Lonzo Ball underwent a third surgery on his left knee in March — a more radical procedure, a cartilage transplant — which meant he would miss all of this upcoming season.
Ball confirmed he would be sidelined for the entire season, speaking on the “From the Point by Trae Young” podcast (hat tip NBC Sports Chicago).
“Just taking it day by day, bro. I just had a really big surgery — hopefully, the last one I ever have to get. It’s a long process. I’m already out this whole next season. When I first got hurt, we didn’t really know what it was. I was seeing all type of different doctors and stuff. I was just kind of going up and down. That was really hard for me because I just didn’t know what the next day was going to be like. At least now, I got the surgery. We got a plan moving forward. We’ve been on plan. I’m on track. Hopefully, everything works out. I just leave it up to God and do the best I can and live with the results.”
Ball’s first knee surgery was in January of 2022 and was not considered anything special, he was expected back before the season ended. However, he still had pain throughout the recovery, which led to a second surgery last September. The pain remained as he recovered from that surgery and eventually the Bulls shut him down for the remainder of this season.
This third surgery is a more aggressive procedure where doctors grow cartilage outside the body and put it in the knee.
The entire situation is a big NBA “what if” — Ball showed he was exactly the kind of defender, outside shooter, and pace-pushing guard the Bulls needed in the 35 games he played for them. The Bulls led the Eastern Conference that half a season Ball was on the court for them.
“It’s going to be a big what if. For me, I feel bad just for the GM because I feel like they made the perfect team around me. And I felt like that was the most I’ve ever been involved in an organization. And I finally got the perfect team to fit my game and play my way and really just do what I wanted to do. That injury — I’m still going through it right now — that one messed me up early just because I felt like we really had a chance and never got to see what it was.”
Ball has two seasons at $41.9 million remaining on his contract, and while the final year of that is a player option, you can expect him to pick it up.
Hopefully he will be back on the court next season to close out that contract, but after this surgery nothing can be taken for granted anymore.
