Jonquel Jones, center, hugs Sun General Manager Morgan Tuck, left, and Sun President Jennifer Rizzotti during pre-game ceremonies to retire her No. 35 jersey she wore here in Connecticut. Rizzotti is pointing to the banner on the wall of Mohegan Sun Arena.
UNCASVILLE, June 8, 2026 – Jonquel Jones was back home again at the Mohegan Sun Arena.
Yes, she was dressed in the visiting colors of the New York Liberty – the light teal uniform, black and white with a tinge of orange.
But this was a night for reflection for Jones, who had her number (35) retired before Monday night’s game against the Connecticut Sun.
“It feels like home to me, it really does,” she said. “There are still people here on the arena staff that I have lasting relationships with so when I see them, it feels familiar and comfortable.
“Connecticut has a really special place in my heart,” she said. “I am sad to see the team leave from here but I am happy I have all of the memories – memories that I will cherish.”
Jones spent the first six seasons of her WNBA career here in Connecticut, helping the Sun reach two WNBA finals in 2019 and 2022. She was the league MVP in 2021, the season when Alyssa Thomas tore her Achilles tendon and played just three games.
Jones was the No. 6 pick in the 2016 WNBA draft by Los Angeles but Sun GM and coach Curt Miller acquired the rights for Jones in exchange for guard Chelsea Gray and two draft picks.
She was the WNBA’s Most Improved Player of the Year in 2017 and the Sixth Woman of the Year in 2018.
She is sixth in Sun history in number of games played (196) and is fifth in points scored (2,657). The 6-foot-6 forward/center from George Washington is still first in team history in blocks (270) and third in rebounds (1,633).
“Ultimately it the place where I learned to be a leader and where I grew into the woman I am now,” Jones said.
She requested a trade following the 2022 season and was dealt to New York, where she has played the last four seasons. She was the Finals MVP in 2024 when the Liberty beat Minnesota in OT in decisive game five to win the league championship.
“I was a bit surprised (retiring her No. 35) because things like this don’t usually happen when people are still playing but obviously I am honored and extremely happy to be honored in a place with so many great memories for me,” she said.
There is nothing usual about the Sun’s farewell season in Connecticut. The WNBA approved the sale of the franchise to Tilman J. Fertitta, the owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, in May and the Sun will be in Houston next season.
Bids to purchase the team from the Mohegan Tribe from groups in Boston and Hartford were both ignored by the league.
Jones is the first of six former players and coaches who will be honored by the Sun this summer. Teams that move to new cities rarely honor players that played for the franchise in other cities.
The Sun will also be retiring the numbers of Alyssa Thomas, Jasmine Thomas and Tina Charles along with honoring former coaches Curt Miller and Mike Thibault, who each led the franchise twice to the WNBA finals.
Jones didn’t play Monday night in New York’s 89-80 victory due to an illness, according to Liberty officials. But it didn’t stop the Liberty from winning their fifth straight game behind Breanna Stewart, who had a game-high 28 points and nine rebounds.
Xu Han, the 6-foot-11 center from China, started the first game of her WNBA career and had 14 points. Betniajah Laney Hamilton added 11 points and pulled down five rebounds.
Former UConn star Breanna Stewart had a game-high 28 points in Monday night’s WNBA win over the Sun.
The Sun (2-11) were missing Brittney Griner with a sore rib and Aneesah Morrow with a left leg strain. Olivia Nelson-Ododa had a season-high 15 points and pulled down eight rebounds for Connecticut while Aaliyah Edwards also had a season-high 15 points.
The Liberty led for most of the game. Six times in the fourth quarter, the Sun cut the lead to six points and New York responded with a big play nearly every time.
Diamond Miller hit a three-point shot to cut the lead to six with 9:35 remaining in the game and Satou Sabally responded immediately with a basket from the baseline. Nelson-Ododa scored in the lane over Stewart with 9:03 left but Stewart responded quickly with a jumper to push the lead back to eight.
With 45 seconds left, Edwards hit two free throws to cut the lead to five. But with 24.8 seconds left, Pauline Astier drove to the basket but missed. Stewart grabbed the rebound and missed. She ripped down her own rebound and put the ball back up again. This time she scored to push the lead back to seven, 87-80.
“It took a lot of toughness and the next up mentality,” Stewart said. “(Connecticut) is hungry for a win. They wanted that win especially with an opportunity to win at home. We handled the pressure pretty well,” Stewart said.
Connecticut’s Olivia Nelson Ododa had a season-high 15 points in Monday night’s loss to New York. The Sun have lost three straight and six of the last seven games.
Jones has been on a tear lately for New York. On May 27, she recorded her second double-double with 17 points and a season-high 12 rebounds in a win over Phoenix. She also became the second fastest player in Liberty history to score 1,000 points with the team – 118 games.
Last Wednesday, she had 22 points and 17 rebounds in a win over Toronto. She grabbed 12 rebounds in a win over Indiana on Saturday while tying her career high for rebounds in a quarter with eight in the fourth, marking her second consecutive game with eight rebounds in a single quarter.
Her 61 rebounds over the past five games are her most rebounds by a New York player in any five-game span since the 2023 season.
Clearly, Jones isn’t slowing down. There is one more opportunity to see her play at Mohegan Sun Arena on August 15 at 1 p.m. when New York makes their final trip of the season to the Sun.
