UnderdogMindset

Tallest WNBA MVP

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Posted: Apr 13, 2023
Basketball Height Immigrant Women

When Jonquel Jones won the 2021 WNBA MVP, she became the first woman without nationality from the United States or Australia to win the award. She was born and raised in the Bahamas and has had citizenship from Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2019. In 2021, she averaged 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds while leading the Connecticut Sun to the best record in the league. She is also the tallest WNBA MVP ever at 6'6.

References

  • Jonquel Jones and the untold story of the WNBA's reigning MVP

    Basketball also helped Jones discover herself. Growing up, she was often told what she was supposed to do, what she was supposed to wear, and how she was supposed to act. "I feel like a lot of times there were things that little girls weren't supposed to do," Jones says. "Like, 'You're a girl, you're not supposed to be whistling.'"

  • Connecticut Sun’s Jonquel Jones Named 2021 Kia Most Valuable Player

    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).

  • Jonquel Jones Has Learned How to Learn

    Jones came to the United States in 2008 from Freeport, Bahamas, a storm-battered city where a hurricane once ripped the roof from her family’s home. She passed her preteen years largely on the few basketball courts available to her, settling into a rangy, adolescently awkward style that nevertheless distinguished her in her neighborhood’s contests—in which she was often the initiator, almost always the only girl and invariably the best player.