Jonquel Orthea Jones (born January 5, 1994) is a Bahamian-Bosnian professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player for the

New York Liberty The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was f ...

of the

Women's National Basketball Association The Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) is an American professional basketball league. It is composed of twelve teams, all based in the United States. The league was founded on April 22, 1996, as the women's counterpart to the Natio ...

(WNBA). She was drafted with the 6th overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft. Since May 2019, she also holds the citizenship of

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

, allowing her to play for the

national team A national sports team (commonly known as a national team or a national side) is a team that represents a nation, rather than a particular club or region, in an international sport. The term is most commonly associated with team sports, for exa ...

. A 6'6"

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

, Jones played college basketball for Clemson and

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

. After the February

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, she left the Russian team

UMMC Ekaterinburg BC Ekaterinburg (russian: БК «УГМК») is a Russian women's basketball team based in Yekaterinburg competing in the Russian Premier League, and until February 2022 in FIBA Europe's EuroLeague Women. In reaction to the 2022 Russian inv ...

, and joined the Turkish team Çukurova Basketbol.

Early life

Jones was born in the Bahamas. She attended Tabernacle Baptist Academy. At age 14, she moved to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, where she attended

Riverdale Baptist School Riverdale Baptist School is a private Christian school located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, serving students from Pre-K to 12. It is located in Prince George's County, Maryland, and is accredited through Middle States Association of Colleges a ...

. Coach Diane Richardson became her legal guardian. Her nickname in high school was "Big Slim".

WNBA career

In 2016, Jones was acquired by the

Connecticut Sun The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

after having her draft rights traded by the

Los Angeles Sparks The Los Angeles Sparks (LA Sparks) are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Sparks compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conference. The team was foun ...

in exchange for

Chelsea Gray Chelsea Nichelle Gray (born October 8, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was the eleventh pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft. She missed the 2014 WNBA se ...

and two draft picks. 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 The Chicago Sky are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Sky compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The franchise was founded prior to the 20 ...

, making her the 13th player in league history to record a 20-point, 20-rebound performance. 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 The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member club of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded pri ...

96–92 after overcoming a 22-point deficit. Jones was selected to the

2017 WNBA All-Star Game The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 22, 2017. The Seattle Storm hosted a WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Starters for this year's All-Star game were selected by a combination of fan, media, and pla ...

, 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 Sylvia Shaqueria Fowles (born October 6, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. Fowles played for the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx during her career in the WNBA. She won the WNBA MVP Award in 2017 and the WNBA Defensive Pl ...

in 2018). Jones was selected to the

and received the

WNBA Most Improved Player Award The Women's National Basketball Association's Most Improved Player Award is an annual Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) award given since the 2000 WNBA season, to the most improved player of the regular season. The winner is selected b ...

. Her breakout performance, along with teammates

Jasmine Thomas Jasmine Thomas is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Emmerdale'', played by Jenna-Louise Coleman. She made her first screen appearance in the episode broadcast on 30 June 2005 and her last appearance on 26 March 2009. Ca ...

and

Alyssa Thomas Alyssa Thomas (born April 12, 1992) is an American professional basketball forward for the Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Maryland Terrapins. The New York Liberty draft ...

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 The Phoenix Mercury are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona, playing in the Western Conference (WNBA), Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was founded before the league ...

. 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 The 2019 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition game, exhibition basketball game played on July 27, 2019. The Las Vegas Aces hosted the WNBA All-Star Game for the first time. Rosters Selection On June 12, the WNBA announced that 2019 would simila ...

, 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

3–0 to advance to the WNBA Finals, making it the franchise's first finals appearance since 2005. The WNBA Finals series was a hard-fought battle, but the Sun fell to the

in five games. In June 2020, Jones announced that she would forgo the WNBA season due to concerns from the

coronavirus Coronaviruses are a group of related RNA viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans and birds, they cause respiratory tract infections that can range from mild to lethal. Mild illnesses in humans include some cases of the com ...

. 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, 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 Women of the Year and WNBA Most Improved Player Award. During the offseason prior to the

2023 WNBA season The 2023 WNBA season is the 27th season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Las Vegas Aces are the defending champions. The regular season was expanded to 40 games per team, becoming the most games scheduled in a single WNB ...

, Jones requested a trade out of Connecticut and was dealt to the

in January of 2023.

Overseas career

During the 2016–17 off-season, Jones signed with

Asan Woori Bank Wibee Asan Woori Bank Woori Won ( ko, 아산 우리은행 우리WON) is a South Korean professional basketball club based in Asan that competes in the Women's Korean Basketball League. They are the most successful team in the league with 12 champions ...

of the

Women's Korean Basketball League The Women's Korean Basketball League (WKBL) (Hangul: 한국여자프로농구) is the premier professional women's basketball league in South Korea. The league was established in 1998. Current clubs See also * Korean Basketball League Th ...

and won a championship with the team. In October 2017, Jones signed with

Shanxi Flame Shanxi Xing Rui Flame is a professional women's basketball club located in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China, playing in the Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA). It is also known by its sponsor's name Zhuyeqing. Led by WNBA star Maya Moore, the c ...

of the

Women's Chinese Basketball Association The Women's Chinese Basketball Association (WCBA) is the first-tier professional women's basketball league in China. It was established in 2002 as the women's counterpart to the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Current clubs There are cu ...

for the 2017–18 off-season. In August 2018, Jones signed with

of the Russian League. After the February

, she left the Russian team. In 2022, She joined the Turkish team Çukurova Basketbol which participates in the

Women's Basketball Super League The Women's Basketball Super League ( tr, Kadınlar Basketbol Süper Ligi, KBSL), also known as the Herbalife Nutrition Women's Basketball Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the top women's professional basketball division of the Turkish wo ...

National team career

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 Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

. 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 Orenburg (russian: Оренбу́рг, ), formerly known as Chkalov (1938–1957), is the administrative center of Orenburg Oblast, Russia. It lies on the Ural River, southeast of Moscow. Orenburg is also very close to the Kazakhstan-Russia bor ...

. In a quarter-final loss against France in the

EuroBasket Women 2021 The 2021 European Women Basketball Championship, commonly called EuroBasket Women 2021, was the 38th edition of the continental tournament in women's basketball, sanctioned by the FIBA Europe. It was co-hosted by France and Spain between 17 and ...

, 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. She was named to the

FIBA EuroBasket Women All-Tournament Team The EuroBasket Women All-Tournament Team is a FIBA award given every two years, awarded to the five strongest competitors throughout the tournament. Honourees See also * FIBA EuroBasket Women Most Valuable Player * FIBA Women's Basketball Wo ...

Personal life

In 2019, Jones got a goldendoodle puppy.

Career statistics

College

Source

WNBA

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;",

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

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Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, 34 , , 6 , , 14.1 , , .531 , , .333 , , .739 , , 3.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 6.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

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, 34, , 34 , , 28.5 , , .534, , .446 , , .818 , , bgcolor="EOCEF2" , 11.9 , , 1.5 , , 0.8 , , 1.4 , , 1.6 , , 15.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34, , 16 , , 20.5 , , .550, , .467 , , .671 , , 5.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.4 , , 1.2 , , 1.6 , , 11.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 34, , 34 , , 28.8 , , .448 , , .309 , , .818 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 9.7° , , 1.5 , , 1.2 , , 2.0 , , 1.9 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 27, , 27 , , 31.7 , , .515 , , .362 , , .802 , , style="background:#D3D3D3", 11.2° , , 2.8 , , 1.3 , , 1.3 , , 2.9 , , 19.4 , - , style="text-align:left;",

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 33, , 32 , , 26.4 , , .513 , , .369 , , .802 , , 8.6 , , 1.8 , , 1.1 , , 1.2 , , 2.6 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 6 years, 1 team , 196 , , 149 , , 24.8 , , .511 , , .377 , , .787 , , 8.3 , , 1.6 , , 0.9 , , 1.4 , , 1.9 , , 13.6

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 1 , , 39.2 , , .385 , , .400 , , .875, , 15.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0, , 0.0 , , 1.0 , , 19.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 1 , , 1 , , 26.2 , , .667 , , .000 , , 1.000 , , 7.0 , , 7.0 , , 0.0, , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 13.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 8 , , 8 , , 32.5 , , .528 , , .267 , , .767 , , 10.4 , , 2.0 , , 0.6 , , 1.5 , , 1.8 , , 17.9 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 4 , , 4 , , 35.0 , , .458 , , .444 , , .778 , , 9.8 , , 3.3 , , 1.3 , , 2.3 , , 2.0 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 12 , , 27.0 , , .507 , , .414 , , .829 , , 8.4 , , 2.0 , , 0.6 , , 1.1 , , 2.1 , , 14.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", Career , style="text-align:left;", 5 years, 1 team , 26 , , 26 , , 30.3 , , .505 , , .347 , , .807 , , 9.4 , , 2.4 , , 0.7 , , 1.3 , , 1.9 , , 16.1

References

External links

*
George Washington Colonials bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Jonquel 1994 births Living people People from Freeport, Bahamas People from West Grand Bahama Bahamian women's basketball players Bosnia and Herzegovina women's basketball players Bahamian emigrants to Bosnia and Herzegovina Naturalized citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in the United States Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Russia Bosnia and Herzegovina expatriate basketball people in Turkey Bahamian expatriate basketball people in the United States Bahamian expatriate basketball people in China Bahamian expatriate basketball people in Russia Bahamian expatriate basketball people in Turkey Centers (basketball) Clemson Tigers women's basketball players Connecticut Sun players George Washington Colonials women's basketball players LGBT basketball players Bahamian LGBT people Lesbian sportswomen Los Angeles Sparks draft picks Power forwards (basketball) Women's National Basketball Association All-Stars Shanxi Flame players