Jackie Young can complete a unique championship résumé Sunday by adding a World Cup gold medal when Team USA faces France in Berlin.
Jackie Young has a high school state championship, an NCAA title, three WNBA championships, and Olympic gold medals in 3x3 and five-on-five. A World Cup gold on Sunday would make her the first player to hold all five.
She found out about it from a reporter a few weeks before the tournament started.
"I actually had no clue about that," Young said. "That's pretty cool. At the same time, basketball's a team game."
A First World Cup at 28
Young made her World Cup debut on Sept. 4 in Berlin. It is the one senior USA Basketball title she does not have. She is averaging 11.2 points per game through five games, the highest mark on the American roster. Breanna Stewart is second at 11.0 and Napheesa Collier third at 9.6.
Through the first four she shot 54.5%, going 18-of-33, and was the only American to reach double figures in every game. She had 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting in the 108-56 quarterfinal win over Hungary and 12 against Spain in Saturday's 76-66 semifinal, six of those in the fourth quarter. Her 12, Stewart's 16, and Kahleah Copper's 13 were the only double-figure games on the roster that night.
Stewart holds the team's best efficiency rating at 16.6, with Young second at 12.0 and Paige Bueckers third at 11.8. In assists Young averages 2.8, behind Caitlin Clark's 5.8.
"Coming in, playing the right way, embracing the role that I'm in for USA Basketball and then having fun," Young explained. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes in order to get the win for the USA and the accolades come with it."
Reunited With the Coach Who Gave Her the First Gold
Kara Lawson coached the American team that won the first Olympic 3x3 tournament in Tokyo, going 8-1. Young was on it. She had been called in late after Katie Lou Samuelson tested positive for COVID-19.
"Getting to play for Coach Kara Lawson is special," Young said. "She was my coach for 3x3 so being able to be coached by her again, I'm excited about that."
Chelsea Gray is the other long-running relationship on this roster. The two have won three championships together with the Las Vegas Aces, in 2022, 2023, and 2025, and Olympic gold in Paris.
"I'm excited to have another opportunity to represent USA Basketball," Young said. "It's always an honor being able to play for them and I'm excited to be able to play with some of the best players in the world and be able to share this moment with Chelsea."
Between the Veterans and the Debutants
Gray and Stewart are the only World Cup veterans left on the roster after A'ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum were ruled out for health reasons. Aliyah Boston, Bueckers, Clark, Rhyne Howard, Angel Reese, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen are all making World Cup debuts alongside Young, with far less international experience behind them.
Notre Dame won the NCAA title with Young in 2018, and the Aces took her first overall in the 2019 WNBA Draft. She was named Most Improved Player in 2022 and has made five straight All-Star teams. This season she averaged 18.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists for Las Vegas. She turns 29 three days after the final.
The United States has won 35 straight World Cup games, dating to a semifinal loss to Russia in 2006. A fifth consecutive title Sunday would match the Soviet Union's run from 1959 through 1975. It would also be a 12th overall.
France awaits after beating host Germany 86-64, with Gabby Williams scoring 22. Tip-off is 2 p.m. ET at Berlin Arena, on TNT and truTV with streaming on HBO Max. Germany and Spain play for bronze at 10:30 a.m. ET.
