The Basics
Position: Guard
Current Team: Las Vegas Aces | #0
Draft: 2019 | Notre Dame | 1st round (1st overall)
Key Accolades: All-Rookie Team (2019); Olympic Gold Medalist (3x3, 2020)
WNBA Profile | Stats | Instagram | Twitter
The Down Low
I have not made this her official nickname, but apparently Jackie's teammate A'ja Wilson has begun calling her "Donut" after she didn't score any points during one game in the 2020 season. I'm guessing this was wholly ironic, both because A'ja is terminally delightful, and because Jackie is a born scorer.
In high school, she was the top prep scorer in Indiana history, with 3,268 total points. She also scored the 2016 Naismith National Player of the Year, 2016 Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year, and 2016 IndyStar's Miss Basketball, among other awards. (In case you are curious, Miss Basketball is not a pageant as I initially feared, it just means she was dominating the state of Indiana. Skylar Diggins-Smith won it too.)
In college, she earned the nickname "Big Game Jackie," because her scoring average against ranked (aka the best) teams was higher than her season average. She end her three-year college career with 70 games with double digit scoring.
All of this landed her as the number 1 draft pick in the WNBA draft. She was the third number 1 draft pick in a row for the Las Vegas Aces franchise, following Kelsey Plum and A'ja Wilson. (They also have since acquired number 1 pick Angel McCoughtry, which is decidedly unfair. ) Finding her way in the WNBA, she ended the 2020 season averaging more than 10 points per game.
In conclusion, donut doubt Jackie's scoring ability.
More on Jackie
- Jackie Young is Vegas's Playoff X Factor (Justin Carter, Winsidr)
- Just Call Notre Dame's Young 'Big Game Jackie' (Anthony Anderson, ND Insider)