While Aces star A'ja Wilson's 93rd 20-point double-double highlighted the postgame report in Sunday's 91-81 victory over the Golden State Valkyries, there may have been a sigh of relief for Las Vegas fans with another performance.
Jackie Young appeared to be her old self, scoring 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, including five 3-pointers. She was one assist shy of registering a double-double of her own, while she also hauled in seven rebounds.
And with her 17th point in the game, Young hit the 3,500-point plateau and became the 24th player in league history with at least 3,500 points, 1,000 rebounds, and 1,000 assists. And by doing it in 251 games, Young became the third-fastest, trailing only Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi, who both did so in their 246th game.
Young did become the youngest to do so, at 28 years old and 257 days, topping Taurasi (29 years, 47 days).
The milestones and benchmarks were inevitable for one of the best guards in the league, so why the sigh of relief?
In the first seven seasons of her career, she had never finished with 0 points twice in the first six games of the season.
Until this year.
She also hadn't averaged single digits in scoring over her first six games since her second year in the league. After six this season, she was averaging 9.3 points per game.
But after turning in a 15-point performance in Thursday's road loss in Dallas, the four-time WNBA All-Star appears to be back on track.
Jackie-Young.mp4 pic.twitter.com/CB905XjTCt
— Shabazz 💫 (@ShowCaseShabazz) May 31, 2026
Getting Through It
Aces coach Becky Hammon said during her postgame press conference that Young was experiencing some personal issues off the court, and though her star shooting guard was 0-for-14 combined in a win at Atlanta and a home loss to Los Angeles, she wasn't concerned it would affect her game long-term.
"She was going through some stuff, of course, I'm going to check on her, I called her; those conversations will stay between us," Hammon said. "But I am highly invested in Jackie's human being aspect of her. She's a really great person, and anytime you see somebody that you love and care about going through something, you just want to be there in whatever capacity you can."
And as she offered assistance to Young and encouraged her while reaffirming that she believes in her capabilities for the team, she remained confident that her game would return.
"So yeah, we had some conversations, but there were zero doubts in my mind that she was gonna be fine this year," Hammon said. "There's so much basketball to be played, and like I said, it's a little bit of, 'Everybody relax ... she's good.'"
Big Sister
One year after Wilson won Rookie of the Year in 2018, she took Young under her wing during her rookie campaign and has considered her a little sister ever since.
Not that Young needs to be coddled.
Toughness has been stitched into her genetic code since starring as a high-school star in Indiana, winning a national championship at Notre Dame, and establishing herself as one of the greatest guards in the world.
But as Wilson has always made it crystal clear, the Aces are far more than her, and during their championship years, wouldn't have accomplished what they did without Young. Thus, when she is going through something—or any player on the team, for that matter—big sis will keep a close watch but also know when to, or not to, intervene.
"I'm not gonna hound her and tell her all these different things, I'm just gonna let her go through it," Wilson said. "Sometimes you gotta let people feel the feelings in order for them to really understand where they are and love who they are in that moment.
"And then when she has games where she's finally the Jackie Young that everyone knows and sees, I never shake from that."
Moving Forward
With Jewell Loyd sitting out Sunday's game, and needing "another day or two," per Hammon, and Chennedy Carter "pretty banged up on that hip (and) not moving right," Young will presumably be relied upon for her offensive prowess.
The Aces close out a three-game junket with their third meeting against the Los Angeles Sparks this season when the Western Conference rivals meet on Tuesday in the Commissioner's Cup opener for both teams.
The teams split their first two meetings, each registering road wins.
Young, who is averaging 14.3 points in 25 career games against the Sparks, will certainly be out for redemption after being held without a point in the most recent clash.
And her teammates know what to expect when she's on top of her game.
"My confidence never wavers through any teammate that goes through highs and lows, because I know the feeling firsthand," Wilson said. "I see the work that they put in. I know it's only a matter of time that you crack that glass ceiling (and) that cloud brightens up for you. So I just hope that I can constantly be there for each one of my teammates, particularly Jackie. I mean, she got a couple donuts, that's tough on anybody. Sometimes you gotta give people grace, and I hope that Jackie sees that and feels that with us."
W.G. Ramirez is a 39-year veteran sports writer and 54-year resident of Southern Nevada who is a Senior Staff Writer at Ballislife.com. Follow him on X at @WillieGRamirez.
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