In a segment on his podcast, Bulls guard Lonzo Ball revealed the full scope of his injury recovery. Lonzo says that his knee had gotten so bad that it required a complete meniscus replacement, which he later received from a generous donor.
“It started with a meniscus tear,” said Ball. “It started on the Lakers when I tore it the first time. Tore it a couple more times to the point where there was no more meniscus left. It was bone-on-bone rubbing. The cartilage was gone and the bone was messed up so I had to get 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.”
.@ZO2_ breaks down his injury for the first time. pic.twitter.com/Igl7qjS2Vi
— The WAE Show (@TheWAEShow) May 24, 2024
Dating back to his time with the Lakers, Pelicans, and his early days with the Bulls, Lonzo suffered a string of minor injuries that would later take a major toll. In January 2020, he was diagnosed with a meniscus tear in his left knee that would completely compromise the entire area. The initial timeline for his return was six to eight weeks, but the pain never fully went away. By that point, with no cartilage or any support on his knee joint, Ball required a transplant surgery before he could even begin the process of recovery.
It’s been two and a half years since Lonzo’s last game on January 14, 2022. A lot has changed since then, and the Bulls have failed to gain any traction in the East without their All-Star guard. Things looked so bleak at one point that people were doubting that Lonzo would ever play again.
Finally, according to Lonzo’s latest statement, he’s on track to make his return. After so long of being away from action, Lonzo’s recovery is almost complete and he says that he’ll be ready to go from day one.
Lonzo Ball Confirms He’ll Be Active In Bulls Season Opener
The Bulls face plenty of uncertainty this season but the return of Lonzo is imminent. After missing over two full seasons of play, Ball announced that he will be in the lineup on opening night barring any last-minute setbacks.
“Yes,” said Ball on if he will be playing for the Bulls on opening night. “I firmly believe that. That’s the plan that I’m on, and I haven’t had any setbacks.”
BREAKING: Lonzo Ball says he expects to play in the Bulls’ season opener next season.
(via @TheWAEShow) pic.twitter.com/ND2LMIV83O
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 24, 2024
Lonzo, 26, was a second-round pick for the Lakers back in 2019. As a star at UCLA, he was celebrated for his elite playmaking and high-level defense. In the NBA, his notoriously awkward jump shot didn’t translate very well but he still managed to be effective as a competitive two-way player.
In his 35-game stretch for the Bulls, he averaged 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists per game on 42% shooting. He, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan were on track to lead the Bulls to the first seed in the East that season.
Going forward, it will no doubt be a challenge for Lonzo to get back into form and revive his level of production from before the injury. But given what he’s gone through over the past few years, it’s a borderline miracle that he can come back at all. Now, the Bulls can finally see what they have with this current core and have an honest attempt at making an Eastern Conference playoff run.
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