Michael Voepel
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- Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women’s college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women’s basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.
Coach Becky Hammon glanced to her left and offered an apology she knew wasn’t really necessary.
“Sorry about the 40,” Hammon said to Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, who had just played every minute of the team’s series‑clinching victory Thursday in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.
“If there’s somebody who’s going to do 40, it’s her,” Hammon said. “She’s just built for these moments: physically built, mentally built, emotionally built.”
Since the Aces first secured a string of eight consecutive WNBA semifinal berths in 2019—the year Young was selected first overall—she has been a cornerstone of the franchise. The forward has appeared in 286 of Las Vegas’s 292 regular‑season games and every one of their 59 playoff contests, averaging over 30 minutes per game during the stretch.
Now, as the defending champions aim to even the series against the Golden State Valkyries in Wednesday night’s Game 2 (9:30 ET), Young remains an indispensable piece of the Aces’ puzzle.
Guard Caitlin Clark, who teamed with Young on the gold‑medal‑winning U.S. World Cup squad in Berlin last month, praised her teammate’s all‑around game. “She does everything really, really well on both sides of the ball,” Clark said. “She passes the ball and finishes through contact really well. She’s strong, she’s physical, she shoots the ball at a really high clip, too. I don’t really think there’s a single flaw in her game.”
However, the Aces fell 71‑60 in Sunday’s Game 1 against the Valkyries, and Young struggled with just 11 points on 4‑of‑15 shooting, along with four rebounds and five assists. Las Vegas will need its star guard to recapture her dominant form if they are to return to Las Vegas tied 1‑1 for Game 3.
Young has been on the floor for nearly every minute of Las Vegas’s first four playoff games and is expected to stay that way through the postseason. Championships are her hallmark: she has collected titles at the high‑school, college, and WNBA levels, in addition to Olympic gold medals with Team USA in both 3×3 and 5‑on‑5 formats.
Now Young aims to guide the Aces back to the WNBA Finals, where a victory would give Las Vegas a record‑tying fourth championship.
Young’s nickname on Las Vegas’s roster is “Special Agent Zero,” a playful nod to her jersey number that reflects a no‑fluff, Midwest‑grounded style of play. Hailing from Princeton, Indiana—a suburb of Evansville—she burst onto the high‑school scene before starring at Notre Dame, where she helped the Fighting Irish capture the 2018 NCAA championship.
Jackie Young is the first basketball player to win a:
-high school state championship
-NCAA title
-WNBA title
-5×5 Olympic gold medal
-3×3 Olympic gold medal
-FIBA World Cup gold medal— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) September 13, 2026
While she may not receive the same MVP buzz as A’ja Wilson or the moniker “Point Gawd” often attached to teammate Chelsea Gray, Young’s play belies the label. She recorded the third‑most assists in the league this season, underscoring her impact as a playmaker.
Chelsea Gray noted the evolution of Young’s game: “She’s such a good scorer, they’ve got to bring a double on her,” Gray said, also praising her riskier passing. “I also think she’s gotten riskier with her passing. It’s not just a simple chest pass or a bounce pass. They’re more difficult passes, and they’re on time and on target.”
Young posted career‑high averages this season—18.9 points, 6.8 assists, 2.3 three‑pointers per game, and a 92.8% free‑throw mark. She anchored the Aces to a 2‑1 first‑round series victory over the Fever, delivering 18 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the decisive Game 3.
The ball is in my hands a little bit more this season, but it’s about making the right play,” Young said. “It’s just continuing to put in the work, and then just being confident.
“All the hours I’ve put into the gym to be able to play my game, and also watching film, the game has slowed down for me.”
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Las Vegas Aces vs. Indiana Fever – Game Highlights
Young’s confidence has blossomed since her three seasons at Notre Dame, where she posted averages of 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. She opted to enter the WNBA draft a year early after her sophomore season.
That 2019 draft class—featuring Asia Durr, Arike Ogunbowale, Napheesa Collier, Alanna Smith, Brianna Turner, and Ezi Magbegor—is widely regarded as one of the strongest in WNBA history. Although Young did not capture Rookie of the Year that inaugural season, she has emerged as a worthy cornerstone of that elite group, solidifying her status as a top‑five pick.
Young has dedicated herself to refining every facet of her game. She connected on 36 three‑pointers at Notre Dame, but managed only 22 in her first three WNBA seasons. A turning point arrived in 2022 when she poured in 50 threes en route to the Aces’ first championship. Since then she has posted seasons of 89, 70, 80, and most recently 100 three‑pointers.
Breaking news from Alexa Philippou
That turnaround demanded a revision of her shot mechanics and a bolstered belief in her own abilities. Former Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw highlighted the mental dimension of Young’s professional evolution as the most striking element of her growth.
Young set a state record for high‑school scoring in Indiana, finishing her Princeton career with 3,268 points. McGraw recalled watching her recruit, joking that her only critique was, “Shoot more!”
McGraw observed that Young “was always passing, keeping her teammates involved,” and that even at Notre Dame she “could do anything, but would kind of defer to other players.” She praised Young’s evolution: “The biggest change Jackie has made—and I credit her working with Becky for a lot of this—is the mindset. Now she’s coming down and pulling up for the three, and I love it. I don’t think she saw herself as ‘I’m the one.’ Now she sees herself more in that role.”
Hammon noted, “There’s a certain presence that she carries with her, a certain assurance that she has in herself,” adding that such confidence can be contagious. “With Jackie, it’s interesting because she’ll have nights where she might be struggling, but then—boom—she’ll go on a two‑ or three‑minute run where she can pour in 15 points. That ability to take over a game is always there.”
McGraw praised Young’s defensive instincts, saying, “It’s hard to be the best defender and then also a top scorer and passer, too, because it takes a lot of energy, but she’s able to do that. She’s just really smart. She can figure out how she needs to guard you, knows your tendencies, and is always in the right spots.”
Young and the Aces have forged a seamless partnership over the last eight seasons. Set to become a free agent in 2027—and having turned 29 just last month—she is already drawing considerable interest, though her focus remains entirely on the current series against Golden State. “This is my time of year, and championships are my thing,” she said.
“It is special to have won at every level,” Young said. “Somebody told me recently to try to enjoy that while I’m in it. So I try to think about all I’ve accomplished, while knowing there’s still a lot more left.”
Kendra Andrews contributed to this report.
