If a Most Valuable Player Award of any kind can be won on a WNBA court, Jonquel Jones has made it clear that it won’t be long before she adds it to her trophy case.
The résumé was already of the Hall of Fame-type, with Jones collecting the WNBA’s regular-season Most Valuable Player Award in 2021, the Finals Most Valuable Player Award in 2024, and the Commissioner’s Cup Most Valuable Player Award in 2023.
During last night’s All-Star Game, the New York Liberty’s superstar completed a never-before-seen clean sweep; the league’s first-ever to all of that, and win All-Star Game Most Valuable Player:
A Closer Look at Jonquel Jones’ All-Star Performance
Bucket getters like Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever and Marina Mabrey of the Toronto Tempo made early cases to be the game’s top player, but once the dust settled, Jones’ performance — off the bench, even — became too undeniable to ignore.
Jones’ final box score included 22 points (on 8-of-13 shooting), complemented by 13 rebounds, eight assists, four 3-pointers, and a +7 plus-minus in 22 minutes of action. It marked the first time that a player led their team in points, rebounds, and assists during the All-Star Game exhibition.
Even Jones’ biggest supporters might’ve had a difficult time predicting such a performance, especially given the free-flowing, offensive-first style of play that would’ve seemed to benefit guards a bit more. Early on, it appeared as though the first player to touch the basketball had free reign to hoist from nearly half court, if they so pleased.
Notably, she entered the All-Star Game with +4000 odds according to DraftKings’ pre-game listings; this tied for the longest (or most unlikely) of any player to participate in the game.
Instead, in a tribute to her late aunt, Jones put together the type of performance that franchises like the Liberty and Connecticut Sun have come to know all too well.
Additional history could be on the horizon if the 11-year veteran is able to produce All-Star seasons in the future. According to Underdog, she’s only 16 points shy of Nneka Ogwumike’s record for the most total points scored (127) on the All-Star scene.
What’s Next for Jonquel Jones and the New York Liberty?
The focus now shifts to the rest of the regular season, in which the star-studded Liberty will be hoping that their two-game winning streak heading into All-Star Weekend will become a precursor of what’s to come.
As it currently stands, the Liberty — expected title contenders prior to the season’s start — sit at 15-12, and at No. 7 in the WNBA standings. One benefit working in their favor is that they have the league’s fifth-easiest schedule post-All-Star break, according to Tankathon.
Still, as evidenced by their Commissioner’s Cup win and their depth chart when healthy, they project as the type of team no championship hopeful wants to play. The question becomes: can each of the Liberty’s stars consistently hit peak levels at the same time?
Individually, Jones’ numbers are about on-par with their career averages. In 2026, she’s averaging 14.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.1 blocks per game on 49-41-80 percentage splits. Her next opportunity to perform comes on Tuesday, Jul. 28 in a road matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks.
Jonquel Jones Became WNBA’s First-Ever to Accomplish This Historic Feat During All-Star Weekend