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Jonquel Jones

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Jonquel Jones
Jones with the New York Liberty in 2024
No. 35 – New York Liberty
PositionPower forward / center
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1994-01-05) January 5, 1994 (age 30)
Freeport, Bahamas
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolRiverdale Baptist School
(Upper Marlboro, Maryland)
College
WNBA draft2016: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks
Playing career2016–present
Career history
2016–2022Connecticut Sun
2016–2017Asan Woori Bank Wibee
2017–2018Shanxi Flame
2018–2022UMMC Ekaterinburg
2022Çukurova Basketbol
2023–presentNew York Liberty
2023–2024Inner Mongolia
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball Reference Edit this at Wikidata

Jonquel Orthea Jones (born January 5, 1994) is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft.[1] Since May 2019,[2] she also holds the citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, allowing her to play for the national team.

A 6'6" power forward/center, Jones played college basketball for Clemson and George Washington. After the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, she left the Russian team UMMC Ekaterinburg,[3][4][5] and joined the Turkish team Çukurova Basketbol.[6]

Early life

[edit]

Jones was born in The Bahamas. She attended Tabernacle Baptist Academy. At age 14, she moved to Maryland, where she attended Riverdale Baptist School.[7] Temple women's basketball head coach Diane Richardson became her legal guardian. Her nickname in high school was "Big Slim".[8]

WNBA career

[edit]

In 2016, Jones was acquired by the Connecticut Sun after having her draft rights traded by the Los Angeles Sparks in exchange for Chelsea Gray and two draft picks.[9] In her rookie season, Jones was the backup center for the Sun. She averaged 6.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg and 1.1 bpg in 34 games with 6 starts.

In 2017, Jones became the starting center for the Sun and had a breakout second season. After an 0–4 start, Jones led the Sun to their first win of the season, scoring 23 points along with 21 rebounds in a 97–79 win over the Chicago Sky, making her the 13th player in league history to record a 20-point, 20-rebound performance.[10] On July 8, Jones scored a team-high 22 points and 9 rebounds as the Sun completed the biggest comeback in franchise history, defeating the Washington Mystics 96–92 after overcoming a 22-point deficit.[11] Jones was selected to the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game, her first career All-Star Game appearance. She finished the season averaging a double-double in points and rebounds and also averaged career-highs in scoring, rebounding, and blocks. She broke the single season record for rebounds with 403, breaking Tina Charles previous record of 398 (the record would be broken again by Sylvia Fowles in 2018).[12] Jones was selected to the 2017 WNBA All-Star Game and received the WNBA Most Improved Player Award. Her breakout performance, along with teammates Jasmine Thomas and Alyssa Thomas emerging as All-Stars, led the Sun to the playoffs as the fourth-seeded team. They received a bye to the second-round elimination game, where Jones scored 19 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in an 88–83 loss to the number 5-seeded Phoenix Mercury.

Jonquel Jones on the court with Sabrina Iounescu at the New York Liberty vs the Las Vegas Aces, September 8, 2024
Jones on the court with Sabrina Iounescu at the New York Liberty vs the Las Vegas Aces, September 8, 2024

In 2018, Jones would have a reduced role on the team despite her success from last season. She started in 16 of the 34 games played but would still effective for the Sun both in the starting lineup and off the bench. By the end of the season, Jones won the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year award. The Sun made it back to the playoffs as the number 4 seed with a 21–13 record, receiving a bye to the second round. However the Sun would lose yet again to the Phoenix Mercury in the second round elimination game by a final score of 96–86.

In 2019, Jones would redeem her starting Center role for the whole season. She would lead the league in rebounds once again and averaged a career-high in blocks, steals and minutes by the end of the season. Jones was also voted into the 2019 WNBA All-Star Game, making it her second all-star appearance and would also make WNBA Second Team. The Sun were a championship contender in the league, finishing with a 23–11 record and the number 2 seed, receiving a double bye to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, the Sun swept the Los Angeles Sparks 3–0 to advance to the WNBA Finals, making it the franchise's first Finals appearance since 2005, and Jones' first career Finals appearance. The WNBA Finals series was a hard-fought battle, but the Sun fell to the Washington Mystics in five games.

In June 2020, Jones announced that she would forgo the WNBA season due to concerns from the coronavirus.[13]

Jonquel Jones, holding the MVP Trophy at the 2024 NY Liberty Ticker Tape Parade

In 2021 Jones returned to the WNBA and had led the Sun to the best record in the league and was averaging a career high in every major statistic before reporting to the FIBA Women's Eurobasket to represent the Bosnian women's national basketball team. When she returned the Sun went back to being the top team in the league and closed out the season with a 14-game winning streak leading to a record of 26–6 and the best record in the league, Jones averaged a career high in points assist with averages of 19.4 points 11.2 rebounds 2.8 assist 1.3 steals 1.3 blocks and was named the 2021 WNBA MVP nearly unanimously,[14] Jones also made WNBA All-Defensive First Team and nearly won DPOY as well. With winning MVP Jones became the first player in WNBA History to win MVP, Sixth Woman of the Year and WNBA Most Improved Player Award.[15] During the offseason prior to the 2023 WNBA season, Jones requested a trade out of Connecticut and was dealt to the New York Liberty in January 2023.[16] She was named the MVP of the 2023 Commissioner's Cup, winning it for the New York Liberty with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.[17] In the ensuing 2023 WNBA Playoffs, she confronted and eliminated her former team in the semifinal round, three games to one.[18] In 2024, she was named WNBA Finals MVP after scoring 17 points in the final Game 5 overtime game, in which the Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 67-62.

In the 2024 season, Jonquel Jones was named the MVP of the WNBA finals, leading the New York Liberty to victory over the Minnesota Lynx.

Overseas career

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Jones with UMMC Ekaterinburg in 2019.

During the 2016–17 off-season, Jones signed with Asan Woori Bank Wibee of the Women's Korean Basketball League and won a championship with the team.[19] In October 2017, Jones signed with Shanxi Flame of the Women's Chinese Basketball Association for the 2017–18 off-season.[20]

In August 2018, Jones signed with UMMC Ekaterinburg of the Russian League.[21] After the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, she left the Russian team.[3][4][5]

In 2022, She joined the Turkish team Çukurova Basketbol which participates in the Women's Basketball Super League.[6]

National team career

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She made her debut for the national team of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the first round of EuroBasket Women 2021 qualification on 14 November 2019 against Russia.[22] She claimed a mammoth double-double of 29 points and 16 rebounds on what proved to be an agonizing night for Russia coach Alexander Kovalev as he lost his first game at the helm in his hometown of Orenburg.[23]

In a quarter-final loss against France in the EuroBasket Women 2021, she set an all-time record for most rebounds in a single EuroBasket game. She finished the game with 29 points and 24 rebounds, beating the previous record of 21 rebounds shared by three players.[24] She was named to the FIBA EuroBasket Women All-Tournament Team.[25]

In October 2022, Goran Lojo, the coach of the team, announced that Jonquel will no longer be playing for the national team, and that her spot as a naturalized player will in the future be filled by Courtney Hurt.[26]

Personal life

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In 2019, Jones got a goldendoodle puppy. In 2023, Jonquel Jones got engaged to her girlfriend Nesha.[27]

Career statistics

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Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader
‡ Denotes WNBA record held by Jones
† Denotes seasons in which Jones won a WNBA championship

WNBA

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Regular season

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Stats current through end of 2024 season

WNBA regular season statistics[28]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2016 Connecticut 34 6 14.1 .531 .333 .739 3.7 0.6 0.6 1.1 0.7 6.8
2017 Connecticut 34 34 28.5 .534 .446 .818 11.9‡ 1.5 0.8 1.4 1.6 15.4
2018 Connecticut 34 16 20.5 .550 .467 .671 5.5 1.7 0.4 1.2 1.6 11.8
2019 Connecticut 34 34 28.8 .448 .309 .818 9.7° 1.5 1.2 2.0 1.9 14.6
2020 Did not play (opted out)
2021 Connecticut 27 27 31.7 .515 .362 .802 11.2° 2.8 1.3 1.3 2.9 19.4
2022 Connecticut 33 32 26.4 .513 .369 .802 8.6 1.8 1.1 1.2 2.6 14.6
2023 New York 40 40 25.0 .527 .352 .863 8.4 1.8 0.6 1.3 2.1 11.3
2024† New York 39 39 29.8 .539 .391 .788 9.0 3.2 0.8 1.3 2.4 14.2
Career 8 years, 2 teams 275 228 25.5 .517 .377 .794 8.4 1.9 0.8 1.3 2.0 13.3
All-Star 5 5 22.5 .545 .417 .750 11.2 3.4 1.4 0.8 0.6 18.0

Playoffs

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WNBA playoff statistics
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2017 Connecticut 1 1 39.2 .385 .400 .875 15.0 2.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 19.0
2018 Connecticut 1 1 26.2 .667 .000 1.000 7.0 7.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 13.0
2019 Connecticut 8 8 32.5 .528 .267 .767 10.4 2.0 0.6 1.5 1.8 17.9
2021 Connecticut 4 4 35.0 .458 .444 .778 9.8 3.3 1.3 2.3 2.0 16.3
2022 Connecticut 12 12 27.0 .507 .414 .829 8.4 2.0 0.6 1.1 2.1 14.9
2023 New York 10 10 34.7 .559 .321 .787 11.6 1.7 0.7 2.4° 2.0 17.0
2024† New York 11 11 32.5 .550 .448 .946 8.2 2.2 0.7 0.6 2.8 15.5
Career 7 years, 2 teams 47 47 31.8 .525 .364 .832 9.6 2.2 0.7 1.4 2.1 16.1

College

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NCAA statistics[29]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2012–13 Clemson 8 4 29.8 .483 .300 .792 10.0 0.8 0.5 2.1 2.0 9.8
2013–14 George Washington 23 23 26.3 .488 .293 .639 10.9 1.7 0.8 1.9 4.1 14.7
2014–15 George Washington 30 30 26.8 .478 .306 .664 12.5 2.1 0.7 1.9 2.8 15.3
2015–16 George Washington 23 20 29.8 .417 .311 .745 14.6 2.3 1.0 3.3 4.1 16.2
Career 84 77 27.8 .462 .304 .695 12.4 1.9 0.8 2.3 3.4 14.9

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Wallace, Ava (25 June 2017). "Jonquel Jones got tough through her travels, and she's taking it out on the WNBA". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  2. ^ "National Basketball Association of Bosnia-Herzegovina confirming Jonquel will play for their national team". Archived from the original on 10 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  3. ^ a b Salvador, Joseph. "Report: Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley Leave Russian Team, Returning to United States". Sports Illustrated.
  4. ^ a b "Alba Torrens abandona Rússia i torna a Mallorca". dBalears. 2 March 2022.
  5. ^ a b "CT Sun's Jonquel Jones Safely Flees Russia After Invasion Of Ukraine". 2 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Jonquel Jones makes debut with Turkish club". 25 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Jonquel Jones on Basketball in The Bahamas, Connecticut Sun and More". 11 May 2017.
  8. ^ "Jonquel Jones, from the Bahamas to a home with Riverdale Baptist basketball - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
  9. ^ "Sparks Acquire Chelsea Gray from Connecticut Sun in Exchange for the Draft Rights to Guard Jonquel Jones and 2017 First Round Pick – Los Angeles Sparks". Los Angeles Sparks. Archived from the original on 1 March 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  10. ^ "Jonquel Jones Starting to Show Unlimited Potential – WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  11. ^ "Connecticut Sun make history in win over Washington Mystics". FOX 61. 9 July 2017. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  12. ^ "Jonquel Jones Sets WNBA Single-Season Rebound Record – WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  13. ^ Maloney, Jack (18 July 2020). "WNBA 2020 season: Jonquel Jones, Liz Cambage, Tina Charles among players sitting out". cbssports.com. CBS Interactive.
  14. ^ "J. Jones named WNBA MVP as Sun grab awards". ESPN.com. 28 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  15. ^ "Connecticut Sun's Jonquel Jones Named 2021 Kia Most Valuable Player". WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  16. ^ "New York Liberty Acquire Frontcourt Duo of Jonquel Jones and Kayla Thornton in Three-Team Deal". liberty.wnba.com. WNBA. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Commissioner's Cup: Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones and Liberty shut down Aces to win title". sports.yahoo.com. 16 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  18. ^ Meyers, Andrew (2 October 2023). "Liberty star Jonquel Jones reacts to reaching WNBA Finals again after eliminating her former team". ClutchPoints. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Jonquel Jones leads her team to title win in Korea". Retrieved 10 September 2017.
  20. ^ "jonquel jonesto join flamein china duringthe offseason". www.tribune242.com. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings". www.eurobasket.com. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Russia v Bosnia and Herzegovina boxscore – FIBA Women's EuroBasket Qualifiers 2021 – 14 November". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Serbia take down Turkey, Russia fail on a famous night for Bosnia and Herzegovina". FIBA.basketball. 14 November 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  24. ^ "Jones sets single-game FIBA Women's EuroBasket rebounding record". FIBA.basketball. Retrieved 24 June 2021.
  25. ^ "Sonja Vasic crowned TISSOT MVP, headlines All-Star Five in Valencia". fiba.basketball. Retrieved 15 July 2021.
  26. ^ "Jonquel Jones više neće igrati za reprezentaciju BiH". www.klix.ba (in Croatian). Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  27. ^ "Through trials and travels, Jonquel Jones is finding a home with the Sun and a place among the WNBA's best".
  28. ^ "Jonquel Jones WNBA Stats". Basketball Reference.
  29. ^ "NCAA Statistics". web1.ncaa.org. Retrieved 28 August 2017.
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