Connecticut Sun

LAS VEGAS—Becky Hammon's mind was reeling. The Las Vegas Aces coach sat at the podium frustrated following WNBA Finals Game 1 against the Connecticut Sun. Her team had struggled offensively. They were stagnant, they shot poorly and they had gotten outworked on the glass.

Adjustments needed to be made, and quickly.

"Tonight we struggled a little bit, and we'll be better in Game 2," she said. "I already know what we're going to do."

Contrary to Hammon’s tone, the Aces didn’t lose. They defeated the Sun 67-64, but she knew that their opponent had imposed its style upon the game. Connecticut outrebounded Las Vegas and earned more second-chance points, highlighting its advantage in the hustle statistics.

Though they came away with the victory, why were the Aces getting outhustled for rebounds in the Finals on their home floor? Was it because of the Sun's size and their three All-Star post players? According to Hammon, that had nothing to do with it.

"When the shot goes up, you go find a body and you put yours on it, and then go grab the ball," she said. "You have to have a mindset that I'm going to go get the ball. I'm going to block you out. ... I'm going to go get the ball, that's it. You don't have to be the biggest and baddest. Be smart. Play with your feet. Be intentional about what you're doing and then at the end of the day, it's all of us."

In the other locker room, the Sun came out of Game 1 disappointed but encouraged. Connecticut held Las Vegas, a team that averaged a league-leading 90.4 points per game during the regular season, under 70 points.

While the Sun mustered just 11 fourth-quarter points, 2021 MVP Jonquel Jones doesn't believe her team has reason to be concerned. Imposing their low-scoring, gritty style of play is exactly how the Sun advanced past the Chicago Sky in the semifinals.

"I don't think it ever felt tight," Jones said following the loss. "We were shooting shots, and they weren't going in. But ultimately, we were playing great defense as well, and that's one of the things I talked about, finding the wins within the game. Yes, we weren't hitting the shots we know we can hit, but we were also playing good D. Ultimately, we'll be all right."

Will the Sun prove Jones right? Can the Aces address their stagnant, inefficient offense? In Game 2 on Tuesday, both teams will look to counter the punches of their opponent.

For Las Vegas, everything starts with getting its high-flying offense back on track. The Aces opened Game 1 by hitting five straight shots, but it was it was a slog from there. They put up just nine points in the second quarter on the way to four-point halftime deficit and ended the afternoon at 39.7 percent from the field, including just 5-of-24 on three-pointers.

Kelsey Plum, who went 1-of-9 from the field with six points and two assists, was far from the only player who struggled against Connecticut's defense, but her stat line was representative of the challenge Las Vegas faced. Like Hammon, Plum was frustrated and hardly satisfied with the win, feeling like her team barely walked away with the victory.

"They pack the paint, they make it stagnant," Plum said. "You have to give them credit. Defensively, they've always been one of the best teams in the league. They switch a lot. They trap a lot. They kind of get you out of your rhythm."

Although the Sun finished the game with 18 assists to the Aces' eight, the Sun weren't in rhythm either, especially in the second half. Following an impassioned halftime speech from Hammon—"I was lit," she said—the Aces turned the tide. They switched to a zone to counter Connecticut's larger lineups that featured 6'4" wing DeWanna Bonner alongside some combination of Jonquel Jones, Brionna Jones and Alyssa Thomas.

"I thought, at times, we got their zone to shift the way we wanted it to," Sun head coach Curt Miller said. "But didn't always take advantage or at least certainly didn't make some shots.”

Miller noted that guard Natisha Hiedeman made a corner three midway through the fourth quarter, and because of the zone, Aces guard Jackie Young was late to contest the shot. Connecticut just didn't get enough of those zone-exploiting shots to fall.

The Sun also missed offensive opportunities in transition, an area where they’ve excelled all season.

"We just couldn't take three on three, four on three, three on two," Miller said. "We didn't find baskets when we did have those opportunities to run."

Connecticut also committed three shot-clock violations, which according to Sun assistant coach Chris Koclanes was a function of how loud the sellout crowd of 10,135 was at Michelob Ultra Arena on Sunday afternoon.

"We'll have to have better clock awareness," he told B/R. "It's loud in here."

The Sun's guards, namely veterans Bonner and Courtney Williams, will also have to demonstrate improvement in Game 2. Both were cold on Sunday, combining to score eight points on 3-of-18 shooting. Connecticut is going to need more from both of them to have a chance at claiming the title.

Las Vegas and Connecticut came away from Game 1 with differing mindsets about the result, but which one will lead to victory in Game 2? Will it be the Aces' angst and anger, or the Sun's confidence and calm?

On Tuesday night, we'll find out.

Prediction: The Sun even the series at 1-1 before traveling back to Uncasville for Game 3. Williams moves a bit more without the ball and finds open spaces, while the Aces double-team the Sun’s most efficient players in Jonquel Jones and Brionna Jones. Kelsey Plum finds her shot in Game 2, but it won't be enough.

The Las Vegas Aces survived a tough challenge from the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of the 2022 WNBA Finals, earning a 67-64 win Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas.

A'ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray led the way for the Aces. Wilson dropped a double-double, scoring 24 points and collecting 11 rebounds. Gray chipped in with 11 points and provided a lifeline for a Las Vegas offense that shot 39.7 percent from the floor.

The coldest 12's out 🥶@cgray209 🤝 @JaMorant

📺 @ABC pic.twitter.com/qX9aIgkeUA

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 11, 2022

DeWanna Bonner had an opportunity to tie the game in the final seconds but watched her three-point attempt hit the front rim.

In the first two rounds, the Aces simply overwhelmed the Phoenix Mercury and Seattle Storm. Per WNBA.com, they led all teams in postseason offensive rating (114.7) and true shooting percentage (61.5) entering Sunday.

But stout defense has been a hallmark of the Sun under head coach Curt Miller. Connecticut succeeded in stifling Las Vegas and slowing down the pace of Game 1.

Still, it wasn't enough to stop the individual brilliance of Gray and the post presence of Wilson.

For Gray, Game 1 continued one of the hottest-shooting postseasons ever in the WNBA.

https://twitter.com/MG_Schindler/status/1569060880700305409

Imagine the feeling of trying to defend Chelsea Gray when they go 1-4 low ISO…

— Rachel Galligan (@RachGall) September 11, 2022

Per @ESPNStatsInfo: Chelsea Gray is 7-9 on contested FG, 0-2 on uncontested FG, because of course she is

— Alexa Philippou (@alexaphilippou) September 11, 2022

i dare you to tell me how to guard chelsea gray

— Matt Ellentuck (@mellentuck) September 11, 2022

It's weird they keep playing this Chelsea Gray movie and the ending never changes.

— Kevin Pelton (@kpeltonWBB) September 11, 2022

Wilson, meanwhile, accepted her MVP trophy before the game and showed why she collected the league's highest individual honor.

A'JA WILSON COMES UP BIG WITH A BLOCK AND A BUCKET 😤 pic.twitter.com/kcXjGm3ry6

— ESPN (@espn) September 11, 2022

A'ja Wilson is an MVP in every sense, and Kelsey Plum plays with so much grit and tenacity.

Such beautiful basketball to watch.

— Tom Petrini (@RealTomPetrini) September 11, 2022

https://twitter.com/sabreenajm/status/1569046353682255872

This is A'ja Wilson's 11th career playoff game with at least 20 points, the 6th most by a player in their first 5 seasons.@LVAces | #WNBAFinals pic.twitter.com/KKDqHbyHTG

— Basketball Reference (@bball_ref) September 11, 2022

A’ja Wilson will not be denied!!! She wants this finals ring so badly!! Dominating the game on all ends on the floor block city!

— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) September 11, 2022

The Sun have time to right the ship in the best-of-five series. The trouble for Miller and his staff is that so much went right Sunday, but Connecticut is nevertheless staring at an 0-1 deficit.

Kelsey Plum shot 1-of-9 from the field and 1-of-7 from long range. Gray had three turnovers. Las Vegas as a team recorded just eight assists. The Sun could be in serious trouble if the No. 1 seed starts resembling the best and most lethal team in the WNBA again.

The Aces and Sun will return to the court Tuesday for Game 2.

Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones was named the WNBA's 2022 Sixth Player of the Year on Thursday.

The two-time All-Star was the runaway favorite for the award after averaging 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in the regular season. She claimed 53 of the 56 first-place votes.

Cooked ‘em on the court all season long.

Brionna Jones is your @Kia Sixth Player of the Year!@_bjones18 | #CTSun pic.twitter.com/hs8U4OV5dS

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) September 1, 2022

The fact Jones comes off the bench for the Sun speaks to their depth in the frontcourt.

The 2017 first-round pick was a peripheral figure in her first three years before Jonquel Jones' absence in 2020 paved the way for her to become a regular starter. She averaged 11.2 points and 5.6 rebounds while shooting 60.5 percent that season.

Alyssa Thomas' Achilles injury in 2021 allowed Jones to continue featuring in the starting rotation, and she showed her breakout was no aberration. She was third on the team in scoring (14.7 points) and second in rebounding (7.3 boards) en route to winning the WNBA's Most Improved Player.

Although Jones was relegated to the second unit with Connecticut at full strength again for 2022, it did little to lower her overall impact. The Sun had an 11.3 net rating with Jones on the floor and a 7.3 net rating when she was on the bench, per WNBA.com. Her 3.7 points per game in the fourth quarter trailed only DeWanna Bonner.

An unrestricted free agent, Jones has played her way into a big contract, the kind that could complicate a possible return to Connecticut.

The Sun have $847,500 tied up in just the quartet of Bonner, Jonquel Jones, Alyssa Thomas and Jasmine Thomas, which limits their financial flexibility. Given how much she has grown her game, Jones might also relish the chance to assume the kind of starring role that may be more achievable elsewhere.

Reigning WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones signed a new contract with the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday, the team announced.

The Mother of Dragons is coming…home. pic.twitter.com/fsUZuT3FqE

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) February 1, 2022

Gabe Ibrahim of Her Hoop Stats reported the deal will pay Jones $205,000 in 2022 and $211,150 in 2023.

Jones averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game on the way to her first MVP award in 2021. The Sun posted a WNBA-best 26-6 record during the regular season before losing to the Chicago Sky in the semifinals of the playoffs.

Jones, 28, has been with the Sun since being the No. 6 pick in the 2016 draft. She was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks but was traded as part of a deal that sent Chelsea Gray to Los Angeles.

A three-time All-Star, Jones is one of the sport's most versatile bigs, showing an ability to finish near the rim or knock down shots from three-point range. The Sun have reached at least the semifinals in each of the last three seasons and are expected to compete for the championship again in 2022.

Getting Jones locked in to a new contract could be the first step in finally getting over that hump.

The WNBA announced Friday that Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones was unanimously selected for the 2021 All-WNBA First Team.

Jones, who won the league's 2021 Most Valuable Player Award, was the only player placed on the first-team ballot by all 49 members of the voting panel.

Here's the full first team:

• G: Skylar Diggins-Smith (Phoenix Mercury)
• G: Jewell Loyd (Seattle Storm)
• F: Jonquel Jones (Sun)
• F: Breanna Stewart (Storm)
• C: Brittney Griner (Mercury)

And here's the All-WNBA Second Team:

• G: Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas Wings)
• G: Courtney Vandersloot (Chicago Sky)
• F: A'ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces)
• F: Tina Charles (Washington Mystics)
• C: Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota Lynx)

Jones, who opted out of the 2020 season because of the "unknown aspects" of COVID-19 at the time, returned to produce the best campaign of her five-year career.

The 27-year-old Bahamas native averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks across 27 regular-season appearances. She shot 51.5 percent from the field and 80.2 percent from the free-throw line.

She also led the Sun to the best record in the WNBA at 26-6, including a terrific 15-1 mark at home, but Connecticut was eliminated by the Sky in the playoff semifinals.

In September, Jones told Alexa Philippou of the Hartford Courant she attributed her success to a refreshed mindset about basketball and life:

"At the end of the day, this is just a game. And while it makes me very proud to go out there and play my best and win for this organization, there's so many other things that people are going through that when you really think about this, it's just like, go out there and have fun. That's all you should be worried about."

Three members of the All-WNBA teams are playing in the 2021 Finals as Diggins-Smith and Griner lead the Mercury against Vandersloot and the Sky.

Vandersloot dished out 11 assists as Chicago won Sunday's Game 1, but Griner and Diggins-Smith combined for 42 points in Wednesday's Game 2 as Phoenix won in overtime to level the series.

Game 3 is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET Friday at Wintrust Arena in Chicago and will air on ESPN2.

Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones has been named the 2021 WNBA Most Valuable Player.

After a stellar season in which she led the Sun to the top seed in the WNBA playoffs, Jones received 48 of 49 first-place votes from the national media panel. Phoenix Mercury forward Brittney Griner received one first-place vote.

Jonquel Jones has been named the 2021 WNBA MVP.

Jones received 48 of 49 first-place votes and 487 total points from a national panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner finished in second place with 224 points (one first-place vote).

— ESPN Women's Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) September 28, 2021

Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart placed third, Minnesota Lynx center and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Sylvia Fowles finished fourth and Washington Mystics center Tina Charles landed in fifth.

In her fifth season in the WNBA, Jones averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 blocked shots and 1.3 steals, and Connecticut went 26-6. Jones has been on a steady rise since entering the league, winning Most Improved Player in 2017 and Sixth Woman of the Year in 2018.

"What does it take an MVP-type player, not just a great player?" Sun head coach Curt Miller said. "It's her ability to continue to keep adding to her game and play both sides of the ball."

Miller noted Jones' improvement on defense as an integral part of Connecticut's success this season.

"She became more of a rim protector and has established herself for a long time now as one of the premier rebounding players in the world," Miller said.

Jones' MVP win completes a decorated regular season for the Sun. Miller was named Coach of the Year for the second time in his career. Brionna Jones earned Most Improved Player, receiving 38 of 49 first-place votes.

The Sun will host the Chicago Sky in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals Tuesday.     

Connecticut Sun coach Curt Miller has been suspended for one game and fined $10,000 after making an inappropriate comment about the weight of Aces center Liz Cambage during Sunday's win over Las Vegas. 

Miller apologized for his remarks on Monday.

"I made an inappropriate and offensive comment in reference to Liz Cambage's height and weight. I regret what I said in the heat of the moment and want to sincerely apologize to Liz and the entire Aces organization. I understand the gravity of my words and have learned from this," Miller said in a statement.

Cambage posted an Instagram Story on Sunday night detailing the incident, saying Miller told an official "she's 300 pounds" while attempting to get a favorable call. (Warning: Video contains NSFW language.)

Liz Cambage called out Sun HC Curt Miller for offensive comment about her weight during Aces-Sun game last night

Miller, who apologized Monday, has been fined $10K and suspended one game https://t.co/sOjyF5FRPg

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 24, 2021

“Something went down in today’s game and I need to speak on it because if there is one thing about me is that I will never let a man disrespect me ever, ever, ever, especially a little white one,” Cambage said. “So, to the coach of Connecticut, I’m sorry little sir man I do not know your name, but the next time you try to call out a referee trying to get a call being like, ‘Come on, she's 300 pounds.’ I’m going to need you to get it right, baby, because I’m 6'8", I’m weighing, I just double-checked because I love to be correct and give facts, I’m weighing 235 pounds, and I’m very proud of being a big b---h, a big body, big Benz baby. So, don’t ever try to disrespect me or another woman in the league.”

Cambage went on to say Miller's comments constituted a form of "protected abuse" because she would be punished if she engaged with a coach of the opposing team. She says she believes trash talk between players falls under a different spectrum than a coach commenting on the weight of a player.

There is also the added poor optics of a man in power commenting on a woman's weight or body. 

Miller will serve his suspension on Tuesday night when the Sun play the Seattle Storm on the road.

The Phoenix Mercury traded star forward DeWanna Bonner to the Connecticut Sun for three first-round picks Tuesday. 

Phoenix receives the Nos. 7 and 10 picks in the 2020 draft and Connecticut's 2021 first-rounder.

She's arrived, @DEEBONNER24. pic.twitter.com/PBWmcCTXRo

— Connecticut Sun (@ConnecticutSun) February 11, 2020

Bonner was an unrestricted free agent this offseason. By executing a sign-and-trade, the Mercury allowed for the three-time All-Star to sign a supermax extension with her new team.

The 32-year-old is one of the most versatile players in the WNBA. She averaged 17.2 points, 7.6 points, 2.7 assists and 1.3 steals for Phoenix in 2019. She only shot 27.2 percent from beyond the arc but made 1.5 three-pointers per game, her efficiency taking a hit due to the added attention she received during Diana Taurasi's absence.

The Sun finished runners-up to the Washington Mystics in the 2019 Finals and are clearly looking to maximize their championship window. The team confirmed Monday it re-signed Jonquel Jones to a multiyear extension.

Bonner will presumably slide into Connecticut's starting rotation at the 4 alongside Jones and Alyssa Thomas in the frontcourt.

The WNBA already saw a pair of moves that could impact the 2020 title race. Kristi Toliver left the reigning champion Washington Mystics to sign with the Los Angeles Sparks, and Angel McCoughtry joined the Las Vegas Aces.

The Sun were already poised to mount another Finals run. Add Bonner to the mix and they're even better, though her arrival could hinder Connecticut's chances of re-signing both Courtney Williams and Shekinna Stricklen. If push comes to shove, Stricklen seems the likelier candidate to leave.

The Mercury, on the other hand, are trending in the wrong direction. Bonner leaves a void that's nearly impossible to fill, and Brittney Griner is out of contract after having expressed doubt about her future in the league.

Phoenix could package the three first-rounders it received from the Sun in a trade to land a proven star, but those picks might be needed if the franchise is looking at a rebuild.

It's late August at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, and members of the WNBA's Connecticut Sun are arriving for one of biggest regular-season games of the year: a showdown against the Las Vegas Aces that would leave the winner in sole possession of the No. 2 seed in the playoff standings.

Jonquel Jones, the Sun's breakout MVP candidate, doesn't walk in; she glides. Literally. On her hoverboard.

The hoverboard has traveled around the world and back with Jones since she was at George Washington University. She picks up her tiny dog, Rilo, and carries him while riding it. She takes her teammate Bria Holmes' toddler for rides.

"I think she rides that better than she walks," teammate Jasmine Thomas said. "She'll trip over her feet in a heartbeat, she'll tell you."

When asked about her method of transportation, Jones says, "Why walk when I could ride?"

With a smile that fills half of her face and an effervescent laugh that fills every corner of the room, Jones is a 6'6" ray of sunshine—fun, playful, laid-back.

There's another side, though. One that convinced her to leave her ancestral home in the Bahamas and chase a hoops dream that has seen her evolve from prized draft prospect to Most Improved Player to Sixth Woman of the Year to what she is now—one of the WNBA's most dominating players and maybe the key to a title for the Sun.

---

Basketball has always been a big part of Jones' life. For as long as she remembers herself, she remembers the sport. The game began for her when she was about five on a concrete court in her grandmother's backyard on Grand Bahama island. It was a hand-me-down of sorts, built by her father and uncle when they were growing up in the house.

Jones, her four sisters and two brothers lived in an apartment nearby, the swath of land between the locations owned by her family for generations. She remembers gathering fruit as she and her siblings ran between the homes constantly. Grapes, plums, mangoes and custard apple trees. The memory of it brings an ease to her demeanor even today.

But it was that slab of concrete where she started gathering the skills to play the game that would define her.

"That was where I started," Jones said.

While basketball isn't the most popular sport in the Bahamas—that would be soccer—it is the home of legendary Bahamian basketball coach Gladstone "Moon" McPhee. Jones' natural talent caught McPhee's eye, and soon she was training with him alongside her friend and current NBA star Buddy Hield.

"She's a hard worker," Hield said. "She's worked so hard since we were young."

Gym time wasn't easy to get in the Bahamas; there weren't many from which to choose. But sometimes, McPhee would open up his gym at 6 a.m., and Hield and Jones would go practice before school. In the summer, McPhee took teams from the Bahamas to play against teams in Florida. No matter how hard Jones worked, the American teams would always win.

"Why am I not on the same level as them?" Jones would wonder.

She soon realized it wasn't just a matter of effort. The girls from Florida had access to coaching and training that she simply couldn't get in the Bahamas.

When she was in middle school, Jones was connected to Diane Richardson, who at the time was the head coach of an elite prep school, Riverdale Baptist, in Maryland (and now is the head women's basketball coach at Towson University). Another Bahamian had gone to Riverdale as part of an exchange program and ended up playing for Richardson and getting a college scholarship. Richardson thought Jones would benefit from doing the same thing.

There was one problem: Jones' family couldn't afford the $10,000 annual tuition. But after talking with Jones on the phone a few times, Richardson felt compelled to help the friendly Bahamian. After all, Richardson herself had grown up poor and understood what it was like to need a helping hand. So when Jones was only 14 years old, she moved to Maryland, where Richardson became her legal guardian.

"I wanted to go over there," Jones remembered thinking. "I wanted to play with those girls and be able to be better than all those girls who I'm playing against.

"And I knew that I could do it if I put my mind to it."

---

When Jones got to the United States to stay with the Richardsons, she was hardly a basketball prodigy. She was a 5'9" guard her teammates nicknamed "Spider" because of her long, gangly limbs (her wingspan stretches to 6'11" now). She couldn't keep up with the speed and physicality of the high school game. But she was determined not to get left behind.

"She kind of challenged me as a coach because she was always wanting to practice," Richardson said. "She worked harder than any other player has ever worked for me."

By the start of her senior year, she forced the people behind the ESPN HoopGurlz recruiting rankings to do something they had never done before: retabulate the rankings for the class of 2012 to move Jones from No. 36 to No. 17. They called it the "Jonquel Adjustment."

"Not only did Jones retain what already were fairly formidable perimeter skills, she expanded them, at an off-the-charts rate," ESPN's Keil Moore wrote at the time. "It's almost unheard of that a high school player makes such a dramatic improvement in skills merely between the summer and the start of the high school season."

Jones committed to Clemson, but she quickly grew disillusioned with her choice. After her freshman season, she transferred to George Washington, where Richardson had become an assistant coach.

Jones explained that the Clemson head coach just didn't "seem ready" to run a program.

"With her work ethic, she thought that the rest of the team and the staff wasn't up for that," Richardson said. 

With Richardson at her side again, Jones became one of the country's best players. By her senior season, she led the nation in rebounding and had made herself into one of the most coveted players in the 2016 WNBA draft. That April, she became the first player from the Bahamas drafted into the league when she was selected sixth overall.

"She's a sign of hope for girls in the Bahamas," said Hield, who was the sixth pick in the NBA draft the same year. "Her skill level is off the charts."

Make sure you vote for my girl Jonquel Jones for @WNBA All Star. 🇧🇸🇧🇸🇧🇸 pic.twitter.com/717vXYJa6n

— Buddy Love !!!! (@buddyhield) June 27, 2019

A draft-night trade sent her from the L.A. Sparks to Connecticut, where she struggled to adjust despite having the opportunity to play a lot on a young team.

"Oh my gosh, she couldn't even really catch the ball sometimes," teammate Shekinna Stricklen said. "You know, when you first come here and you gotta learn new terms, and oh, man, we laughed so much every day at JJ, I'm not going to lie. We laughed all the time."

After a fairly unremarkable rookie campaign, Jones spent the winter playing in South Korea. Her stint overseas in a league known for its long, physically demanding seasons was a perfect setup for a breakthrough second year.

Chiney Ogwumike's torn Achilles opened up a spot in the starting lineup for Jones, who used it to turn in a head-spinning performance. She entered the WNBA record books by grabbing the most rebounds in league history for a single season. She dunked during the WNBA All-Star Game and was eventually voted the runaway winner of the WNBA's Most Improved Player of the Year.

A less demanding offseason schedule in China and visa problems that delayed her offseason return from the Bahamas caused Jones to get off to a slow start last year, and she never really caught up. She missed training camp and was replaced in the starting lineup by Ogwumike (who had recovered from her Achilles injury). While Jones caught enough of a rhythm to be named Sixth Woman of the Year, she was still frustrated.

"It was difficult for her," Richardson said. "We had plenty of conversations where she just didn't think it was right that she had to sit so much."

---

Jones has grown in a lot of ways this year, and not just on the court.

Last summer, she began dating a woman. As they grew closer, she gradually became more comfortable posting pictures of her on social media and sharing her personal life with her fans. This summer, she came out to her family—including Richardson. It's been a painful process, but also freeing.

"I struggled with it for a long, long, long time," she said.

Her upbringing in the Bahamas was a conservative one, and Jones grew up firmly believing that if you were gay, you were going to hell. Meeting so many out women in women's basketball helped her counter her own beliefs.

"I met so many amazing people that are doing great things, not just for themselves, but their communities," she said. "And when I saw that, I'm like, 'Man, that stuff is bogus.' ... You can't say that God knows you unconditionally, and he's gonna judge you for loving somebody else like that. So for me, I just had to figure it out for myself. It took a little bit of time, though."

She took a more serious look at her playing career as well. She spent the offseason playing for the top team in Euroleague, the most competitive women's basketball league in Europe, which forced her to part ways with the Bahamas national team program and obtain a European passport. That led to some criticism from locals back home, and some misleading headlines stated she has "renounced" her citizenship. But to Jones, it was a professional decision, not personal.

It was a good one, too. After playing alongside Brittney Griner in Russia, Jones has taken strides as a rim protector and defender. She was named to the All-Defensive first team after notching a league-high 2.0 blocks and 9.7 rebounds per game.

She started out on fire offensively, too, and was named WNBA Player of the Week in three of the first four weeks of the season. By the midpoint of the season, she had played herself into the conversation for league MVP. And she knew it.

"I think she was really, really motivated in the beginning, because she was really, really happy when she called and told me," Richardson said. "But I think since then, she has still put the team in front of herself."

In August, Jones went into a shooting slump—particularly from outside—and started passing to her teammates even more often. Part of this was because she was getting more double-teams. But it also spoke to a passivity that has haunted her game throughout her career.

"We talk about it all the time," Sun head coach Curt Miller said. "We can't go where we want to go when she has games where she's taking five to nine shots. We need her in double-figure shots every game. We need her hunting those shots."

---

During the last week of the regular season, while Jones was busy helping the Sun secure that second seed in the WNBA playoffs and get a coveted bye, Hurricane Dorian ravaged her homeland. Jones—who makes it back to the islands whenever her busy schedule allows and still proudly reps the "242" everywhere she goes—struggled to reach her family for days. She listened to news reports about how much damage Hurricane Dorian did on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama, the two islands where her family members lived.

Eventually, she got good news: They were all safe. But it hadn't been easy. The apartment her parents were living in during the storm got battered. The roof caved in and dropped, and her family had to move to a neighbor's place. Her nieces and nephews on Grand Bahama were in a bathroom when the windows blew out during the storm.

Last Wednesday, just hours after she finally talked to her sister, she launched a fundraiser online. Players, coaches and fans from around the WNBA have donated. She's already raised more than $40,000 and is using the increased spotlight surrounding her impending playoff run to continue to raise awareness.

"I feel like it's my responsibility," she said. "I feel like God has blessed me and put me in the situation that I'm in right now. So I have to use my voice in order to try and help the people that are just really struggling right now."

Meanwhile, she's preparing to play the first playoff series of her career. Jones insists it isn't a matter of choosing between helping the Bahamas or helping the Sun win a championship; she can do both. She has to do both.

"It does seem inconsequential," she said of the playoffs ahead. "Basketball is just a sport, but I'm also using it as a way to just kind of clear my mind, and then, you know, once I get off the court, then I get back into what I can do for everybody at home."

Jones has come a long way from that fruit-filled field next to her home, a long way from that concrete court in her grandmother's backyard. But that's always where her heart will be. As for basketball? 

"I just play, man," she said. "Like whatever comes, comes. I always say it. I feel like people think it's like a cliche answer, but that's just how I am. I'm from the Islands, it is what it is."

She laughed when she said it, but her nonchalance wasn't the least bit believable.

    

Lindsay Gibbs is a freelance sports reporter. She covers the Washington Mystics for The Athletic and is the co-host of the feminist sports podcast, Burn It All Down.