Team USA opened their 2026 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup campaign dominating the competition. They cruised past China 94-61 in Berlin. But while Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, and the 7-foot-3 giant Zhang Ziyu grabbed much of the attention, a brief interaction involving Clark and Jackie Young has now found itself at the center of an online debate.
The viral clip shows USA players exchanging quick handshakes and high-fives, where Young appears to walk past Clark without greeting the Indiana Fever star, and some fans quickly interpreted the moment as an intentional snub. However, a prominent sports account and CC supporter is pushing back on that interpretation.
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"Jackie Young did shake Caitlin Clark hand. She's shook it with the other hand," Jaime Lardies wrote on X
.
The clip that was shared by a fan page shows the interaction from behind Clark, with her back facing the camera. From that angle, it does appear Jackie Young ignored the 24-year-old, as Young's hand movement toward Clark is largely blocked from view. So rather than Young deliberately ignoring Clark, Lardies believes the Las Vegas Aces star greeted her using her other hand — something the camera simply failed to capture clearly.
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Still, that brief moment continues to draw attention online, but there was plenty happening on the court as Team USA got its World Cup campaign underway. The Americans cruised past China with Clark making an impressive debut for the senior national team. She finished the game with 14 points and 11 assists, while Rhyne Howard and Paige Bueckers also added 14 points each.
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The Americans entered this tournament as the clear fan favorites after their 5-0 run in the qualifiers earlier this year. But China also entered into the contest as a team that finished as the runner-up at the 2022 tournament.
One of the biggest challenges the Americans faced came from China's towering center, Zhang Ziyu. Ziyu is listed at 7-foot-3, and she made sure to make her presence felt with a team-high 13 points, six rebounds, and two blocks, giving the Americans a unique matchup inside.
"This was a different type of basketball game than I've probably ever played in, in my entire life. I've never played against a woman of that size. She obviously presented some challenges for us, but you've got to give our post players a lot of credit. They really battled," Clark said after the game.
CC also made sure to give a shout-out to her Fever teammate Aliyah Boston, who scored 7 points and secured 2 rebounds in 15 minutes.
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"I thought Aliyah came in and gave us great minutes guarding her," she added. "I think especially in the second half we were able to get a couple of buckets in transition when she was in, trying to push the ball."
In the end, the Americans got exactly what they wanted from their opening game: a convincing win while Jackie Young finished with 12 points. Young has had her best WNBA season ever this year. The #0 Aces guard is averaging a career-high of 18.9 points and 6.6 rebounds. Her free throw percentage has also been at an all-time high, with Young averaging 93.0% accuracy. And while the short clip involving Clark and Young may have sparked an online debate, the bigger story from Berlin was Team USA putting the rest of the tournament on notice.
With this win in their bag, USA is now 1-0 while China records 0-1. But there is still plenty of basketball left to play, with Team USA equalizing Italy at the top of Group D, with one win each. The Americans will lock horns with Italy next on September 6, after which they will wrap up the group stage with a game against Czechia on Monday, September 7.
Heading into this tournament without two of its battle-tested veterans
, questions were raised about whether the USA can hold its own. So, if this game was any consolation, the upcoming matches will be exciting.
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The post Caitlin Clark Supporter Comes to Jackie Young's Defence Over Her Actions in a Video Footage Featuring the Fever Star
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