As the 2026 FIBA World Cup enters the semifinals, the official FIBA website decided to put out another list of the MVP race leaders. While Caitlin Clark, Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, and Angel Reese all feature in the top-ten candidates list for MVP honors, fans were left searching for Team USA’s top scorer’s name on the list.

The official FIBA handle on X posted a list of the top ten candidates for the tournament MVP honors, with Gabby Williams leading the list. Breanna Stewart was placed second, while Clark came in fifth. Bueckers and Reese held eighth and tenth positions, respectively, but Jackie Young was once again not on the list.

Young wasn’t part of the likely candidates when the MVP Ladder Volume 1 was published on August 31, even before the tournament started. However, she has emerged as a key scorer for Team USA across the group stage and in the quarterfinal.

While all the American players on the list have made significant contributions to Team USA’s clean, 4-0 run so far in the 2026 FIBA World Cup, none have produced as many points offensively as Jackie Young. The Las Vegas Aces player has been the primary offensive weapon in Team USA’s arsenal, averaging 11 points per game.

In the past four games, she has scored a total of 44 points, beating out the likes of Stewart and Napheesa Collier in total points scored. While she has not scored the most points in every game, her consistent high production is what makes fans question her absence from the MVP leaderboard. 

Young’s performance during the 2026 FIBA qualifying round was also commendable. She averaged 7.6 points over five games, along with recording 3.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists, putting up an efficiency score of 9.8. 

Young is also the first USA player to appear on the list of top scorers in the World Cup so far, closely followed by Collier. Young comes in at No. 37, which is way below the league leader, Belgian star Emma Meesseman. But she is still leading Team USA.

Meanwhile, Breanna Stewart is the floor general for Team USA. She leads the team in efficiency (15.8), rebounds (7.0), and ranks third in scoring, with 9.8 points.

Angel Reese, in turn, makes her own case for being on the list. The WNBA rebounds leader (12.4) is second on the Team USA roster for the same stat, with six, right behind Stewart. She is also third in efficiency, behind Stewart and Bueckers. While all three make solid cases for being on the list, fans couldn’t agree with the Aces guard’s exclusion.

Fans argued heavily in favor of Jackie Young

One fan wrote this almost verbatim, asking, “Where’s Jackie Young’s name? Where’s Rhyne Howard? This is how you know it’s about biases and politics. #FIBAWWC”

Another fan, who believes Young should be at the top of the list, wrote, “Where is Jackie Young??? She has been #1 since voting started.”

Young is indeed at the top of the fan voting, followed by Breanna Stewart, Paige Bueckers, and then Gabby Williams. In fact, fans have voted Clark in sixth place so far, with Reese at 10th.

So, it wasn’t surprising to see one disagree with the MVP ranking completely, writing, “Jackie Young is the correct answer.”

Another fan gave a final verdict on the MVP standings, writing, “The MVP is Jackie Young. Case closed.”

One clearly disgruntled fan pointed out that Clark didn’t deserve to be in the top five.

“How the f*** is CC in the top 5, and there is no Jackie Young? Who even makes these lists?”

Another fan echoed this sentiment, writing, “Having Clark so high and no Jackie young is diabolical.”

Clark’s performance against Italy during the group stage still seems to be fresh in everyone’s memory. The Indiana Fever star guard recorded her worst shooting performance ever on September 6. As Team USA recorded their closest win yet, Clark shot 0-for-6, including 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. The only point she was able to score was from the free-throw line, going 1-for-2.

Clark, however, has taken on the role of playmaker quite well, leading Team USA in assists, with 7.0 per game. In fact, her chemistry with Angel Reese has produced some highlight moments of the team against Czechia and Hungary.

Meanwhile, even those who argued that players like Reese did deserve to be on the list still argued that Young was a prime candidate for the World Cup MVP award.

“People are scared to call it as it is but @FIBAWWC MVP is between Gabby, Angel and Jackie Young. I hate pandering and y’all very annoying because you’re doing things like Cait had automatic spot even before tourney started. Honestly if she deserved it I would be screaming same.”

Despite the overwhelming support for Young, there’s good reason why some fans believe that Gabby Williams is also in the running, and FIBA put her at the top of the list. Williams is averaging a team-high 17.5 points for France, while leading the team in steals. She is also shooting an impressive 50% from behind the three-point line, and doing all that while bringing her leadership as the team’s captain.

That being said, the MVP race is still not over yet. As Team USA moves on to face Spain in what is expected to be a great matchup, the fans will look forward to seeing Jackie Young further strengthen her case for Tournament MVP.

Team USA is undefeated so far, as they look to add another gold to their existing 11 FIBA World Cup gold medals, and the MVP race will get even more interesting if both USA and France progress to the final.