Asked during the latest episode of his What An Experience podcast whether he expects to be on the court for the Bulls on opening night next season, Lonzo Ball expressed confidence that he’ll be ready to go (YouTube link).
“Yes, I firmly believe that,” said Ball, who hasn’t played in an NBA game since January 14, 2022. “That’s the plan that I’m on and I haven’t had any setbacks, so I expect to play the first game.”
Ball has undergone a series of surgeries on his left knee in recent years and was unavailable for the second half of the 2021/22 campaign, as well as each of the two subsequent seasons. His most recent procedure, in 2023, was described as a cartilage transplant. The former No. 2 overall pick went into more detail on his podcast about what exactly that surgery entailed and how he got to that point.
“To make a long story short, ultimately, it started with the meniscus tear,” Ball said. “It started on the Lakers when I tore it the first time (in 2018). Tore it a couple more times to a point to where there was, basically, not much meniscus left and bone on bone was rubbing. The cartilage was gone and the bone was messed up, so I had to get a new meniscus from a donor. I had to get a bone allograft and I had to get some new cartilage put in as well. All that finally healed up and now I’m back on the court.”
Ball initially went under the knife to address a meniscus tear in early 2022 before undergoing an arthroscopic debridement in September of that year. He suffered setbacks during those recovery processes, but he’s confident that the third surgery better addressed the root of the issue in his knee.
“I would say we’re, what, 14, 15 months in now?” Ball said, referring to his recovery from the March 2023 procedure. “The stuff before that, we were trying to figure out what the problem was, so that was a wasted year.”
Ball exercised his $21.4MM player option for the 2024/25 season last month, so he’ll be on Chicago’s roster in the fall as long as he’s not traded or waived during the offseason. Young guards like Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu have enjoyed breakout seasons and have taken on larger roles since Ball last suited up for the Bulls, but the team would presumably be eager to find minutes for the 26-year-old if he can perform at anywhere near the level he did during his first half-season with the franchise.
Ball averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 1.8 steals in 34.6 minutes per game across 35 appearances in 2021/22 before being sidelined. The Bulls went 22-13 in those games.
Gotta respect his optimism I guess.
Of course, he will seeing it is a contract year.
Just the first game? What about the other ones?
Only the one game was promised.
Haters gonna hate.
Yo Lonzo, maybe you should have stayed away from Big Baller Shoes, and all these injury troubles might never have happened!
He was asked on his own podcast? Am I reading that right? Why does Lonzo Ball have his own podcast (or better question who is actually listening to it), and why is he the one being interviewed? Lol
Also where is he finding meniscus donors. What a bizarre story. Wish him the best though truly and hope he recovers.
LaMelo ran over that kid so they could give him his knee to Lonzo lol
(This is a joke, that kid is fine)
Why all the hate on Lonzo? All this kid has done is work on his craft and gotten better until he got hurt. I could see if it was LaVar or Gelo , ones a con and the other’s a thief. Maybe LaMelo cause he’s a showboat. I wouldn’t agree with you in Melo or Gelo’s case because they’re both kids but I can’t see the hate on Lonzo. Personally I’m rooting for the kid.
Is this your first time on the internet?
I hear the message well but lack Faith’s constant trust.
It’s easy to understand fans and haters alike doubting Lonzo. It’s an unfortunate situation that we have witnessed in the past with players’ careers cut short due to injury. He has missed NBA game action for two and a half years.
Lonzo is facing an uphill battle just to get on the basketball court. The second challenge will be to maintain strength and health to stay on the basketball court. The third challenge is performance and helping his team win games.
Besides all the drama, unfortunate injuries, and misdiagnosis it is hard not to root for Lonzo at this point of his rehabilitation.
I expect to date Bebe Rexha
Dudes being cruising around Cali hitting on honeys for nearly 3 years. Enjoys getting paid to rehab.
Playing again to entice an NBA team to make an offer that results in a worthless contract like the Bulls made.