Caitlin Clark’s Praise Shows Why Jonquel Jones Deserves Grace After StudBudz Slip-Up

Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark had a telling answer when asked which WNBA All-Star Game teammate she'd like to play with more often after Saturday night's game.

"I mean, I think [Jonquel Jones]. JJ's incredible, and she's just a good soul. Like, she's a good person, she's very down to earth, she's funny, she's kind. So I'd probably pick her," Clark said.

Aww…CC has so much respect for JJ. pic.twitter.com/tk3KlpTjtZ
— ericaf455💙 (@ericaf455) July 26, 2026

While Clark's praise for Jones wasn't about a specific incident, it came at a perfect time—and not because Jones had just won the All-Star Game MVP award after amassing 22 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists.

On July 23, a clip of Jones telling Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman (who were both on the Minnesota Lynx in 2024) that the Lynx deserved the 2024 WNBA championship more than Jones' New York Liberty, who actually won the title that year, went viral.

Many Liberty fans were furious at Jones for what she said, as they felt like her comments were diminishing what the Liberty accomplished that season and suggested she wasn't fully bought into the franchise.

TRADE JONQUEL IM SERIOUS always been soft and this mentality will not get us anywhere pic.twitter.com/koPP6pYEZA
— kim (@hoopssneaks) July 24, 2026

Jones was asked about what she said on the stream after Saturday's game and got emotional when responding.

Among what Jones, who had to pause in the middle of her response to gather herself and wipe tears away, said was, "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... So, obviously, I feel like what I said was taken the wrong way, and I'll take accountability for that as well... But it was definitely a gut punch for me."

Jones went on to speak about how much New York and the Liberty franchise meant to her, and she apologized for making people think she had done anything other than give her all to the team in 2024 and currently.

Why Caitlin Clark's Jonquel Jones Praise Comes at the Perfect Time

Clark's comments echo what everyone in the WNBA community feels about Jones. She's a kind, empathetic person who represents everything good about the league, both on and off the court.

That's why it was so hard to see how upset she was about the reaction to her comment, which arguably never should've seen the light of day, and only did because of Williams and Hiedeman's StudBudz stream. Conversations like those surely happen all the time, and Jones was clearly not trying to take away from what New York accomplished that season.

Sure, maybe Jones shouldn't have said the Lynx deserved it more, even if she believes it. Maybe she should've been more aware that she was on a live stream. But this mistake doesn't take away from the person she is and always has been.

That's why Clark wants to play with her, and it's why she deserves grace for this very rare slip-up.

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