Sandy Brondello heard just what she wanted to hear from Jonquel Jones on Tuesday.
Her star center said she is feeling ā99.9999999999999999 percentā back to full health after the Libertyās practice at Barclays Center.
Yes, she listed 16 decimal places, which seemingly leaves little room for error prior to Jonesā confirmed return for the Libertyās first game after the All-Star break, July 22 against the Fever at Barclays Center.
āGood. Love that,ā Brondello said upon hearing the news about Jones. āI was hopeful. Weāve missed her and now itās about ramping her up. She hasnāt played for quite some time, but just her impact will give confidence for everybody.ā
The 2024 Finals MVP participated in five-on-five work for the first time Saturday after beingĀ sidelined for eight gamesĀ with an aggravated right ankle injury suffered after driving to the rim and landing awkwardly in a game against the Mercury on June 19. She suffered an initial ankle injury June 5 that kept her out of two games.
Jones was givenĀ a timeline of four to six weeks, leaving the Liberty defense to falter without a big center presence as well as an important offensive piece in the paint and from beyond the arc.
Without Jones in that stretch, the Liberty went 4-4 and five of those games were without fellow starter Leonie Fiebich, who was playing in the Eurobasket for Germany. Jones has only played in nine games this season, averaging 12.1 points and 9.6 rebounds.
Now, the 2021 MVP said she is feeling āgreatā and doesnāt really feel her ankle when playing. Yet, warming up is āthe hardest part.ā
āObviously, just getting everything moving mobility-wise. But once Iām warm, I feel great,ā she said. āI feel like weāve done a really good job keeping my conditioning levels really high. Iāve been lifting and conditioning almost every day. I played a lot of five-on-five (Monday) and I felt really good. So, Iām really not worried about that part of it.ā
Jones went on to describe her recovery, which involves the weight room followed by conditioning and basketball work on the court.
Before leaving, she is back in the treatment room for āhands onā ankle work prior to getting taped up on the way out.
āIt sounds like a little bit, but itās a long time in the gym,ā Jones said. āIām doing more stuff in the gym right now than I would do if I was playing. So I cannot wait to get back on the court.ā
Given the progress, Jones isnāt taking time off during All-Star weekend. She will be flying home to the Bahamas along with a few Liberty coaches and practice players.
āIām still going to be working out and making sure Iām building towards playing after the All-Star break,ā she said. āSo, while Iāll be home, Iām definitely still going to be in the gym a lot.ā
Jones, who has been named an All-Star in five of the past seven seasons, including 2024, was initially āpissedā forĀ not receiving the honorĀ when the starters were announced June 30.
Thereās no minimum games played requirement to be named an All-Star, but Jones knew her injuries were a big factor. She didnāt make the 12-player reserve list either, which is determined by WNBA head coaches.
On Tuesday, she seemed to have accepted that what was once one of her personal goals for the season was scrapped.
āI donāt think thereās anybody on the list that made the All-Star team this year that Iām just like, āThey donāt deserve to be there,āā Jones said.
She isnāt sure if she will tune in to the game Saturday, saying she is a āplaying it by ear type of person.ā


