Jamie Malonzo admits to nerves in first game back from nine-month injury layoff

By the time he was in the air for a two-handed dunk late in the third period against Blackwater, Barangay Ginebra wingman Jamie Malonzo knew — he was really back.

Malonzo, who was sidelined for the past nine months due to a calf injury he sustained in April 2024, made his triumphant return to action on Sunday and he did so in emphatic fashion.

Still playing restricted minutes, the 28-year-old forward finished with eight points, highlighted by the slam off of a Scottie Thompson pass at the 2:37 mark of the third frame. He also grabbed three rebounds and had one steal in almost 11 minutes of play.

Malonzo admitted feeling anxious during that dunk, but said he felt better after completing it.

"To be honest, I was nervous for myself at first but after I was in the air I was like ‘okay, this is gonna go in’. And it turned out okay," Malonzo said after their blowout win, 86-63, at the Ynares Center Antipolo on Sunday.

"It feels amazing, honestly. It feels like I’ve been waiting for a while for this day. It’s a good feeling for sure."

It has been a long road back for Malonzo.

The former La Salle standout sustained the injury late during Ginebra's 95-88 win over his former team NorthPort on April 14, 2024 and had been on the road to recovery ever since.

Malonzo revealed he was supposed to make his much-awaited comeback last Wednesday when the Gin Kings faced off with, incidentally, NorthPort.

But Malonzo suffered from flu days before and missed a couple of practice sessions, forcing head coach Tim Cone to sit him out and wait until he fully recovers.

"Originally, I was supposed to play against NorthPort, that was the team that I got injured to so that would have been a better story," Malonzo added.

"But yeah, I missed a couple of practices due to a sickness and I was able to come back today. I’m okay with coming back today, it worked out for me."

Now back in the fold, Malonzo relishes the opportunity to be playing again, this time with a new-look Ginebra that features fresh faces in RJ Abarrientos and Troy Rosario, whom he said could be the missing pieces in their team.

"It was awesome. I feel like we’ve been missing some guys like those in our team and they've been great. RJ has been balling, he’s always been balling so we’re happy to have guys like that in the team."

—JMB, GMA Integrated News