UCLA Basketball: Lonzo Ball Makes Decision on Player Option with Bulls

The oft-injured ex-Bruin's future is clearer now.

Jan 3, 2022; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball (2) passes the ball. / Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Long-injured former UCLA Bruins point guard Lonzo Ball, now with the Chicago Bulls, has made a decision on his 2024-25 fate.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that Ball has opted into the final year of his current contract, worth $21.4 million, for next season. It's the last season of a four-year, $80 million deal he inked in a sign-and-trade between Chicago and his former club, the New Orleans Pelicans.

The 6-foot-6 former Blue and Gold standout hasn't been healthy enough to play in an NBA game since January 2022. He has undergone three knee surgeries while with Chicago, so it was long anticipated that he would pick up the option and grab the guaranteed cash. There's a chance he never plays pro basketball ever again at this point.

Ball was drafted in 2017, following a one-and-done season with UCLA that saw him lead the Bruins to a 31-5 overall record under then-coach Steve Alford. The Bruins, as a No. 3 seed, fell in the Sweet Sixteen to the No. 2-seeded Kentucky Wildcats.

During a consensus All-American season for the Chino Hills High product, Ball averaged 14.6 points on .551/.412/.673 shooting splits, 7.6 assists, six rebounds, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks a night.

Prior to this knee issue, Ball had emerged as a solid 3-and-D pro. Though never an All-Star, he was an above-average starter at one of the NBA's toughest positions, a great point-of-attack defender who was great at slash-and-kick actions and became an elite three point shooter offensively.

He has thus far played in just 35 games across his three seasons with the Bulls, and his health struggles (coupled with the team's reticence to waive or trade him) have essentially doomed the team from frisky East also-ran in 2021-22 to middling play-in non-contender.

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