Brionna Jones isn’t worried about WNBA All-Star snub

This year’s All-Star selection period might have been one of the most turbulent to date. The Fever’s Caitlin Clark ran away with the fan vote, snagging a record-breaking 1,293,536 votes (Napheesa Collier tallied 1,176,020 votes of her own). The pair’s rosters include names fans should expect to see (Sabrina Ionescu, A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart) as well as a few surprises.

But the biggest surprises might have been in who was left off entirely. While the Atlanta Dream had two players from the team make the cut (Allisha Gray and Rhyne Howard), many expected the team to have at least three.

That group includes the Dream’s head coach Karl Smesko. While speaking to reporters July 7, he admitted he thought Jones “was clearly going to be one of the All-Stars” and “wasn’t even concerned” that she might not make the cut due to the work she’s put in for the team this season. Jones is averaging 13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.

Smesko added that there’s one thing that might have cost her the nod: Jones’ personality. “Bri is kind of a quiet person; she just goes about her business,” he explained. Jones “doesn’t bring a lot of attention onto herself, and in this case, that might have hurt her.”

Jones’ teammate Nia Coffey was more pointed when speaking on the topic. “It’s disappointing. I think she very much deserved it,” she explained. “I think there’s a lot into the voting. I think she should have been an All-Star.”

“She’s literally done everything on both sides of the floor consistently. One thing our coaches always talk about is doing things possession by possession,” Coffey continued. “I think she does a really good job of that. She’s been really huge for us this year. I feel like we have such a good rapport with our team.”

Jones has been a stalwart piece for the Dream since her first game this season, when she and Brittney Griner combined for 40 points while shooting 56% from the field to beat the Indiana Fever for the first time since 2023. Jones has the ability to get to her spot no matter what an opposing team throws at her, making her one of the toughest players to guard league-wide.

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Brionna Jones doesn’t peddle in controversy

When it comes to storylines that dominate WNBA coverage, Jones’ name isn’t one that often makes headlines — because she’s not looking for that kind of experience in the first place.

Jones didn’t dispute Smesko’s take while speaking to The Next ahead of the Dream’s game against the Fever Friday, July 11. “I think social media does play a part in [the snub],” she said, “but for me, I just like to let my game speak for itself, and that’s what I’m doing on the court.”

“The court is where I do my talking,” Jones continued. “It’s about the basketball, and doing whatever the team needs from me.”

Atlanta is the right home

That team-first mentality is part of the reason Jones came to the Dream in the first place after spending the bulk of her career with the Connecticut Sun (she was drafted by the team as the No. 8 overall pick in 2017). The move was “absolutely the right decision for me,” she said. After years of more losses than wins, the Dream is moving in a new way this season — and are legitimate championship contenders for the first time since 2018.

If there’s anyone who isn’t surprised by that reality, it’s Jones. Despite detractors and those who weren’t keeping a close eye on the team before the season began, “We knew what we had in our locker room,” she explained. Part of the team’s success is down to the fact that they “make it tough for people to guard us,” a reality that’s been felt all too keenly by just about every team in the league.

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Jones has earned this comeback

Her path in the WNBA hasn’t always been easy. Jones signed a multi-year deal with the Sun in 2021 but ruptured her Achilles in 2023, an injury that disrupted a promising season under former coach Stephanie White. The Sun had built its game plan around both Jones, the 2021 WNBA Most Improved Player and 2022 Sixth Player of the Year, and then-teammate Alyssa Thomas, and she was averaging 15.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.8 steals in 31.7 minutes per game.

Jones came roaring back in 2024, when she averaged 13.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, 0.6 blocks per game for the Sun.