Editor’s Note: This story is part of a series from SB Nation profiling the 2025 WNBA All-Star teams. Today, let’s get to know Jackie Young.
Aces guard earns 4th All-Star selection despite team’s difficult season
The Aces aren’t having their best season, but Young’s two-way play has nonetheless been critical.
Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images
Noa Dalzell is a senior writer covering the WNBA and all of women’s basketball for Breakaway, SB Nation’s women’s sports vertical, as well as the Celtics for CelticsBlog.
At 27 years old, Jackie Young already has a long list of accolades. The former Notre Dame star has one NCAA championship and two WNBA championships under her belt, three All-Star appearances, and two Olympic gold medals.
This year, despite the Aces amid a difficult season, Young has been selected to her fourth All-Star appearance, a recognition that came as a result of her consistently strong two-way play.
She’s averaging 17.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, figures that are all above her career averages but remain below her career bests. Her shooting, across the board, is slightly down — she’s hitting 43.7% from the field and 30.3% from three.
Still, Young has helped keep the Aces afloat, oftentimes tasked with guarding opposing teams’ top guards and anchoring Las Vegas’s perimeter defense. And, she’s had some massive showings at key moments; most recently, a 30-point, 6-assist performance against the Golden State Valkyries on Saturday night. In that game, she scored the Aces’ final 10 points to secure the two-point victory.
As such, Young was selected by WNBA coaches as one of 12 reserves and will be one of the two Aces to lace up for All-Star weekend in Indianapolis, the other being three-time MVP A’ja Wilson.
Young was the No. 1 pick in 2019 after a standout career at Notre Dame, which included her being named the ACC tournament MVP in 2019. In college, Young averaged 12.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game. Her senior year, those numbers improved to 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.
Most recently, Young reached a new professional accolade — she surpassed 3,000 career points, achieving a feat only 94 players have accomplished in the history of the league.
After Saturday’s standout performance, Young took a moment to reflect on her growth.
“It’s cool to be able and look back and see how much I’ve accomplished, how far I’ve come since my rookie year.”
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