Jonquel Jones, center for the New York Liberty, out with injury
New York Liberty’s center, Jonquel Jones, will be out for four to six weeks due to a right ankle sprain, the team announced Saturday night. The injury occurred in the second quarter of Thursday night’s game against the Phoenix Mercury, which ended in an 89-81 home loss, the team’s first of the season. Jones, 31, had already twisted his ankle on June 5 in the 86-78 victory over the Washington Mystics. After further tests and imaging, Jonquel avoided a long-term injury. Statement from the Liberty However, Jones could miss the WNBA All-Star weekend, which takes place between July 18 and 19. At the time of the injury, Jones, the league MVP in 2021 and Finals MVP in 2024, was second in the WNBA with 9.6 rebounds per game, in addition to averaging 12.1 points and 2.3 assists for the current champions. The Liberty, unusually, struggled against the Mercury after Jones’ departure. New York was outrebounded 42-32 and had 20 turnovers.The Liberty will begin a four-game road trip on Sunday against the Seattle Storm.Obviously, we are not happy with the way we played. We should have been a little more aggressive in that first part and generated some energy.
Sandy Brondello, New York coach
