Sun’s Brionna Jones Named WNBA Sixth Player of the Year

After following up her breakout 2021 campaign with another All Star-caliber season,  Connecticut Sun forward Brionna Jones has been named the 2022 Kia WNBA Sixth Player of the Year

The league announced Thursday that Jones, 26, claimed the honor after earning 53 of a possible 56 votes from a panel of national media members, handily beating out Sky forward/center Azurá Stevens and Mystics forward Myisha Hines-Allen.

Jones, a first-time All-Star and the WNBA’s Most Improved Player a year ago, made the most of her opportunities in a key reserve role this season. Despite returning to the bench in the wake of Alyssa Thomas’s return after starting all 32 games in the ’21 season, Jones turned in another impressive all-round effort for the No. 3 seed Sun. She averaged 13.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 36 games (seven starts), en route to being named a 2022 WNBA All-Star–making her the only non-starter selected to compete in the star-studded exhibition.

Drafted with the No. 8 pick out of Maryland in 2017, Jones, who also earned second-team All-Defense honors last season, has steadily emerged as one of the W’s most promising post players over the past few seasons. She is a tough defender who knows how to make her presence felt on both ends of the floor, and has provided coach Curt Miller with a starting-caliber big who can more than adequately spell reigning MVP Jonquel Jones and play crucial minutes.

As Jones continues to grow as a player, Connecticut may face steep competition to retain the budding star’s services when she hits free agency this summer. For now, though, the Sun remain throughly focused on the present with the club currently tied 1–1 against the No. 2 seed Sky in the WNBA playoff semifinals.