Brionna Jones

Brionna Jones: A Brief Biography

Brionna Jones is a professional basketball player in the WNBA. Jones is 6 feet 3 inches tall and was drafted 8th overall in the 2017 WNBA Draft. She started her career at Aberdeen High School where she was a state champion in basketball and later at the University of Maryland where she was majoring in kinesiology. In 2021, she was awarded the WNBA Most Improved Player Award and was selected in the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team. In 2023 she scored a career-high average of 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game making it one of her best seasons ever in the WNBA.

Jones was also awarded the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year award in 2022 due to her valuable contributions off the bench and is also a 3-time WNBA All-Star in 2021, 2022 and 2024. She also won a Gold medal with the US women’s basketball team in the 2022 Australia World Cup. She is also one of 6 players to have signed the WNBA and WNBPA collective bargaining agreement in 2020 and is also the Director of Player Personnel for the University of Maryland women’s basketball team, and will guide the next generation of players from the University of Maryland.

Brionna Jones's Early Life

Brionna Jones was born on the 18th of December, 1995, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Michael and Sanciarhea Jones. She was raised in Havre de Grace, Maryland and she had an older brother, Jarred, a younger sister, Stephanie, and a younger brother, Jordan.

Jones went to Aberdeen High School and as soon as she joined the school she became a prominent basketball player. She led her team to a state championship in her junior year and this success paved the way for her future career at the University of Maryland followed by her induction into the WNBA. She suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, which left her unable to continue in the 2023 season, however, she has returned to full fitness as of September 2024.

Brionna Jones's Personal Life

Jones grew up in Havre de Grace, Maryland, with her parents, Michael and Sanciarhea Jones, and her three siblings: an older brother, Jarred, a younger sister, Stephanie, and a younger brother, Jordan. Her sister Stephanie has also been her teammate at Connecticut Sun during the seasons 2021 and 2022.

Apart from basketball, Jones is also engaged in community service and has assumed other responsibilities including the Director of Player Personnel for the Maryland women's basketball team.

Brionna Jones’s Family Background

Jones’ father, Michael, played basketball at Hartford College and her mother, Sanciarhea, was a volleyball player at East Texas State College, according to USAB. Brionna grew up in Havre de Grace, Maryland, and was raised in a sporting environment, which influenced her career. She has three siblings: an older brother, Jarred, a younger sister, Stephanie, and a younger brother, Jordan. Jarred played basketball at Loyola University, while Stephanie followed in Brionna’s footsteps, playing at the University of Maryland and later joining her on the Connecticut Sun for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.

Brionna Jones's Social Media

Brionna Jones is seen fairly regularly on social media platforms like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), where she shares her daily life updates along with her pre-game fits and game highlights as well. Her Instagram handle is @bri_jones18 and her X account has the username @_bjones18.

Brionna Jones Brand Ambassador

Brionna Jones has also gone further than the playing field as a brand ambassador. As one of six players who signed the WNBA’s Player Marketing Agreement, Jones promotes the league and its partners, the sport and its principles, as per Andscape.

Besides her ambassadorial responsibilities, Jones has also assumed other responsibilities at her university, the University of Maryland. She holds the position of Director of Player Personnel for the women’s basketball team and this is an added proof of her leadership and love for the game.

Brionna Jones’s Career Stats

Jones’ first major season was in 2021 where she scored 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game and was awarded the WNBA Most Improved Player Award. She was awarded the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year and was an All-Star for the second time consecutively in 2022.

The following are some of the games that stand out in Jones’s career. She had a career-best game in 2021 where she made 34 points against the Indiana Fever, out of which she made 14 of the 19 field goal attempts. Another memorable game was in 2023 when she scored as many as 28 points and set her personal best of seven offensive rebounds against the Atlanta Dream.

Brionna Jones Achievements

Brionna Jones is a Center in the WNBA, who has shown consistent improvement in the WNBA throughout her playing career. Even after a brutal achilles injury in 2023, she worked hard to get back to form in 2024, as per Yahoo Sports. Below mentioned are some of her most notable achievements throughout her basketball career:

WNBA Sixth Player of the Year (2022)

Jones also maintained her great form in 2022 and was awarded the WNBA Sixth Player of the Year. It was important for the Connecticut Sun that she was able to come off the bench and make a huge impact. She averaged 13.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

WNBA Most Improved Player (2021)

In the year 2021, Brionna Jones played her best season which led her to be awarded the WNBA Most Improved Player of the Year. She averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game.

WNBA All-Defensive Second Team (2021)

Brionna James was nominated into the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2021 due to her breakout season in the WNBA, in which she boasted 1.2 steals along with 0.4 blocks per game, showing her defensive potential.

WNBA All-Star Game (2021, 2022, 2024)

Brionna Jones is one of the WNBA’s top players and has been named a WNBA All-Star in 2021 and 2022 and 2024. This showcases her abilities as one of the best players in the WNBA.

All-American USBWA (2017)

Jones was nominated to the All-American team 2017 by the United States Basketball Writers Association in 2017 following her best college season, in which she averaged career highs of 19.9 points, 1.5 assists, 10.9 rebounds, 1.9 steals and 1.6 blocks per game, all the while maintaining a personal high shooting efficiency of 69% from the field.

First-team All-American AP (2017)

Jones was also voted as a first-team All-American by the Associated Press in 2017, following a career-high college season as a senior.

Big Ten Tournament Most Outstand Player (2017)

Jones was also the recipient of the Big Ten Most Outstanding Player award following her senior season at the University of Maryland. This award is given to the best player of the tournament, and showed Jones’ potential as a future WNBA player.

Big Ten All-Defensive Team

Jones was also nominated into the Big Ten All-Defensive Team due to her defensive performances as a senior, demonstrating her defensive prowess coming into the WNBA.

First-team All-Big Ten (2015 - 2017)

Brionna Jones was part of the First-team All-Big Ten team in 3 of her 4 years at the University of Maryland from 2015 to 2017, which showed her consistency as a capable player in her college career.

Career-High Performances

Over the years, Jones has had some of her best performances in her games. Her highest point came in 2021 when she made 34 points against the Indiana Fever shooting 14-19 from the field. One of her best performances was in 2023 when she scored as many as 28 points and equaled her personal best of seven offensive boards against the Atlanta Dream. These performances show that she can take over games and make a difference.

Community Involvement and Leadership

Brionna Jones is also the Director of Player Personnel for the University of Maryland women’s basketball team giving valuable insights to the up-and-coming players in the University, as per The Next. She is also one of 6 players to have signed the WNBA and WNBPA collective bargaining agreement in 2020, which is the player marketing program aimed at increasing the marketability of the league through player inputs.

Brionna Jones contract

Brionna Jones is currently on a 1-year $212,000 contract with the Connecticut Sun, which includes an average annual salary of $212,000, of which $212,000 is guaranteed. In 2024, Jones will earn a base salary of $212,000 while carrying a cap hit of $212,000 and a dead cap value of $212,000. Her contract prior to this was a 1-year $208,000 deal with the Connecticut Sun, which included a guaranteed amount of $208,000 and an average annual salary of $208,000, which she signed in 2023 as a free agent.