Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball took a huge step forward in preparation for a hopeful return to the court for the 2024-25 NBA season. The 26-year-old point guard has not played in the league for nearly three full years. He sustained a torn meniscus in his left knee during a home game against the Golden State Warriors on January 14, 2022. There has yet to be a return to the court for Ball.
Lonzo Ball Achieves Major Breakthrough In Injury Recovery
Lonzo Ball Inching Closer To A Return?
The Bulls confirmed that Ball has begun participating in full-contact five-on-five scrimmages. As scheduled in his recovery plan, the former second overall pick started these scrimmages by August. Fortunately, Ball has been able to undergo these sessions without any setbacks, according to insider Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
After he went down with the meniscus injury over two years ago, Ball missed the remainder of the 2021-22 campaign. He also missed the entire 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, due to setbacks in recovery and recurring pain in the affected knee.
The Bulls have also suffered as a result of Ball’s long-term injury. Before he went down, the Bulls were performing well in the 2021-22 season. They actually held the top spot in the Eastern Conference after 60 games. The former Chino Hills standout was averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.1 three-pointers made, and 1.8 steals per game.
After Ball’s injury, the Bulls ended the season with a losing record and dropped to the sixth seed. They would lose to the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs in five games. The team has failed to make the playoffs since then. They have lost in the play-in tournament for the past two seasons as the ninth seed.
Ball Received New Meniscus From Donor
Ball underwent three different surgeries over the past two years, including one experimental cartilage transplant using an unconventional method. The former UCLA star shared that he received a new meniscus from a donor on a May 2024 episode of his podcast, The WAE Show (What An Experience!).
“To make a long story short, ultimately, it started with a meniscus tear. It basically started on the Lakers, when I tore it the first time. I tore it a couple more times to a point to where there was no more. Basically, not much meniscus left, and bone-on-bone was rubbing. So the cartilage was gone and the bone was messed up, so I had to get actually a new meniscus from a donor. I had to get a bone allograft and I had to get some new cartilage put in as well.”
During the same episode, Ball also declared that he firmly believes he could be on the court by the opening night of the 2024-25 NBA season. Last year, reports emerged that the Bulls feared Ball might never play for them again, leading them to apply for a Disabled Player Exception in the 2023-24 season. This provided them with a $10.2 million cap relief (half of Ball’s salary), allowing them to use the money to trade for a player in the final year of their contract, sign a player to a one-year deal, or claim someone who was waived and pay them with the amount.
The Bulls acquired Ball via a sign-and-trade deal when he was a restricted free agent in the summer of 2021. They subsequently signed him to a four-year contract worth $85 million. Prior to his arrival in the Windy City, Ball had previously spent the prior two seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans after being shipped from the Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 2019 as part of the Anthony Davis trade.
