The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Chief Sports Editor

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

JONQUEL Jones came off the bench and played with a heavy heart that led to her adding the most valuable player of the 2026 Women's National Basketball Association's All-Star game to her historic collection of awards from the league.

The 32-year-old Grand Bahamian native playing for the 2024 WNBA champions New York Liberty secured the MVP hardware after helping Team Spoon pull off an impressive 129-122 victory over Team Coop at the United Center in Chicago on Saturday night.

The 6-foot, 6-inch centre produced 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists in only 22 minutes off the bench. She shot 8-of-17 from the field, made four 3-pointers and finished with a plus-nine rating.

As the league celebrated its 30th anniversary, bringing the past, the present and the future together, Jones emerged as the fourth player in WNBA history to win all three MVP awards at least once, joining Lisa Leslie, Maya Moore and Candace Parker.

But she placed herself in a class of her own when she added this year's All-Star MVP title, the 2024 finals MVP and the 2021 WNBA MVP to the 2023 Commissioner's Cup MVP, the Sixth Woman of the Year in 2018 and the Most Improved Player in 2017.

Jones, coming off her second Commissioner's Cup title this year to go along with her first in 2023, was appearing in her sixth WNBA All-Star game, including 2017, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2024.

This one, however, was extra special and after the second quarter, Jones said she got in the groove and was eager to dedicate it to her deceased aunt Marilyn.

"My aunt passed away not too long ago and today is actually her memorial," Jones said.

"I got permission from my family to be here and tcelebrate this moment. This one is for my auntie." Jones said she was in communication with her family and she made sure it was okay for her to be in Chicago for the game. "My teammates knew, people that were closest to me knew," she stated. "And so I just wanted to come out here and represent my family well and shout out to my auntie Marilyn.

"She's resting in peace now with all the love and this night was definitely dedicated to her. My aunt meant a lot to me. She was one of the matriarchs in our family."

As for her record-breaking performance, Jones said she just simply went with the flow of the game and trusted her teammates to get the job done.

"Oh man. Um, you know, just coming out here and playing, trusting my teammates," she stressed. "Um, yeah, it's just, it's a great experience."

The game was played before a huge crowd of 19,783 fans, who got their money's worth with a fast paced encounter, highlighted by Jones' teammate Olivia Miles' 11 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists for rookie.

On the losing side, Marina Mabrey's hot shooting, and Dominique Malonga becoming the youngest player ever at 20-years-old to dunk in a WNBA All-Star game, was unforgettable. 

To her credit, Jones was also on the short list of superstars to dunk in an All-Star game. The others were Lisa Leslie, Sylvia Fowles and Brittney Griner.

In this game, Jones came off the bench mid-way in the first quarter and scored her first basket on a lay-up for the front-running Team Spoon. Her final basket came late in the fourth.

Jones, who formerly played for Tabernacle Baptist Academy and Bishop Michael Eldon, left Grand Bahama at the age of 14 to play for Riverdale Baptist School in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where she won a national championship title.

She was recruited to play for Clemson University where she played with the Tigers during her freshman year in 2012-2013. 

She then transferred to George Washington University where she completed her collegiate eligibility before she was selected as the sixth pick overall in the 2016 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks.

Before the draft was done, Jones was traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Chelsera Gray and two draft picks. 

She then requested a trade out of Connecticut and was sent to New York in January 2023 as part of a blockbuster three-team deal.