WNBA Star Jackie Young Is A Middle Child—And Both Of Her Siblings Also Play Basketball
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The US Olympic women’s basketball team roster is expected to be confirmed soon, but several reports have the roster stacked with veterans. In the mix is WNBA star Jackie Young, who is a guard for the Las Vegas Aces.
The 26-year-old has Olympics experience—she played on the US’s 3x3 basketball team at the 2020 Olympic Games and won gold—and is expected to be a big contributor to the team. She’s also a WNBA all-star.
But with all of the attention on Jackie making the team, it’s understandable to have questions about her personal life, including her family. Here’s what you need to know about Jackie’s biggest cheerleaders.
Jackie has two siblings.
Jackie is the middle child in her family. Her older brother, Terrence, and her younger sister, Kiare, also play basketball, according to The New York Times.
In 2021, Jackie posted a sweet Instagram wishing her sister a happy birthday. "Happy birthday to my lil baby, best friend & fave workout partner! Love you sis, hope you have the best day ever!"
Jackie told Sports Illustrated that she used to practice her ball-handling in a grass plot in her back yard with Terrence. That grass court “pretty much turned to dirt because of so much playing out there,” she said.
She was raised by a single mother.
Jackie’s mom Linda raised her and her two siblings, and she told Sports Illustrated that she “struggled [financially] my whole life.” She also shared that she loved eating school lunch growing up because she faced food insecurity at home. “We didn’t know how much we were gonna get” for food at home, she said. Jackie said the family had to deal with lights being turned off in their home, too.
“My mom, a single mother, made a lot of sacrifices for me and my siblings,” she told The Times. “She definitely went without to make sure we have food on the table, clothes on our backs.”
She has a supportive extended family.
Jackie told The Times that her family is “close-knit” and that her aunts and uncles helped her mother raise Jackie and her siblings. Jackie's extended family also shared housing to help save money, she said.
Jackie’s uncle Stefan Young told 14 News in 2022 that his niece is a hard worker.
“She’s just strived to get better all the time, and here she is,” he said. “She’s worked hard to get where she’s at, she believes in her, she believes in her teammates, her coaches. She just works hard and does a great job.”
A’ja Wilson is like a big sister to her.
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson was drafted the year before Jackie, and she took her under her wing. “When I got drafted, we were such a new franchise,” A’ja told The Times. “I didn’t have a quote-unquote vet that kind of knew the ropes.”
“Jackie was kind of like our first rookie that we had,” she continued. “We already were pretty much established, in a sense, so I wanted to make sure that I could be that vet that I didn’t have for her and answer all the questions that she needed, making sure that she was comfortable.”
A’ja also sang Jackie's praises later in the interview. “Jackie is someone where she understands her assignment, 100 percent,” she said. “She is a pro at what she does and watching that growth, it’s been incredible, honestly, to watch. She’s locked in no matter what, and she makes sure that others around her are doing the same.”
Congrats, Jackie!
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