3x WNBL Champion, 2x WNBL All-Star Five, the 2017 WNBL Defensive Player of the Year, and now the Paris Olympics! Marianna Tolo has surely turned every tide in her favor. She continues to dazzle her way through Australia’s professional basketball league as well. However, her links to basketball do not end just there. In fact, her husband, Daniel Jackson, is also a former basketball player.

While not a lot of information is available on the couple, we can assume that the two probably met as basketball players trying to pave their way in the Australian basketball community. As Marianna Tolo, who was a part of the LA Sparks in 2015, tries to get past the quarterfinals in the Olympics this time, let us go in-depth into their relationship.

Marianna Tolo’s better half

Daniel Jackson was born in Wollongong, New South Wales on April 26, 1988. He played for the basketball program of the Illawarra Sports High School as a junior. There, the high school inducted him as a Hall of Famer. Instead of going to a proper college, the 6-ft-5 basketball player fetched a scholarship to attend the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) in 2006. Dan only spent one year in the program. He represented the Australian under-19 team in 2007. Later, he joined the state league team Wollongong Hawks.

He made his NBL debut in 2007 as a 19-year-old young small forward. In his very first game with the Hawks, he scored 8 points, making his potential as a permanent player known. After two years, the Hawks beat the Townsville Crocodiles to reach the 2009-10 Finals.

There, Jackson only received three minutes of floor time as the team lost to the Perth Wildcats. Subsequently, in his six seasons as a Hawk, Dan could not prove his worth. In the 120 games that he played, Jackson averaged 1.3 points, 0.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists.

However, he parted ways with the team in 2013 after confessing that the separation was on best terms. On his decision to retire, Dan told the Illawarra Mercury, “Everyone wants to be a superstar in the league when they start off playing. It didn’t turn out that way for me but I’ve got no regrets about anything. I enjoyed the ride and made some really good friends. I’ve got memories I’ll have with me for my whole life.”

The 25-year-old mentioned that after a sufficient break from the sport, he would like to return as a coach. Something he could not do then with no coaching experience. Hence, he shared that he would spend time with his girlfriend Marianna Tolo in France as she continued to be a leading member of the Australian Opals. About one year ago, in August 2023, Dan Jackson and Marianna Tolo got married. Still, the 35-year-old professional is continuing to represent Australia while playing in the WNBL.

The path of the Canberra Capitals star

Marianna Tolo was born in Mackay, Queensland on July 2, 1989. As a junior, the talented 6-ft-5 center has represented the country for six years in the Australian U16, U18, and U20 Championships. Moreover, with her AIS scholarship that she received in 2006, Tolo has competed in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons with the program’s WNBL teams. The following year, she won the WNBL championship for the first time.

After that, the Queensland native became a starter and won the 2010 Season MVP for successfully guarding the 6-ft-9 4x WNBA All-Star Liz Cambage, who recently appreciated Caitlin Clark, and for setting a WNBL record of 13 blocks in a single game. Since then, her career as a professional basketball player has only boomed. She has collected a total of 3 WNBL championship titles, 2 WNBL All-Star Five titles, and was the 2017 WNBL Defensive Player of the Year.

She has also represented Australia in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Unfortunately, they lost to Team USA in the quarterfinals. However, Marianna Tolo is soon flying to Paris to hopefully avenge her team over the star-studded Team USA.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.