Former lottery pick Lonzo Ball's basketball career could be in jeopardy. The 2nd overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft has shown flashes of his potential when healthy, but injuries have robbed him of meaningful time to fulfill them.
There are concerns about Ball’s ability to resume his career and hopes that this surgery — which could cost Ball another full season away — will give him a pathway to play again, sources said. ESPN reported last week that Ball was weighing procedure. https://t.co/vjTLR8MBHq
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) March 16, 2023
Journalist Dan Berstein mentioned skepticism within the Chicago Bulls organization regarding the resumption of Ball's basketball career.
"They don't want to send the message publicly that they're done with him. They don't think it's likely that he ever plays again," he said on his podcast Organizations Win Championships.
Lonzo Ball Has Not Played for Over a Year
The Bulls guard last played an NBA game on January 14, 2022, against the Golden State Warriors, putting up 15 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Before he went down, he had a decent campaign in 2021-22, averaging 13.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 3.1 three-pointers made, and 1.8 steals per game.
The 25-year-old also averaged career-best in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, minutes per game, and steals per game that year.
Ball continued to experience pain in the knee after knee surgery for a torn meniscus on January 2022. Eight months after the surgery, he told reporters that even simple activities, such as climbing stairs, cause discomfort.
With no significant improvement, the former UCLA standout had his third knee surgery last March - a cartilage transplant. He missed the whole 2022-23 NBA season.
The procedure could also cause him to possibly miss a significant chunk of the 2023-24 season.
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