WNBA's Historic News Will Catch Brittney Griner's Attention

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 27, 2025 10:52 PM ET

The New York Liberty are making it known that they're serious about winning a second straight WNBA championship this season.

They improved to 4-0 on the new season with a 95-67 win over the expansion Golden State Valkyries on Tuesday. They were led offensively by Breanna Stewart, who scored 24 points on hot 10-of-14 shooting from the field, to go along with three assists and three steals.

Liberty center Jonquel Jones shot just 4-of-12 from the field, but she grabbed 10 rebounds to help her team's cause. That moved her past Brittney Griner of the Atlanta Dream into 20th on the WNBA's all-time career rebounds list.

Jonquel Jones has passed Brittney Griner (2,353) for 20th on the WNBA All-Time Rebounds list#WelcometotheW pic.twitter.com/286NopCOLu
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 28, 2025

Jones has certainly proven her value over the years. She was the finals MVP last year when New York won it all, and she also earned her fifth All-Star game nod in 2024.

She had been named the league MVP in 2021 with averages of 19.4 points and 11.2 rebounds a game. But she is more than just a force in the middle; she has also become a reliable 3-point shooter and she had a lifetime mark of 37.8% from 3-point range coming into Tuesday.

The 6-foot-6 center was the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year and the Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 during her junior year of college. That year, as a member of George Washington, she averaged 15.3 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game.

Jones ended up as the No. 6 overall pick in the 2016 draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, who subsequently traded her to the Connecticut Sun. She transferred to New York ahead of the 2023 season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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