Heartbreak: The all-time great New York Liberty player announced the end of his contract in order to reach an agreement on a new contract with…
Jonquel Jones, who assisted the New York Liberty to the WNBA Finals the previous season, will try to win it back with the Eastern Conference winners.
Jones inked a new contract with the Liberty on Friday, the team announced.
Delivered, sealed, signed, and formally recognized, Jonquel Jones has re-signed with the NY Liberty.
Regarding Jones’s return in 2024, Jonathan Kolb, general manager of Liberty, released the following statement:
@TheLocalW is The Local W.
“We are ecstatic to have JJ back,” General Manager Jonathan Kolb stated. “We made it our top aim to retain her in sea foam after she solidified herself as an essential component of the Liberty team in just one season, both on and off the court.
After Jones asked the Connecticut Sun for a deal, he was traded to the Liberty during the previous summer.
The former George Washington student worked for the Sun for the first six years of her career. Although the Los Angeles Sparks had originally selected her in the 2016 draft, Connecticut was able to obtain her rights as part of the Chelsea Gray exchange.
During her incredible tenure with Connecticut, Jones won the WNBA MVP award in 2021, the Most Improved Player award in 2017, and the Sixth Woman of the Year award in 2018. During that time, she was also named an All-Star four times.
Jones was second on the team in rebounds (8.3) and fourth in scoring (11.3 points per game) during her rookie campaign with the Liberty. She began each of the 50 games in the regular season.
The only team that the Liberty fell short of in the regular-season standings was the Las Vegas Aces (34-6), with a 32-8 record. The Aces prevailed in four games when those two teams faced off in the WNBA Finals.
It was New York’s fifth-ever Finals participation overall and their first since 2002. The team has not yet taken home a championship.
The return of Jones preserves the starting five of the Liberty from the previous campaign. On May 14, the 2024 season will get underway for the defending Eastern Conference champions against the Washington Mystics
