Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones named 2021 Kia Most Valuable Player

NBA.com Staff

Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones named 2021 Kia Most Valuable Player image

Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones has been named the 2021 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player, the WNBA announced today. This is the first WNBA Most Valuable Award for Jones, who was the 2018 WNBA Sixth Player of the Year and 2017 WNBA Most Improved Player.

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).  Seattle Storm forward Breanna Stewart, the 2018 WNBA Most Valuable Player, finished in third place with 156 points. Finishing in fourth and fifth place, respectively, were Minnesota Lynx center and 2017 WNBA MVP Sylvia Fowles (137 points) and Washington Mystics center and 2012 WNBA MVP Tina Charles (127 points).

Players were awarded 10 points for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place vote, five points for a third-place vote, three points for a fourth-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.

In her fifth WNBA season, Jones averaged 19.4 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.26 blocked shots and 1.26 steals in 31.7 minutes in 27 games. The 6-6 forward led the WNBA in rebounding and defensive rebounding (8.7 drpg) and ranked fourth in scoring and 10th in blocks. Her efficiency rating of 25.4 was second only to Griner (26.0).

Jones, 27, won the WNBA Peak Performer Award as the league’s top rebounder for the third time in five seasons. She also led the WNBA in rebounding in 2017 and 2019.

Behind Jones, the Sun posted the highest winning percentage in franchise history (.813) and finished the regular season with 14 consecutive victories for the fourth-longest winning streak in WNBA history.  Connecticut also earned the league’s best record (26-6) and the No. 1 seed in the WNBA Playoffs 2021 presented by Google. The Sun, seeking to win its first WNBA championship, hosts the sixth-seeded Chicago Sky in Game 1 of a Semifinals series tonight at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Jones scored at least 20 points in 12 of 27 games, including a career-high 31 points vs. the New York Liberty on June 5 and again at Washington on Aug. 31. She also grabbed a career-best 17 rebounds at New York on July 11. Jones finished the season with 18 double-doubles (points-rebounds).

A native of the Bahamas, Jones was named the WNBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for May, August and September. Connecticut posted a combined 18-2 record in those three months.

Jones was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft before Connecticut acquired her draft rights in a trade that night. She holds career averages of 13.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.42 blocks.

In honour of being named the 2021 WNBA Most Valuable Player, Jones will receive $15,450 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

Below are the voting results for the 2021 Kia WNBA Most Valuable Player Award and a list of past recipients.

VOTING RESULTS: 2021 KIA WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD
Player (Team) 1st Place Votes 2nd Place Votes 3rd Place Votes 4th Place Votes 5th Place Votes Total Points
  (10 Points) (7 Points) (5 Points) (3 Points) (1 Point)  
Jonquel Jones (Connecticut) 48 1 0 0 0 487
Brittney Griner (Phoenix) 1 23 6 5 8 224
Breanna Stewart (Seattle) 0 5 12 17 10 156
Sylvia Fowles (Minnesota) 0 8 9 10 6 137
Tina Charles (Washington) 0 6 11 7 9 127
A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas) 0 5 10 7 14 120
Skylar Diggins-Smith (Phoenix) 0 1 0 1 1 11
Arike Ogunbowale (Dallas) 0 0 1 0 0 5
Candace Parker (Chicago) 0 0 0 1 1 4
Brionna Jones (Connecticut) 0 0 0 0 1 3

 

WNBA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER AWARD WINNERS
Season Player Team
1997 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets
1998 Cynthia Cooper Houston Comets 
1999 Yolanda Griffith Sacramento Monarchs
2000 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2001 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks
2002 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets
2003 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2004 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks 
2005 Sheryl Swoopes Houston Comets 
2006 Lisa Leslie Los Angeles Sparks 
2007 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm 
2008 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2009 Diana Taurasi Phoenix Mercury
2010 Lauren Jackson Seattle Storm
2011 Tamika Catchings Indiana Fever
2012 Tina Charles Connecticut Sun
2013 Candace Parker Los Angeles Sparks
2014 Maya Moore Minnesota Lynx
2015 Elena Delle Donne Chicago Sky
2016 Nneka Ogwumike Los Angeles Sparks
2017 Sylvia Fowles  Minnesota Lynx 
2018 Breanna Stewart Seattle Storm 
2019 Elena Delle Donne Washington Mystics
2020 A'ja Wilson Las Vegas Aces
2021 Jonquel Jones Connecticut Sun

NBA.com Staff

NBA.com Staff Photo