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Lonzo Ball is not expected to play during the 2023-24 season, but he remains steadfast in his desire to eventually return to the floor.
The Chicago Bulls guard expressed hope the team’s core will remain intact whenever he’s able to come back from a knee injury that has kept him out of the lineup since January 2022.
“That’s part of the reason why this team is still together,” Ball told ESPN’s Jamal Collier. “I actually think we’re still trying to play the same way as if I was still here. It’s not like we’re getting away from the core values that I had on the court. We’re trying to keep it fast pace, go, get out and play defense. Everything is kind of in tune for me to come back, whenever that is.”
Ball suffered a meniscus tear that was supposed to keep him out of the lineup for six to eight weeks. Instead, he has sat out the last 21 months and will likely be 33 months removed from an NBA floor by the next time he appears in a game. Ball underwent cartilage transplant surgery in his knee in March, which led the team to rule him out for the 2023-24 season.
“Honestly, being out for as long as I’ve been out and all the injuries I have to deal with I think you just have to be positive,” Ball told Collier. “First and foremost. If you lose your mind, you’re going to lose the battle. So it always starts with being positive and hoping for the best.”
Ball, who turns 26 later this month, carries a $21.4 million player option for the 2024-25 season. Given his absence from the lineup, it’s a virtual certainty he will take that money and be on an expiring contract when he returns.
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