A nail-biting clash between the Indiana Fever and the Aces was on the cards Tuesday evening. The Vegas fans were in for a treat, about to witness two women’s basketball notables in the form of A’ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark square off at the T-Mobile Arena. However, it was a special bonding moment that the rookie shared with veteran Jackie Young which left the social media in awe very early in the game.

In the second minute of the opening quarter, the NCAA Division I all-time leading scorer was trying to put some pressure on the hosts. Seemingly, she was on her way to score a possible layup. Anyhow, the dynamic Aces No.0 stood in her way, preventing her from executing the move. In the process, Jackie Young also forced an out-of-bounds lost ball turnover of the 6-foot-guard. Following this, as those in attendance saw Clark tying up her shoelace, the 3× WNBA All-Star also decided to do the same.

But, the thing that was really going down was that Young was giving Clark some time to recollect herself and make sure that she was not hurt and it doing alright. Consequently, this gesture got a lot of admiration as the commentators applauded Young’s exceptional sportsmanship.

Anyhow, they weren’t the only ones heaping praises about the 2x WNBA champion.

Fans laud Young’s special gesture towards Caitlin Clark

The moment didn’t take much time to become a hit throughout social media. People familiar with Jackie Young weren’t much surprised to see her displaying such precious virtues on the hardwood. In addition to this, fans also attached a sense of pride towards the 2022 WNBA Most Improved Player in their sentiments. Evidently, one of her admirers wrote, “Jackie Young is the real deal! Incredibly impressed with her talent and character!”

Caitlin Clark has been at the receiving end of some hostile physicality as a rookie. Fans experienced an example of that in Fevers Commissioner Cup opener against the Chicago Sky. Here Clark faced some rough music from the likes of Chennedy Carter and Angel Reese. As a result, it set a narrative amidst many that her WNBA peers have some personal vendetta against her. Seeing the opposite of that in Tuesday’s game delighted some of her supporters to a great extent. Expressing the take on the incident, one of them commented, “SOOOOOOOOOO nice to see the mutual respect and not opponents trying to hurt CC! Classy move, JY!!!!” 

Meanwhile, there were also some people who opine that such a friendly attitude towards Caitlin Clark is there in the league. However, due to the overlooking nature of it, such antics fail to grasp significant gravity. One of the basketball followers observed it and reflected it in the comments section. The comment read, “This CC love affair I’m seeing is so heartwarming. I’m sure it’s happened at other parts of the season but think it was getting overlooked.” 

Many popular faces from the NBA world have laid some infamous accusations against the WNBA veterans. From LeBron James to Charles Barkley, Clark’s fellow WNBA ballers are labeled as jealous and petty for their alleged animosity against the 2× USBWA National Player of the Year. Some of the fans also followed that chain of thought and were relieved when an on-court incident transpired like this. Subsequently, one of them expressed, “Finally some positive views that we’ve seen lately by veteran players in the WNBA.”

Also, some even concluded that this is how the equation between a veteran and a rookie should take place. According to them, a vet’s duties should include imparting some game knowledge to their junior counterparts. And perhaps Jackie Young was able to do that in their eyes. Focussing on that, an X user said, “I’m happy it’s finally turning about the game and not the BS. Vets are now being vets and giving the rookies knowledge. Good on them.”

Indeed, a lovely exchange between two very skillful and talented ballers. Amidst all the negativity in recent days, it was a good clip for the fans to grab a hold of. Can Caitlin Clark evoke similar emotions from the rest of the veterans? Only time will tell.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.