Jonquel Jones’ legacy shines in Uncasville
New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones remembers how she felt on the night of the 2016 WNBA Draft when, after being selected No. 6 overall by the Los Angeles Sparks, she was traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Chelsea Gray and some draft picks.
“[The Sun] took a chance on me and decided to trade for me on draft night. I was happy that I would be able to stay in the East Coast and with the organization that had already done a lot of really big things in WNBA, and had some really great players come through its locker room,” Jones told the media prior to the Liberty’s 89-80 win over the Sun on Monday.
Ten years after the Sun chose her, Jones looked up to the rafters in Mohegan Sun Arena as the organization, now in its final season of existence, honored the 6’6 center as part of its “Sun Legends” program. Her name now hangs alongside other franchise legends like Nykesha Sales, Lindsay Whalen and Asjha Jones.
It’s a well-deserved honor for Jones, who ranks sixth in franchise history with 196 games played and stands fifth all-time in points scored (2,657). She ranks first in blocks (270), third in rebounds (1,633), and third in double-doubles (68). Her accomplishments during her time with the Sun (2016-22) earned her four All-Star nods, a Most Improved Player Award (2017), a Sixth Woman of the Year Award (2018) and an MVP Award (2021).
When reflecting back on her time in Connecticut, Jones cherishes fondly her time as a member of the Sun organization. She emphasized the way the fans embrace the team and appreciate quality basketball.
“They knew basketball. They had seen winning basketball, obviously, with the University of Connecticut, and they really had an expectation for, I think, when I, when we first came, for us to really just go out there every night and play really hard, first and foremost, but then when we started getting to the point where we were winning games, it was the expectation to win a championship, obviously,” Jones told reporters.
“The amount of love that they poured into us as players, whether we were out in the town, whether we were on the court — I think that was the biggest thing. [They just] loved the game of basketball, they were gracious fans.”
As the Sun now sets on the WNBA first independently-owned franchise, and the power balance has swung back in favor of NBA ownership, the franchise’s future will be in Houston’s Toyota Center, far away from the arena where Jones’ jersey now hangs. Despite these seismic changes in the structure and infrastructure of the 30-year-old WNBA, Jones wants fans to understand that organizations like the Sun and owners like the Mohegan tribe paved the way for the league’s current success.
“I do think that it did show that women's basketball can stand alone,” Jones told reporters. “I think this franchise bet on women's basketball, before it was the ‘in’ thing to do, before there was as much traction as there is now, and for all the years that the Connecticut Sun really helped carry women's basketball. I think that's something that should be looked at, and something that definitely should be respected and honored.
“I think the legacy is going to be more than what I say it is. I think it's what people that have played here before, people that have seen this team when it first came here … all of those people. So, I don't really know if I can say what the legacy is. I just know that when I was here, the culture was just really tough basketball, playing really hard and winning a lot of basketball games.”
Though Sun fans won’t have a team to cheer on within state lines, Jones proposes a tongue-in-cheek alternative.
“I'm sad that they won't have a team in their vicinity, like super, super close, but you know, we want to welcome them in, and they can come to a game in New York at all times,” Jones said with her trademark bright smile.
The Sun will continue to acknowledge franchise legends for the remainder of its “Sunset Season” in Connecticut. Next up, former coach and GM Curt Miller and former floor general Jasmine Thomas (2015-2022) will be honored during halftime of the Sun’s game against the Dallas Wings on July 2 at PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford.