Lonzo Ball last stepped on an NBA court more than 1,000 days ago. Since then Ball has had three knee surgeries, the latest of those in March 2023 was a cartilage replacement, where doctors grow cartilage outside the body and put it in the knee. No player has returned to the NBA following that surgery.
Ball, who has been diligent in his rehab for more than a year, said on his podcast he planned to play in a couple of the Bulls’ remaining preseason games.
If true, that means he will return to the court either Monday against Milwaukee or Wednesday at home against Minnesota.
The Bulls say Ball has been going through full contact, 5-on-5 scrimmages during training camp and the preseason. If Ball does return to the court for Chicago this season — likely in a limited role on a team with Josh Giddey and Coby White as the primary ball handlers at the point — it would be a triumph of perseverance. Most players would have walked away long ago.
Ball will make $21.4 million this season in the final year of the contract he signed when coming to Chicago back in 2021, when he looked like the glue and defender needed to pull together an otherwise ill-fitting roster. Without him, the Bulls struggled to find cohesion.
It would be one of the most uplifting stories of the season just to see him back on the court.