Former Maryland high school and George Washington star Jonquel Jones has won the WNBA Finals MVP while leading the New York Liberty to their first-ever WNBA championship, defeating the Minnesota Lynx in a thrilling five-game series.
The 6’6 center is a former top recruit in high school while attending Riverdale Baptist High School, located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. She was viewed as the best player in the state while drawing several college offers from all over the nation.
Jones had a star-studded collegiate career playing at George Washington University under coach Jonathan Tsipis. After spending time with the Connecticut Sun, she requested a trade before being moved to the Liberty roster.
She arrived in New York in 2023, playing alongside fellow WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart and budding star Sabrina Ionescu. The trio reached the WNBA Finals in their first year together but fell short of the Las Vegas Aces. This season, the Liberty were not to be denied, avenging last year’s loss, beating the Aces in the Semifinals before topping the Lynx in the Finals.
Jones averaged 17.8 points on 56% shooting from the field and 7.6 rebounds. Her presence during the Finals carried the Lynx amid Stewart and Ionescu’s struggles.
After the win and receiving the trophy, Jones had this to say about the moment.
“I’m just really happy. I’m really just trying to take in the moment and just enjoy every aspect of it,” Jones said. “I’m just up here smiling, thanking Jesus and thanking my teammates.”
Jones is one of the best players in the “W”. But her journey to this moment is an inspiring tale.
Becoming a national sensation in high school
Jones was born in the Bahamas’ second-largest city Freeport in 1994. Her first love was soccer, but her attention gradually shifted to basketball at the age of 12.
She expressed her desire to her mother to play basketball in high school and college in the United States. Thus, Jones turned one of her mentors, current Ole Miss head coach Yollet McPhee, a fellow Freeport native, who played basketball in college at Rhode Island.
McPhee’s guidance led Jones to Riverdale Baptist. After arriving at Riverdale Baptist, she clung to coach Diane Richardson. Richardson went over the game film with Jones and pointed out which players to study to improve her game.
Jones became a national sensation at Riverdale Baptist. She led the Crusaders to a 35-2 record during her senior year, winning a National Christian High School championship.
She averaged 15.7 points and 15.6 rebounds as a senior. Jones was named the Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. She was also the Washington Post All-Met Player of the Year. ESPN ranked her the nation’s No. 17 player and rated her as a five-star recruit with a 96 overall scout grade.
Jonquel Jones thrives at George Washington
Jonquel Jones committed to Clemson. She spent one year with the Tigers, averaging 8.8 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. However, after one season at Clemson, she transferred to George Washington.
Jones rejoined Richardson after her former high school coach received an assistant coach job with the Colonials.
With Richardson by her side, Jones soared at GW. She blossomed by showcasing her ability to score and rebound at a high clip. During her 2015 junior year, Jones earned Atlantic-10 Player of the Year and the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year. She paved the way for George Washington’s first A-10 tournament championship since 2003.
George Washington would win a second A-10 tournament title on the back of Jones the following year. Jones averaged a career-best 16.2 points and 14.6 rebounds en route to back-to-back conference tournament championships.
Following her stellar collegiate career, Jones entered the 2016 WNBA Draft. The Los Angeles Sparks selected her sixth overall before trading her draft rights to the Connecticut Sun.
Quickly became one of the best in the “W”
Jones developed into one of the best players in the W playing with the Suns. A year after her rookie season, she earned WNBA Most Improved Player while getting named to her first All-Star appearance.
In 2019, she led the Sun to the WNBA Finals. However, she and the Sun fell short to her hometown team, the Washington Mystics, in five games.
Following COVID, Jones won the 2021 WNBA MVP, leading the Sun to a league-best 26-6 record. She also received a nod to the All-Defensive First Team. She led the league with 11.2 rebounds per game and was fourth with 19.4 points per game.
Jones requested a trade from Connecticut after the 2022 season.
Road to Finals MVP
After joining the Liberty, Jones formed a dominant big three with Ionescu and Stewart. The trio led New York to back-to-back 32-8 records in 2023 and 2024 and two trips to the WNBA Finals. She averaged 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds in the series loss to the Aces.
This season, Jones returned hungrier than ever, looking for her first title. She earned her fifth All-Star Game appearance and was named to the All-WNBA second team.
As the top seed, the Liberty rolled back to the Finals to meet the Lynx.
In Game 2, with the Liberty needing a win to even the series, Jones got to the line and banked a pair of free throws midway in the fourth quarter that extended New York’s lead, staving off a rally by the Lynx. Jones would score another bucket that helped spark a 14-0 run to close out the game for the Lynx.
In Game 3, the Liberty were down by four with two minutes remaining. Jones drained a wide-open three from the wing off a drive-and-kick by Leonie Feibich. Then she scored on a layup with 1:31 remaining, giving the Liberty the lead. Joens and Ionescu ran a screen action. Ionescu dumped the ball down into the paint to Jones.
The Lynx ultimately took Game 3 on the road to go up 2-1 in the series.
Jones clinched the Finals MVP, leading her team with 17 points in the deciding Game 5. She was New York’s only starter to shoot 50% from the floor.
Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello had this to say about Jones:
“I’m just really proud of JJ. I love coaching her. I just love her personality and how she brings it every single day. She was big for us, and it wasn’t a pretty game today… Usually, I don’t like to play her for 42 minutes, but she just stayed competing because that’s how important it was. She knew how she needed to help.”
The future Hall of Famer adds to her list of acclimates with a Finals win and the MVP.
