Bulls guard Lonzo Ball may have to undergo a third surgical procedure on his injured knee, writes ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Another operation would likely mean six more months of recovery and rehab time, Wojnarowski adds.
Sources tell Woj that Ball’s Klutch Sports representatives are working with the team to consult with specialists before a decision is made. Another procedure would sideline the 25-year-old guard until the fall and would affect his ability to prepare for next season.
Ball has already been through two operations since suffering a torn meniscus in the knee on January 14, 2022. Although he was originally projected to miss just a few weeks, complications keep pushing back the timeline and Ball has already been ruled out for the rest of this season.
Ball’s original surgery was 14 months ago, and he underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure in September to clear up lingering issues with his knee. Wojnarowski’s sources say that Ball has made incremental progress since then, but he still can’t run, cut or jump without feeling pain in the knee.
Ball came to Chicago in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pelicans in the summer of 2021. He helped lead the Bulls to a 27-13 record before the injury, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 35 games. In his absence, Chicago dropped to the sixth seed last season and is currently 11th in the East at 30-36.
Ball still has one season left on his contract at $20.5MM, along with a $21.4MM player option for 2024/25.
There’s little chance that Chicago will petition the NBA to have Ball’s injury declared career-ending, tweets Bobby Marks of ESPN. The Bulls would still owe Ball the remainder of his contract, and Marks points out that even if his salary is removed from the cap, the team wouldn’t have room this summer.
Done for
3rd time’s a charm!
Damn. I mean best of luck he got his extension before this but never gonna pivot or defend the same again
I feel so bad for him. Everyone blames him but maybe they should start blaming the medical staff.
You can reinjure it if you dont rehab properly.
I am fully aware. But that is up to the trainers and doctors to set the plan. Clearly the doctors are failing him. But the medical system fails people everyday unfortunately.
He will never play another game again for the Bulls.
Might as well retire and enjoy the payday he made and let me be clear it was never his fault and it just what it is.
Dang. Just focus on getting your knee back to normal. Don’t even worry about basketball.
Can’t imagine the frustration. No matter what you think of his dad this guy earned his way into the NBA. And now it might be over.
Just a reminder to savor every moment, every opportunity life presents you with. Because you never know when it will be ripped from your hands…
Hit the like button if you agree and comment with what you’re grateful for in life!
I’m grateful for mortality
Good start, thanks for kicking it off. I’m grateful for Thanksgiving. Food, family, friends — what a holiday!
I am grateful this season is nearly over.
Thing is, when they clean up, repair, trim, whathaveyou your meniscus, no matter how careful or skilled the surgeons are, the joint itself needs to, for the lack of a better term, create a new working groove. Things won’t line up “exactly” like they did before and you need to ‘break it in’. Does that hurt? Yes it does. Are you reinjuring yourself in feeling ‘pain’ from that process? No. I realize that it has been over a year since the initial surgery, but, it took me a bit over 6 months –working at it — in some pain– and tons of icing before I realized I wasn’t feeling the pain and limitations any more. Is it possible that he has a low pain tolerance and is just not willing to work through it?
He will come back in time to get another contract. Enjoy relaxing in Cali bro.
Brandon Roy 2.0
He wore his useless dad’s useless shoes for years, and now his body is paying the price. He deserved much better.