Lonzo Ball vows to play again: "I pretty much have this whole year to get as healthy as possible and be ready to go next season"

Ball pledged to come back healthy and ready for next season.

Lonzo Ball’s future with the Chicago Bulls and in the NBA remains uncertain. After a left knee injury sidelined him in January 2022, the former UCLA star has yet to play again, undergoing three surgeries in the process. However, on Monday, Ball declared his intention to return to the court during the team’s media day.

“The surgery was a really big surgery. We were all together and came together with a plan moving forward. It's not really a set timeline. But I pretty much have this whole year to get as healthy as possible and be ready to go next season,” Ball said.

Long way to go

Ball’s latest knee procedure was a cartilage transplant surgery, which was done in March. The two-way guard reports that he’s diligently following his rehabilitation plan, though there’s still a long way to go before he can come back and take the court again.

“I'm feeling pretty good, probably about halfway through the rehab process. Still got a long ways ahead of me, but each week I've been progressing, and I'm just trying to stay positive and take it day-by-day,” Ball declared.

Time has proven how critical Ball was to the Bulls’ success. With Ball in the lineup, leading the team’s attack, Chicago competed for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. But when Ball went down, so did the team’s record and title hopes.

Resilient

Though the odds are stacked against him, Ball says he has no plans of slowing down. He is going to keep pushing himself until the day he can finally return to an NBA floor.

“Rehab has been long. It feels like every day is almost the same. But I'm getting better each week and that's all I can ask for. It feels good to be around the guys. You can feel a new energy in the building, at least coming from my point of view."