Former Lakers Lottery Pick Reportedly May Never Play Basketball Again
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It has been quite some time since we last received a positive update on Lonzo Ball and his recovery from numerous knee issues. The last time we actually saw him suit up in an NBA game was back in January of 2022 and that was with the Chicago Bulls.
We are now in May of 2023 and after multiple procedures and setbacks, the Lakers' former number two pick in the 2017 draft may never step foot on a basketball court again. Ball's right knee has slowly been deteriorating since then and even though he's undergone three surgeries since the initial injury two seasons ago, it doesn't seem to be getting better.
'Organizations Win Championships' podcast host Dan Bernstein broke the news on Sunday morning that the Bulls' organization has had private conversations addressing the fact that Ball may never play basketball again.
This is a massive blow to their organization and to Ball himself, who has gone through a number roadblocks in his professional career and is still only 25-years-old. When he did suit in 35 games for the Bulls in 2021, he was playing some of his best and effortless basketball since he entered the NBA.
The pass-first point guard fit in perfectly next to Zach Levine, DeMar Derozan, and Nikola Vucevic. Ball was shooting a career-high 42% from three and also averaging close to a block per game, establishing himself as one of the best defensive guards at his position.
Chicago was also battling with the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat for the number one seed in the Eastern Conference when Zo was leading the offense for them. Unfortunately, they were unable to play at the same pace once he went down and fell to the number sixth seed, eventually losing in the first round of the 2022 playoffs.
Not much was different once the 2022-2023 season rolled around as the Bulls landed in the play-in tournament and got knocked out there... failing to even make the postseason without their starting point guard.
And will Chicago even get the chance to welcome one of the most unique players in the NBA back onto their squad again? The odds already looked slim when reports surfaced not too long ago that Ball's third surgery would involve knee cartilage being replaced. This meant that the former UCLA Bruin would attempt to be the first NBA player to successfully play again after such a procedure.
Ball spent two seasons in LA and even though he was sent away in the Anthony Davis trade, it was still amazing to see him start to find himself in the Windy City. I truly hope he defies all odds and finds his way back onto the court at some point!
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