Jonquel Jones said the WNBA All-Star Game would hold a "special place" in her heart after being named MVP on an emotional day for the New York Liberty center. 

Jones had 22 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists to propel Team Spoon – selected by Teresa Weatherspoon to face a team picked by Cynthia Cooper – to a 129-22 win.

The 32-year-old was one of eight players for Team Spoon, alongside Caitlin Clark, A'ja Wilson, Olivia Miles, Nneka Ogwumike, Kiki Iriafen, Courtney Williams and Allisha Gray, while Kelsey Mitchell (28 points) led the scoring for Team Coop.

Paige Bueckers and Breanna Stewart were among the other big names representing Cooper's team, but it was Jones who stole the limelight. 

Jones' MVP win came on the same day that she attended a memorial service for her late aunt, and she could not hide her emotions after the game.

"This one holds a special place in my heart now," Jones told ESPN after the game. "This is everything that I dreamed about, that I wanted as a little kid.

"My aunt meant a lot to me. She was one of the matriarchs in our family. There were a lot of great family parties and get togethers that happened at our house. 

"My best memories were being in the kitchen, and she would show her love in that way.

"No matter what mood I'm in, basketball can pick me back up, so I had to lean into that."

MVP looks only 

Congratulations to the 2026 WNBA All-Star MVP, Jonquel Jones! @ATT | #WNBAAllStar2026 pic.twitter.com/dSoIDJhLQr

— WNBA (@WNBA) July 26, 2026

With the game marking the league's 30th year, a record crowd of 19,783 packed into United Center, four years on from the city's smaller Wintrust Arena being used for the event.

"To be able to have tonight, with 19,000 people in the highest attendance ever in the All-Star Game... it just really shows that our league is growing," Jones said.

"People want to be around us and want to be a part of this and understand how special it is."