We decided to share this article with readers of BAHAMAS CHRONICLE, which has a huge following among the Bahamian diaspora across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom as well as in The Bahamas and the wider Caribbean. The Nassau Guardian published this article by Tenahj Sweeting on Tuesday, June 2, 2026.
TENAJH SWEETING
Guardian Sports Reporter
tenajh@nasguard.com
Bahamian Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Jonquel ‘JJ’ Jones will be honored by the Connecticut Sun, her former team, during the pregame show of the game between the Sun and the New York Liberty on Monday, June 8, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Montville, Connecticut.
Liberty post player Jones spent the early years of her professional career suiting up for the Sun, from 2016 to 2022, and now she is set to have her No. 35 jersey hung from the team’s rafters. She will be one of six players and coaches to be honored as a ‘Sun Legend’ by the franchise during the team’s final season in the state of Connecticut.
Jones expressed great gratitude for the honor in a press release.
“This means a lot to me,” Jones said. “Connecticut’s the place where everything started for me in the WNBA. It’s a place that has a lot of special memories and is near and dear to my heart. I’m just really happy and excited, and I can’t wait to celebrate with all the other people who will be inducted as ‘Sun Legends’ as well.”
The 2024 WNBA champion and WNBA Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP) has certainly carved out a stellar career for herself over her past 10 seasons in the association.
While she is more endearingly remembered for playing a pivotal role in helping the Liberty win their first franchise title in 2024, Jones built a good chunk of her WNBA résumé playing for the Connecticut Sun.
During her six seasons with the team, she earned her first and only league MVP award, and also won the league’s Most Improved Player Award, the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year Award; she was a three-time WNBA rebounds leader, a two-time WNBA All-Defensive First Team selection, a WNBA All-Defensive Second Team selection, along with multiple all-star and WNBA First and Second Team selections.
Additionally, Jones powered the Sun to the WNBA Finals in 2019 and again in 2022 before being traded to the Liberty in 2023, where she went on to win her first WNBA title just one season later.
Jones’ No. 35 jersey will be hung alongside the jerseys of fellow Sun legends Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Margo Dydek, Nykesha Sales, Katie Douglas, Lindsay Whalen, and Ashja Jones.
So far this season, the Bahamian is averaging 12.7 points and 8.4 rebounds for the Liberty while shooting a career-low 39.3 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from three-point range.
The Liberty have a 5-4 win/loss record through nine games, currently tied for seventh with the expansion Toronto Tempo in the WNBA Standings.
The Liberty will host the Tempo at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. They will then host the Indiana Fever (4-4) on Saturday.