Jonquel Jones Apologizes for Comments About 2024 Finals in Viral Clip
· Yahoo Sports
CHICAGO — Jonquel Jones apologized Saturday night for comments she made on a livestream during WNBA All-Star Weekend. In the clip, Jones said the 2019 Connecticut team she played on deserved to win a championship, and that Minnesota deserved to win in 2024 over her New York Liberty team.
She was talking with Courtney Williams. The audio came off the Studbudz stream through an earbud microphone, and Williams co-hosts that channel on Twitch with Natisha Hiedeman.
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Jones had just won the All-Star Game MVP. At the postgame press conference at the United Center, she was asked if she wanted to address the clip.
"Obviously, it was a night out, and those are usually moments where you let your guard down a little," Jones said. "I was talking to someone who's a close friend and somebody I've built a relationship with over the years. What I said didn't really come out the way I intended."
Williams and Jones were teammates in Connecticut. They played together on the 2019 team that reached the Finals and lost to Washington in five games. Emma Meesseman was named Finals MVP that year. Williams joined Minnesota on January 31, 2024, and took on the starting point guard role for the Lynx during the 2024 Finals against New York. Both women played for Team Spoon on Saturday, with Williams scoring 12 points and providing 7 assists.
"What I was trying to say is that you can have a team with great chemistry, a great season, and everything looks good on paper, and sometimes that's still not enough," Jones said. "That's why I brought up the 2019 Connecticut team — we had incredible chemistry, and it felt like we just needed one more piece to keep that group together."
New York beat Minnesota in five games in the 2024 Finals for the first championship in franchise history. Jones won Finals MVP after she averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in the series and scored a team-high 17 points in an overtime Game 5.
"In 2024, we put our hearts into everything we did. I wouldn't have wanted it to end any other way," Jones said. "I know what that championship meant to our city, to me personally, and to every player in that locker room."
Jones needed a moment to pause at the podium and became emotional before continuing.
"I understand my comments were taken the wrong way, and I'll take accountability for that. I have a responsibility whenever I speak to represent not only myself but also our organization the right way," Jones said. "It was a gut punch for me. I honestly couldn't really enjoy the weekend."
"New York means a lot to me. The organization means a lot to me. Our locker room, our chemistry, what we've built — it means everything," Jones said. "I never wanted anyone to think I was doing anything other than trying to put my best foot forward for our team. So I apologize."
Jones, who spent six seasons in Connecticut and was league MVP in 2021, requested a trade in January 2023 and was moved to New York in a three-team deal involving Dallas.
Her aunt's memorial service was held earlier Saturday. Jones said she spoke with her family and received their blessing before deciding to play, and that her aunt wanted to be cremated, with her ashes to be spread at a later date.
"It's been a really emotional weekend. My aunt's memorial service was today, and then everything else that I just talked about happened as well," Jones said. "There were a lot of highs and a lot of lows."
Jones finished with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists in 22 minutes. She shot 8-of-17 from the field, 4-of-11 from 3-point range, and 2-of-2 at the free-throw line. Team Spoon beat Team Coop 129-122.
The MVP award made Jones the first player to win league MVP, WNBA Finals MVP, Commissioner's Cup MVP, and All-Star MVP. She won the Commissioner's Cup award in 2023, Most Improved Player in 2017, and Sixth Woman of the Year in 2018.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who coached Team Spoon, told Jones before a fourth-quarter substitution that she needed three more assists for a triple-double, but Jones finished 2 assists short.
Attendance at the United Center was 19,783, a sellout and the largest crowd for a WNBA All-Star Game. It was the first All-Star Game held in Chicago since 2022, when the event was played at Wintrust Arena.
Jones has averaged 14.8 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 26 games this season. She has shot 49.2% from the field, 40.5% from 3-point range, and 79.6% at the free-throw line in 29.7 minutes per game.
New York is 15-12 and seventh in the standings, 6.5 games behind Minnesota. The Liberty have won two straight and are 4-6 over their last 10 games. Minnesota is 22-6.
New York returns from the All-Star break at the Los Angeles Sparks on Tuesday to open a three-game West Coast road trip.