Lauren Mansfield

In 2008, an 18-year-old Lauren Mansfield left her home in Adelaide to study and play basketball in the USA. Playing for Midland College in Texas from 2008 to 2010, Lauren's impressive performances earned her a move to Iowa State University.

In her final season with Iowa State, Lauren was made co-captain and played 31 games across the season. The point guard averaged 8.2 points per game, made 103 assists and was named in the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team.

Moving back to Australia in 2012, Lauren joined the Adelaide Lightning where she made her Women's National Basketball League (WBNL) debut.

Staying with her hometown team until 2014, in the 2015-16 WBNL season Lauren joined the South East Queensland Stars before moving south for the 2016-17 season where she joined the Canberra Capitals.

It was also in 2017 when Lauren won her first senior international medal, winning silver at the FIBA Asia Cup in India.

Unfortunately missing out on the 2018 World Cup due to injury, Lauren joined the Perth Lynx, playing two seasons before leaving in 2020.

From 2020 to 2022, Lauren played for the Sydney Flames and also briefly appeared for the Gold Coast Rollers, but also debuted for the national 3x3 team and enjoyed success with the Gangurrus as they won the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup in Singapore.

A few weeks later Lauren then made her Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham, winning bronze for Australia's 3x3 basketball team.

In 2023 she competed in the FIBA 3x3 World Cup in Vienna and finished with a bronze medal behind the USA (gold) and France (silver).

Later that same year Lauren re-joined her home city WBNL team Adelaide Lightning after nine years.

In 2024 Lauren won gold with the Aussies at the FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup. Most impressively, Lauren and her Paris 2024 teammates Anneli Maley, Marena Whittle and Alex Wilson were part of the first Gangurrus team to win a FIBA 3x3 Universality Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Victories against Kenya (22-9) and no.2 seed Canada (21-16) in the group stages set up a high intensity semi-final against Brazil (18-16) and a nail-biting rematch against Canada (19-16) in the final. It was their last chance to qualify, as they were not eligible to participate in the final Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Hungary.

In Paris Lauren and the Gangurrus rebounded from an opening loss to Canada with four-straight wins.

With a spot in the semi-finals within reach, a back injury kept Lauren out of a loss to Spain. Still carrying the injury with the Gangurrus entering the 'play-in' stage of the tournament, they needed to win a rematch against Canada to advance to the semi-finals.

Canada was too good, winning 21-10.