Jackie Young just made WNBA history by becoming the first player to sign a seven-figure contract with a team. Following the announcement, several NBA stars congratulated her on social media.
Former NBA Players Congratulate Jackie Young
Young, who has played for the Las Vegas Aces for her entire WNBA career, is not going anywhere. It was reported on Thursday that the 2019 No. 1 pick will remain with the team that drafted her, and she made history in the process.
According to ESPN’s report, she will become the first player to sign a million-dollar contract. The exact figure posted stated that her latest deal is worth $1.19 million for one year.
THE FIRST $1 MILLION WNBA CONTRACT BELONGS TO JACKIE YOUNG ♠️
The Las Vegas Aces are expected to finalize a one-year deal at the regular max of $1.19 million 💰 pic.twitter.com/QvrN4TLKn0
— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2026
Retired NBA wing Quentin Richardson didn’t need words to congratulate Young for making history. Instead, his post simply featured four fire emojis.
“Congrats!!!!” One-time NBA All-Star Michael Redd said. In the same post, he also added that he believed there were other players with million-dollar deals. They just haven’t been finalized or publicized yet.
“That’s dope!! Only the beginning,” two-time All-Star Isaiah Thomas posted.
That’s dope!! Only the beginning https://t.co/L9uiQwwTUa
— Isaiah Thomas (@isaiahthomas) April 10, 2026
Young’s contract with the Aces has not yet been officially finalized, as players and teams can only sign deals on Saturday.
Initially, it was expected that Young would be a highly sought-after player this offseason. However, she ended up staying with the same team she started her WNBA career with and reportedly didn’t engage in talks with other teams, per Alexa Philippou.
With this move, the Aces are one step closer to remaining a top contender. Four-time league MVP A’ja Wilson and six-time All-Star Chelsea Gray are both still free agents.
While no details have been released regarding discussions between Wilson and the Aces, she has already said she’s not going anywhere. In fact, it was reported as early as March that she would remain in Las Vegas. Not only that, she will reportedly sign the league’s new supermax contract, which is worth $1.4 million.
The spike in contract amounts in the WNBA is thanks to the latest CBA agreed upon by the league and the players. Under this new deal, the league’s salary cap went from $1.5 million to $7 million.
