Bulls G Lonzo Ball Explains Reason He Took Issue With Stephen A. Smith’s Comments

The Bulls guard called out the ESPN personality in a video earlier this week after he falsely reported that he struggles to get up from the sitting position.

During a Tuesday episode of ESPN’s First Take, Stephen A. Smith said that his sources told him Lonzo Ball struggles to “get up from the sitting position” due to the knee injuries that have continued to hamper him during his career. Upon seeing this, the Bulls guard decided to publicly call out Smith and posted a video of himself easily standing up from a chair on just one leg, saying, “Stephen A., who are your sources, bro?”

Ball didn’t try to hide his frustration with Smith and he recently explained why he took such issue with the inaccurate report from one of the biggest names in sports media. 

“The outside noise doesn’t bother me,” Ball told NBC Chicago. “The Stephen A. thing, he has a wide platform. And to me, I just don’t appreciate when people put out fake news like that, especially someone of his stature that can touch a lot of people.”

In the same interview, Ball proclaimed, “I’m going to play again,” as his future in basketball continues to be in question. 

On March 16, the Bulls announced Ball would undergo a cartilage transplant—the third procedure on his left knee—after he was ruled out for the 2022–23 season due to knee pain. He hasn’t played since he left a Jan. 14, 2022, game with knee soreness, which eventually revealed a small tear in his meniscus. He’s not expected to hit the court during the 2023–24 season either, but Ball remains determined to make a return.