It’s quite a bummer for Jamie Malonzo to only be sitting on the sidelines instead of going to war with Ginebra in Game 7 of the PBA Philippine Cup semifinals.
If he had his way, the star winger would be rallying with the Kings in the do-or-die affair against Meralco set on Friday at the FPJ Arena in San Jose, Batangas.
“Yeah. I like Game Sevens,” said the third-year pro, who played a key role in their conquest of Bay Area in seven in the 2022-23 Commissioner’s Cup Finals.
“So I’m a little bit frustrated. But it’s all good. We’ll get them down there.”
Malonzo offered as much shortly after witnessing the Barangay fall short in closing out their rivals following an 86-81 Game 6 defeat on Wednesday night.
His attendance at the SMART Araneta Coliseum was actually his first public appearance since going down with a calf injury late in their win over NorthPort last April, which eventually led to him going under the knife.
The 27-year-old was wearing a protective boot on his left foot, which he’ll be sporting for a few more weeks before going into therapy.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to do some therapy soon and get back to the normal schedule,” he said.
With this, he’ll be missing Gilas’ FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament but Malonzo isn’t rushing things, simply keen on recovering the best he can.
“That was my first major injury. But I feel good. For sure I’ll be back soon. Just taking it easy for now. I’ll be back,” said the La Salle product.
“Maybe four weeks wearing the boot and then after that will be the therapy time and that’s when it will be the most important for me,” he added.
