Lonzo Ball appears fairly confident and hopeful in his ability to resume his NBA career with the Chicago Bulls. As Bulls fans must certainly be aware, the eldest Ball brother has been missing from action for a while now after having suffered a meniscus injury. He played in only 35 games of the 2021-2022 NBA season and completely missed the 2022-2023 NBA season.
Members of the basketball community were quite concerned after a report came out revealing that the eldest Ball brother is expected to miss the upcoming 2023-2024 season as well. Being absent for two whole seasons and dealing with a complicated knee issue has led fans to wonder if his young NBA career has already come to an end.
With training camp commencing and the 2023-2024 NBA preseason only a few days away, several teams have engaged in media day to share their thoughts and goals for the upcoming season. This was the perfect opportunity for the NBA media to ask Lonzo more about his current health status. That said, let us take a closer look at the situation and find out what he had to say on the subject.
Will Lonzo Ball return for the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA season?
That certainly seems to be the question on fans’ minds at the moment. To those who do not know, Lonzo Ball suffered a meniscus injury and last played in an NBA game all the way back in January 2022. A meniscus injury usually materializes due to activities that forcefully twist and contort the knee. Since NBA players are expected to move at fast speeds and change directions, they are quite susceptible to it.
Ball was expected to return following surgery. However, he has now undergone three unsuccessful surgeries and has been sidelined for almost two seasons. Missing a significant amount of time and undergoing multiple surgeries could be considered a death sentence for professional athletes. Lonzo shared an update on his health status during the Chicago Bulls’ media day.
“Pretty good. About halfway through the rehab process. Got a long ways ahead of me, but each week I’ve been progressing, I’m just trying to stay positive and take it day by day…I definitely plan on playing again. I’m only 25 and I felt like the rehab process is going well so far… it’s just keeping my head up and keep going to work.”
Lonzo on how he’s feeling:
“Pretty good. About halfway through the rehab process. Got a long ways ahead of me, but each week I’ve been progressing, I’m just trying to stay positive and take it day by day.
“I definitely plan on playing again. I’m only 25 and I felt like the… pic.twitter.com/ztDj86lfud
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 2, 2023
While fans might admire the resilience and confidence displayed by Lonzo, we should also wonder what shape he will return in and whether he will be of any use to the Bulls when he does. Although he claims to be making good progress, Ball still feels that there is a long way to go before making a return for the Bulls.
