The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

AFTER returning from a year’s absence to help the Connecticut Sun to the best regular season record in the Women’s National Basketball Association, Grand Bahamian Jonquel Jones was rewarded yesterday by being named the 2021 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player.

In earning a $15,450 cash incentive and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co., Jones collected her first year-ending award as the Connecticut forward joined Curt Miller, named the Coach of the Year and team-mate Brionna Jones as the Most Improved Player.

The announcement came on the same day as the Sun opened their semi-final playoff series against the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky.

Connecticut got eliminated last year in the Eastern Conference finals to the top seeded Las Vegas Aces, who won the title over second seed Seattle Storm.

The 27-year-old Jones, who opted not to compete in the league last year because of COVID-19 concerns, added the award to her list of accolades that include the 2018 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year and 2017 WNBA Most Improved Player in just her fifth season in the league.

From the voting process by a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, Jones collected 48 of 49 first-place votes and 487 total points to beat out Phoenix Mercury centre Brittney Griner, who finished in second place with 224 points (one first-place vote).

Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, the 2018 WNBA Most Valuable Player, finished in third place with 156 points.

Finishing in fourth and fifth place, respectively, were Minnesota Lynx centre and 2017 WNBA MVP Sylvia Fowles (137 points) and Washington Mystics centre and 2012 WNBA MVP Tina Charles (127 points).

The process enabled players to earn 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.

Up to this point in her five-year career in the league, Jones is averaging 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.26 blocked shots and 1.26 steals in 31.7 minutes in 27 games.

Jones, the 6-6 forward for the Sun, led the WNBA in rebounding and defensive rebounding (8.7 drpg) and ranked fourth in scoring and 10th in blocks.

Her efficiency rating of 25.4 was second only to Griner (26.0).

In addition to being named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player for the Month of May, August and September as Connecticut posted a combined 18-2 record in those three months, Jones won the WNBA Peak Performer Award as the league’s top rebounder for the third time in five seasons.

She also led the WNBA in rebounding in 2017 and 2019 and grabbed a career-best 17 rebounds at New York on July 11.

Jones returned to the Sun’s lineup this year and posted the highest winning percentage in franchise history (.813).

And she finished the regular season with 14 consecutive victories for the fourth-longest winning streak in WNBA history.

Connecticut also earned the league’s best record (26-6) and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google.

The Sun, which is seeking to win its first WNBA championship, hosted the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky in Game 1 of a Semifinals series last night on ESPN2. (See the story below)

Jones scored at least 20 points in 12 of 27 games, including a career-high 31 points vs the New York Liberty on June 5 and again at Washington on August 31.

She holds career averages of 13.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.42 blocks.

Out of Clemson and George Washington, Jones was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft before Connecticut acquired her draft rights in a trade that night.