Basketball superstar Lauren Jackson is to skip the first half of the 2012 WNBA season to focus on Australia's Olympic gold medal bid.

Jackson has been a key member of Australia's past three Olympic campaigns at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 for the return of three Olympic silver medals. On each occassion the United States of America has been too good.

Jackson has committed to a three-month build-up to the London Olympics in May, June and July 2012 after negotiations with her WNBA side Seattle Storm.

The push to have Jackson concentrate solely on the Opals' campaign came following a review of last year's world championships campaign where the fancied Opals were surprisingly ousted by the Czech Republic at the quarter-final stage.

And Basketball Australia is confident fellow Opals stars playing in the WNBA will follow Jackson's lead in coming weeks with Australia looking to go one better than its 2008 Beijing Olympics silver medal.

"I am so excited about having the Opals as my only priority and commitment," Jackson said in a Basketball Australia statement.

"I truly believe that this is the perfect preparation for the Opals to achieve history through winning Olympic gold."

Basketball Australia's high performance commission chairman John Maddock said the news would be a bonus for the Opals and should ensure they are well prepared going into next year's Olympic competition.

"This Basketball Australia mid-term review clearly identified that the strategy needed for the future success of the Opals in London revolved around a concentrated preparation campaign," Maddock said.

Jackson will rejoin her Storm teammates following the Olympic tournament.

AAP and AOC