Over the past few years, viewers of the WNBA have gotten to know and respect Jonquel Jones' game. After winning the 2024 WNBA title with the New York Liberty and being named Finals MVP, Jones and her life narrative have gained more prominence in the consciousness of the league's fans.
On Thursday, Jones was named one of USA Today's 2025 Women of the Year. In an interview with Mike Freeman, the 6-foot-6 center, who hails from the Bahamas, spoke about her sexual preference.
"I mean obviously I'm from a very Christian nation,” she said. “I'm from a place where there's not a lot of people that look like me, that dress like me, that have the sexual preference that I do. And so for me it was really tough to find myself and figure out exactly who I was and then to also live that truth."
Jones went on to explain how she deals with this situation.
"But I think for me, the best way to really break those barriers is just being myself, being unapologetic about it and being open and speaking about it," the Liberty star said.
As far as the hardcourt goes, Jones lets her play do all the talking. So far, her eight-year career in the WNBA has built up a chorus of accolades. Her accomplishments include five All-Star selections, three rebounding titles, the 2021 MVP award and the 2024 Finals MVP Award.
Jonquel Jones shares picturesque view of home country amidst chaos on social media
In the article highlighting Jonquel Jones as one of USA Today's Women of the Year, she told a story about being back home in the Bahamas and getting greeted by a woman excited to see her win the WNBA title.
Just last month, the Liberty star returned to her home nation. This was around the time TikTok became inaccessible to US users; Jones learned that she couldn't open her TikTok account even though she was in the Bahamas. As a result, Jones took to X to share a stunning image of her location.
"Can't ban this," Jones wrote in the caption.
Incidentally, the last post on Jones' X account (dated Jan. 20) is also about TikTok and how its interface has come to resemble that of Facebook in Jones' eyes.