WNBA All-Star Weekend Recap: Jonquel Jones Makes History as MVP, and the Winners Just Kept Coming
Chicago hosted one of the most stacked All-Star Weekends in recent WNBA memory, and by the time the confetti settled at the United Center, one name had etched itself into the history books in a way nobody else in league history ever has. We're talking about Jonquel Jones, who officially became the most decorated player the WNBA has ever produced. Here's everything that went down.
The Headliner: Jonquel Jones Completes the Grand Slam
Let's start with the big one. New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones was named MVP of the 2026 WNBA All-Star Game after leading Team Spoon to a win over Paige Bueckers' Team Coop in front of a record crowd of 19,783 fansat the United Center — the largest attendance in All-Star Game history.
Jones put together a near triple-double stat line of 22 points, 13 rebounds, eight assists and four made threes, becoming the first player in league history to record a double-double in four separate All-Star Games. But the real headline is what this MVP trophy officially completes: Jones is now the first player in WNBA history to win the regular-season MVP, WNBA Finals MVP, Commissioner's Cup MVP, and All-Star Game MVP.
Let that sink in for a second. Only three other players — Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker and Maya Moore — had ever claimed the regular-season, Finals, and All-Star MVPs. Nobody had ever added a Commissioner's Cup MVP to that trio until Jones did it. And to put an even finer point on it, she's also a Bahamas native, which makes her the first international player ever to win the All-Star Game MVP award.
A Trophy Case Nobody Can Touch
For those keeping score at home, Jones' full collection of hardware now includes:
2021 WNBA Most Valuable Player (with the Connecticut Sun)
2023 Commissioner's Cup MVP (with the Liberty)
2024 WNBA Finals MVP (helping New York win its first title in franchise history)
2026 All-Star Game MVP
A Most Improved Player award
A Sixth Player of the Year award
Five All-WNBA selections and four All-Defensive team honors
Six career All-Star selections
She entered the break averaging a quietly excellent 14.8 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game in her fourth season in New York, but this weekend was about the moments, not just the numbers.
The Moment That Made It Emotional
What made this MVP performance hit even harder was the timing. Jones dedicated the award to her late aunt, whose memorial service had taken place earlier that same day. "This one holds a special place in my heart now," she told reporters afterward, visibly emotional as she accepted the trophy. It was the kind of moment that reminds you why these games matter beyond the highlight reels — she showed up and balled out on one of the hardest days of her year, in front of the biggest crowd the event has ever drawn.
The Final Score and the Other Standouts
Team Spoon took down Team Coop, and while the final margin varied slightly in early reporting, the game was a genuine track meet from start to finish. A few other performances worth shouting out:
Olivia Miles, the rookie sensation, finished just shy of her own triple-double with 11 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists
Caitlin Clark chipped in 17 points and five assists
Kelsey Mitchell led Team Coop's effort with 28 points
Marina Mabrey caught fire in the first half, hitting 5 of 6 from three, before cooling off significantly in the third quarter
Shooting Stars Made Its Debut — And Team Washington Ran the Table
All-Star Weekend also introduced a brand-new event this year: the Shooting Stars Challenge, which replaced the traditional Skills Challenge. The format brought together four teams of three, each pairing a WNBA legend, a current player, and a rising high school or college prospect.
Team Washington — featuring Hall of Famer Elena Delle Donne, Mystics forward Shakira Austin, and top prospect Jezelle "GG" Banks — took down Team Seattle to win the inaugural title. "I loved it," Delle Donne said afterward. "To be able to lead the next generation and see our next superstars rising, it's really cool." The winning trio split an $85,000 prize pool from Aflac.
Three-Point Contest: A Rookie Made History Too
Jones wasn't the only player rewriting the record books this weekend — Dallas Wings rookie Azzi Fudd became the first-ever rookie to win the WNBA's 3-Point Contest. (Full breakdown of that one is worth its own deep dive, because her final round was an absolute masterclass.)
Why This Weekend Mattered
Between the record-breaking attendance, a brand-new event format that instantly felt like a keeper, and Jonquel Jones completing a level of individual dominance the league has genuinely never seen before, this year's All-Star Weekend cemented itself as one of the most memorable in WNBA history. The league keeps growing, the crowds keep getting bigger, and the moments keep getting bigger right along with them. If this is the new standard for All-Star Weekend, the WNBA is only just getting started.
