Jonquel Jones continues to put the WNBA on notice.
The Connecticut Sun forward has become one of the best basketball players in the world. Jones was drafted into the WNBA in 2016, and she’s been showing why she’s one of the best since then. Every single season she has played has seen her improve. Currently, Jones is the face of the Sun and one of the main reasons they are expected to contend for the WNBA Championship for seasons to come.
There’s a lot more, however, to Jones than just being a great basketball player. Ahead of the 2022 season, it’s time more fans got to know who she is on and off the court a little better.
Here are five things to know about Jones.
Jones is WNBA’s first Bahamian player
Born Jan. 5, 1994, in Freeport, Bahamas, Jones became the first Bahamian-born WNBA player when she debuted in 2016. She wrote in her post on The Players’ Tribune that the only way she could play in a real gym was by waking up at 6 a.m. so that her dad could drive her there. Otherwise, Jones always was playing on a court near the beach, learning how to shoot with the wind that came off the water.
Soccer was her first love, not basketball
Believe it or not, basketball wasn’t the sport Jones had originally put her all into. It was soccer that she initially fell in love with. Jones was on the Bahamian youth national soccer team when she was younger. Unfortunately, her love for the game would be taken away at the age of 12. A homophobic comment made to Jones from one of her coaches made her love for the game disappear, which would lead to Jones putting her future into the game of basketball.
She was selected sixth overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks
Jones has played her entire WNBA career as a member of the Sun. However, she was originally selected sixth overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. The forward was traded along with a second-round pick to the Sun for Chelsea Gray and three draft picks during the draft.
She was childhood friends with Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield
One of the cooler things to know about Jones is that she grew up with fellow Bahamian basketball player and current Indiana Pacers guard Buddy Hield. Not only were they friends, but they also trained together at the same gym in Freeport. In what Jones would call “fate,” they were both drafted sixth overall in 2016 in NBA and WNBA drafts.
She is the reigning WNBA MVP
Jones is one of the best players in the world today and she has the accolades to prove it. Each season has seen her improve, but her 2021 campaign was by far the most impressive, as she won the WNBA MVP award. Jones averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.3 steals in the campaign. In February, the forward re-signed with the Sun to not only chase another MVP trophy but the WNBA Championship. After re-signing, she made that known.
“This organization has believed in me since day one and I definitely feel like we have unfinished business,” Jones said to the Sun’s website. “The fans want it, the front office wants it and the players want it. So now we just have to go out and get it done and bring a chip back to Mohegan Sun.”
The championship is her next step to achieving greatness.
Jones’ “My Story” premieres at 9 p.m. ET on NESN.
