Rachael Sporn


Rachael Pamela Sporn is an Australian former basketball player and three time Olympian. Sporn was Development Executive for the Australian Melanoma Research Foundation but has since left the organisation.

Career

Born in Murrayville, Victoria, Sporn played for Adelaide Lightning in Australia's Women's National Basketball League where she was twice league MVP 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 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 and a bronze —and three World Championships.
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 in 2000 and the Centenary Medal in 2001. Rachael Sporn is currently the only Adelaide Lightning 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 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, recently campaigning 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 was also a top level athlete who played Australian rules football.