Liberty's Jones wins historic All-Star MVP, but emotional toll of week takes shape

Jonquel Jones of the New York Liberty became the first player in WNBA history to simultaneously hold All-Star MVP, regular-season MVP, Finals MVP, and Commissioner's Cup MVP, per ESPN reporting. She also became the first Liberty player and first international player to win All-Star MVP.

The achievement was tempered by personal and public turbulence. Jones's aunt died recently, and the memorial service was held Saturday, the same day as the All-Star Game. According to ESPN, her family supported her decision to participate in All-Star Weekend despite the service.

On Thursday, during an appearance on the StudBudz live feed, Jones told fellow All-Star Courtney Williams that she believed the Minnesota Lynx deserved to win the WNBA championship over Liberty in 2024. The clip spread widely and she faced criticism for the remark. Jones explained that she let her guard down while talking to Williams, a close friend, and was reflecting on how having a great team and season on paper does not always end in a championship. She drew a comparison to her 2019 season with Connecticut, who lost to Washington in the Finals.

Jones said of the backlash: "I feel like what I said was taken the wrong way, and I'll take accountability for that as well. It was definitely a gut punch for me. Couldn't really enjoy the weekend." She added: "I don't want people to ever feel like I was doing anything other than trying to put my best foot forward for our team, so I apologize."

The family plans to spread the aunt's ashes at a later date, which Jones will attend. Off the court, she has long credited Diane Richardson, now Temple's women's basketball coach, as a formative mentor. Richardson was Jones's coach at Riverdale Baptist School in Maryland when Jones left the Bahamas to play high school basketball in the United States and became her legal guardian. "When I moved from the Bahamas, a little kid who nobody knew, wasn't on the scene basketball-wise, and she decided to just trust her gut and trust God and open up her home to me, and the rest was history. I also gained a second mother," Jones said of Richardson. Richardson recalled that Jones "was a little raw" when she first arrived but possessed work ethic that never plateaued. "The more I threw at her to get better and get better and get better, she just absorbed it all, and she wanted more," per ESPN.