After three knee surgeries and more than two years away from the game, Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball finally returned to the court.
Ball checked into his first NBA game of any kind in more than two years on Wednesday night, when the Bulls hosted the Minnesota Timberwolves in a preseason game, which was his first game since Jan. 14, 2022. He was given a huge ovation from the United Center crowd, and then he almost immediately hit a three-pointer in the corner.
Lonzo Ball gets a nice ovation from the Bulls fans as he attends his first NBA game in over 2 years 👏
Welcome back, Zo!pic.twitter.com/yVJxsI4rXl
— Link Points (@Link Points) October 17, 2024
Bal finished with 10 points, one assist and one rebound. He shot 4-for-6 from the field and played just 15 minutes, which is one short of the restriction he entered the game with.
“A long, long time,” Ball said Wednesday of his recovery after the team’s shootaround, via ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “But looking back, it happened a lot faster than I thought. … They told me 18 more months of recovery [after my third surgery]It sounded crazy at the time, but now I’m here. It’s all behind me now.”
Ball went down in January 2022 with a meniscus injury in his left knee and underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair it. But soon after, he began to feel discomfort in his knee and required further surgery in the fall. The Bulls had hoped he could return before the end of the 2022-23 season, but they cut him in February 2023. He ultimately had a third operation in March, which kept him out of action for the entirety of last season.
In total, Ball has played just 35 games over the last three years.
While the repeated setbacks and surgeries may seem like enough to make anyone step away from the sport completely, Ball believes he can still help the Bulls win. The former No. 2 overall draft pick averaged 14.6 points, 5.7 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game in his career with the New Orleans Pelicans during the 2020-21 season, which was his last full season.
“It’s not the same body I started with,” Ball said. “But I think I can still be productive and effective on the field. That’s why I still try to play.”
It’s unclear how the Bulls will use Ball this season, especially early on as he gets back into his swing. He has also suffered from pain in his knee throughout the pre-season. While he said this was expected, it will have to be something both he and the Bulls keep an eye on throughout the season.
“We have it well under control now, but I think this will change as the year progresses,” he said. “Every day will be a different challenge that we just have to overcome.”
He may not be the same player he once was, but Ball is finally playing basketball again. Whatever happens in the rest of his career, this was the first step.
