By helping the Las Vegas Aces win the 2025 WNBA title, Jackie Young has earned her third championship as a player — all three with the Aces. While Young is now a certified WNBA star, she’s had her share of role models.
There have been many WNBA legends who came before her with impressive basketball résumés over the years, so it comes as no surprise that Young looked up to one in particular before starting her professional career.
Who Did Jackie Young Look Up to Growing Up?
Three days after Young helped the Aces win the title, she spokspoke with reporters during a Raising Cane’s event in Las Vegas. While discussing the pressures of thriving, Young cited WNBA legend Candace Parker as her biggest influence growing up.
“Pressure is a privilege. It’s a good thing; it means that things matter. At the same time, I’m just trying to set a good example and be the standard,” Young told reporters. “I know whenever I was a little girl, I looked up to Candace Parker, and so if I can just be this person that the little girls look up t,o then it means I’m doing something right.”
See you tomorrow, Vegas! @JackieYoung3 pic.twitter.com/TKIpHnpBQk
— Raising Cane’s (@raisingcanes) October 13, 2025
Parker set a high standard as a WNBA legend. From 2008 to 2023, she was a two-time Most Valuable Player, seven-time All-Star and three-time champion. She also made 10 All-WNBA teams and won Defensive Player of the Year in 2020. Her number has been retired by two franchises: the Los Angeles Sparks and the Chicago Sky.
Young isn’t too far behind Parker when comparing their legacies. She’s a three-time WNBA champion, has made four consecutive WNBA All-Star teams, two All-WNBA second teams, and won the league’s Most Improved Player award in 2022. She also captured an NCAA title in 2018.
Young and Parker were teammates on the Aces in 2023, when they won a title together in what turned out to be Parker’s final season in the league. Parker proved to be a fantastic example for players like Young to learn from — and it’s even more meaningful that Young got to play alongside her for one season, which ended with another championship.
Parker’s play inspired plenty of WNBA players who came after her, and now Young is making her own unique mark on the league. It may not be long before Young herself is cited as an influence, just as Parker is today.
