New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones issued an emotional apology Saturday night for a comment made during a livestream that she felt was “taken the wrong way.”
Jones, the 2024 Finals MVP, addressed the controversy after winning the All-Star Game MVP award in Chicago. The comment, which occurred Thursday night on the “StudBudz” livestream hosted by Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, went viral and drew criticism from some Liberty fans.
In the clip, Jones could be heard discussing the 2019 WNBA Finals, stating that she believed the Connecticut Sun deserved to win more than the Washington Mystics, drawing a parallel to the Minnesota Lynx deserving to win over the Liberty in 2024. Jones explained that the remark was intended to illustrate a point about team chemistry and performance not always guaranteeing a championship.
"What I said it didn’t really come out in the way that I meant it," Jones said, visibly emotional. "What I was just saying is that you can have a team that has a lot of chemistry, that is great on paper, that has had a great season and it’s still not enough to get it done and that’s what I was trying to explain to her with that whole clip."
Jones emphasized her commitment to the Liberty organization and the city of New York. "New York means a lot to me," she continued, pausing to compose herself. "The organization means a lot to me. Our locker room, our chemistry, what we built, I never wanted to misrepresent that and I just never wanted people to ever feel like I was doing anything other than trying to put my best foot forward for our team, so I apologize."
She acknowledged her responsibility to represent the organization appropriately. "I know what it means to our city. I know what it meant to me and every single player that stepped on the court, put their heart into that and so obviously I feel like what I said was taken the wrong way and I’ll take accountability for that as well and understand that I do have a responsibility when I speak to make sure that I’m representing not just myself but our organization in the right way.”
The Liberty recently defeated the Lynx in five games to secure their first WNBA championship. The series concluded with Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve suggesting the series was “stolen from us” due to officiating. Jones's apology focused on clarifying her own remarks and did not directly address Reeve's comments.