Lonzo Ball has not played in an NBA game since Jan. 14, 2022. It has been over two years since he was on the court for the Chicago Bulls, but he is slowly inching his way toward a return.
Ball has had three different surgeries on his knee since then, and everyone has been wondering when he plans to return. On a recent episode of his podcast, he revealed that he is expecting to play in the season opener for the Bulls next season.
A lot of NBA players have podcasts these days, and Lonzo Ball decided to start one recently. His show is called What an Experience, and he was asked during a recent episode if he would be in a Bulls jersey at the start of next season.
“Yes, I firmly believe that, that's the plan that I'm on, and I haven't said any setbacks,” Ball said in response. “I expect to play the first game.”
There it is. Everyone has been wondering what is in store for Lonzo Ball's future, and now we know where his head is at. Obviously, nothing is set in stone, but Ball wants to stay with the Bulls, and he is hoping to be ready to go for the start of next season.
How is Lonzo Ball's health right now?
Lonzo Ball has talked about his health a lot on recent episodes of his podcast, and he noted recently that he was at about 70 percent right now. So he still has a little ways to go, but he has a long offseason ahead of him to continue to heal up.
“It's coming along, man,” Ball said on the show. “Week by week, it's improving, so that's all I can ask for. Still not where I want it to be. Out of 100 (percent), I'd say I'm about 70 (percent). Good enough to play, but it could still get better. I still got a long summer ahead of me but definitely looking forward to the future.”
There were and still are a lot of question marks about Lonzo Ball's future, but his most recent comments seem to clear things up a little bit. At the beginning of the offseason, Bulls Vice President Artūras Karnišovas was asked about Ball and their plan for him.
They are monitoring the situation closely, and if Ball really can get ready by the start of next season, they will likely keep him around.
“We’re just going to wait and see his progression the next couple of months,” Karnisovas said, according to an article from NBC Sports. “He’s progressing well. Everything is looking with no setbacks. So we’ll see where he’s at in a couple of months.”
We'll see what happens with Ball, but it sounds like he is getting close to a return. It will be interesting to see how he performs when he finally is able to come back. Over two years is a lot of time to miss, and it will be an adjustment for him when he does return to the court.
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