following every WNBL season. From 1988 to 2018–19, the honour was known as the All-Star Five. As of 2020, it is ...
*
WNBL Top Shooter Award
The WNBL Leading Scorer Award is an annual Women's National Basketball League (WNBL) statistical award given since the 1981 WNBL season.
The Leading Scorer is determined by the player with the highest average points per game, throughout the r ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sporn, Rachael
1968 births
Living people
Adelaide Lightning players
Australian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Australian women's basketball players
Basketball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Basketball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Basketball players from South Australia
Detroit Shock players
Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Olympic basketball players of Australia
Olympic bronze medalists for Australia
Olympic medalists in basketball
Olympic silver medalists for Australia
People from Murrayville, Victoria
Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia
Forwards (basketball)