Lonzo Ball Discusses Bulls Future, Bemoans Season-Ending Injury

Ball hasn’t played since January 2022 and will miss the upcoming season after a third knee surgery.

It’s been over 19 months since Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball has played in an NBA game. Facing another lost season as he continues his recovery from a third knee surgery, Ball discussed his situation with the team Monday, lamenting missed opportunities in Chicago.

Speaking as a guest on the From the Point podcast hosted by Hawks point guard Trae Young, Ball said he was encouraged by his current progress and hopes to recapture the early success he and the Bulls enjoyed during his brief 2021-22 debut season with the team.

“It’s going to be a big what-if,” Ball said. “I feel bad, just for the [Bulls] GMs because I feel like they made the perfect team around me. I felt like that was the most I’ve ever been involved in an organization. And I finally got the perfect team that I felt like could fit my game and play my way and really just do what I wanted to do.”

Ball, 25, played in 35 games with Chicago two seasons ago, last appearing on the court on Jan. 14, 2022. At that time, the team was 27-13 and in possession of the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls went 19-23 from that point on, ultimately losing to the Bucks in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 6 seed.

Ball, who averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 5.1 assists per game with the Bulls, expressed relief in having a better understanding of what went wrong with his left knee. He underwent a cartilage transplant operation in March. He will miss the upcoming season but hopes to return to the court in 2024-25.

“When I first got hurt, we didn’t really know what it was,” Ball said. “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.”