IOWA CITY, Iowa — Former Iowa Hawkeyes basketball player Ava Jones announced her cancer diagnosis via Instagram on Saturday.

In the Instagram post, Jones says she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma following a biopsy.

I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma after the results from the biopsy came back. This is the news no one ever wants to get, but especially after spending the last 2 and a half years working my butt off and recovering from getting hit by a car. My body is very strong and I am confident in the doctors here at Iowa

Ava Jones

Former teammate Caitlin Clark commented on the post saying, “Praying for you kid.”

This news follows the 2022 car crash which killed her father, injured her mother, and resulted in Ava sustaining a traumatic brain injury, torn ligaments in both knees, and a shoulder injury.

Following the accident, Jones was able to remain on scholarship and continue on the Hawkeye’s basketball team. Jones redshirted in hopes of returning to the team but was medically retired in 2024.

“It is with great sadness to announce that I am medically retiring from college basketball. My coaches, doctors, teammates and trainers have been amazing since the accident. While I will no longer be a member of the women’s basketball program, I will still be on scholarship, receive a world-class education and forever be a Hawkeye,” Jones said when she retired. “I’d like to thank my family for the never-ending support, and I am excited for the next chapter of my life.”

According to the American Cancer Society, lymphomas are cancers that start in white blood cells and attack the lymphatic system.