For the second time in three years, missing last year because of time taken off over concerns for the coronavirus pandemic, Bahamian Jonquel “JJ” Jones is a top five finisher for the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award.
Jones, who tied a career-high in steals at 1.3 per game and added 1.3 blocks per game, finished tied for third for defensive player of the year for the second time, and also secured her second first team selection on the WNBA All-Defensive Team. Jones recently won the peak performer award for rebounds, for the third time in her career, and was unanimously selected as the the Associated Press’ (AP) WNBA Player of the Year.
Many believe it’s a prelude of what’s to come. The Bahamian women’s professional basketball player is the frontrunner for the WNBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, which would be a historic accomplishment for a Bahamian athlete. No other Bahamian athlete has ever won an MVP award in a major professional sports organization.
The Connecticut Sun post player had an impressive year, averaging career-highs in points and assists and tying a career-high in steals. Jones dropped in 19.4 points per game – fourth-best in the league this year and four points per game higher than her previous career-high of 15.4 that was done in 2017. She won the rebounding title for the third time in her career, averaging double-digit rebounds at 11.2 per game.
Jones, 27, was one of just two players in the league to average a double-double and led the league in double-doubles with 18. The other player to average a double-double this season was Minnesota Lynx center Sylvia Fowles who was named as the 2021 Kia WNBA Defensive Player of the Year on Sunday – her fourth top defender award in the league, joining five-time winner Tamika Catchings as the only players in league history to win the award four or more times.
Fowles received 31 votes from a national panel of 49 sportswriters and broadcasters. Los Angeles Sparks guard Brittney Sykes finished second place with six votes, and Jones and Phoenix Mercury forward Brianna Turner tied for third with four votes each. Phoenix center Brittney Griner received two votes for fifth and Connecticut guards Briann January and Jasmine Thomas received one vote each.
As for 6’6” 202-pound post player Jones, she was sensational this year leading the Sun into the playoffs as the top seed with a 26-6 win/loss record – their best mark in franchise history. They ended the season on a 14-game winning streak – the fourth-longest in league history, and the longest win streak at the end of a season in history.
The Sun will host the Chicago Sky in game one of their WNBA best-of-five semifinal series at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Tuesday – one of just two teams to beat them at least twice this season, but both times without Jones in the line-up as she was playing for Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 2021 European Women’s Basketball Championship (EuroBasket Women 2021).
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