Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball will remain sidelined for Saturday’s road game against the Atlanta Hawks as yet another injury drags out longer than expected.
Ball has been sidelined since Oct. 30 with a sprained right wrist, which occurred in an awkward fall in the first quarter of a 126-123 road victory against the Memphis Grizzlies. The sprain was designated Grade 2 — which meant Ball avoided surgery — and the guard was wearing a splint for at least 10 days.
After being reevaluated by the Bulls medical team Thursday, Ball was ruled out of Saturday’s game against the Hawks.
This setback is the latest delay in a yearslong battle to return to the court for Ball, who did not play in an NBA game for 1,006 days after suffering a left knee injury on Jan. 14, 2022. He underwent three procedures since the initial injury, including a cartilage transplant on March 20, 2023.
Uncertainty shrouded every step of Ball’s recovery. Ball’s final procedure — which also included a separate meniscus transplant — threw his future into unprecedented territory.
Cartilage transplants are rare in professional sports. The procedure is relatively new, designed as a step down from a full knee replacement to maintain the integrity of the knee joint. No NBA player had undergone a cartilage transplant and returned to the court until Ball, who played 13 minutes, 39 seconds in the season-opening road loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Oct. 23.
For now, the next step of that return will be delayed by the wrist injury.
Here’s how it all has played out for the Bulls point guard.
Jan. 14, 2022
Lonzo Ball suffers a meniscus tear against the Golden State Warriors.
Jan. 20, 2022
Bulls announce Ball will undergo surgery and anticipate a six- to eight-week recovery before he can return to the court.
Feb. 21, 2022
Ball posts a video on Instagram of himself dancing and playing with his daughter, which falsely appears to signal his increased mobility as he nears the end of the recovery window.
March 19, 2022
Coach Billy Donovan says Ball’s recovery is at a standstill, complicated by a bone bruise suffered before to the meniscus tear.
March 20, 2022
Donovan says Ball will stop attempting to run at full-speed for 10 days in an attempt to reduce knee swelling.
April 5, 2022
Ball continues to experience discomfort following the 10-day break, but Donovan says the team won’t shut him down.
April 6, 2022
The Bulls shut down Ball for the season. Donovan says the Bulls medical staff hasn’t suggested a second surgery.
July 12, 2022
Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas says Ball’s recovery is “not at the speed that we would like” but adds the Bulls hope he will be available for training camp.
Sept. 28, 2022
Ball undergoes an arthroscopic debridement in Los Angeles, forcing him to miss training camp and the opening weeks of the season. Bulls set a four- to six-week recovery window from the procedure, but Donovan cautions his recovery could take longer after 10 months away from the court.
Oct. 26, 2022
Ball is nearing reevaluation after the second surgery on his left knee, but Donovan says a date hasn’t been set for the next step in the point guard’s recovery.
Nov. 30, 2022
Nine weeks after his second knee procedure, Ball is still unable to run, jump or cut. He has returned to the weight room at the Advocate Center for moderate weightlifting and core exercises, but he hasn’t played basketball or run at full speed since January.
Jan. 28, 2023
The Bulls creep closer to shutting down Ball for a second straight season. If he can’t make a drastic improvement in the next three weeks before the All-Star break, coach Billy Donovan says the Bulls likely will sit down for a formal discussion on Ball’s season — and his future.
Feb. 2, 2023
“Lonzo is going to be fine,” Lavar Ball says during an interview with the “Gimme the Hot Sauce” podcast hosted by Bulls TV analyst Stacey King and WLS-Ch. 7 anchor Mark Schanowski. “He’s only 25 years old. He’s going to get his stuff together and then he’ll be ready to play and do his thing again. People just got to stay off that and thinking ‘Oh, you’re going to come back tomorrow, or next week, or next month.’”
March 20, 2023
Donovan says Ball’s doctors were optimistic after the cartilage transplant in his left knee. But with no clear timetable or standard of success to look toward, the Bulls don’t know what to expect from the next stage of Ball’s recovery.
Dec. 28, 2023
Donovan says the pain in Ball’s left knee “has been eliminated” and that the Bulls expect the guard to begin running again for the first time in his recovery by the end of January.
Ball had been able to progress to weight and mobility training along with stationary shooting in the six months since his procedure, but sprinting is a hurdle that he had not cleared in his recovery process.
Jan. 14, 2024
Two years have passed since Ball last played in an NBA game.
Jan. 26, 2024
Ball joins his teammates on the bench for a game against the Lakers in Los Angeles, where he has spent the majority of the last two years while rehabbing. However, he was not able to take part in a week of Los Angeles-based practices — during which the Bulls medical team initially hoped he could spend time around teammates but not participate in drills — due to sickness.
March 9, 2024
Donovan says Ball has returned to “running, cutting and jumping” for the first time since the initial injury, adding that the guard “looks good moving.” Ball does not report any pain or discomfort during this stage of returning to basketball activities.
August 2024
Ball begins five-on-five scrimmaging against NBA players, a crucial step in his return to play. While these scrimmages were not full speed, they did provide the guard with a first opportunity to test his knee against contact and in the full court. Trainer Chris Johnson uploaded several videos of Ball playing in friendly runs with fellow NBA players like Jaren Jackson Jr.
Latest look at Lonzo Ball's progress in 5v5 scrimmaging from a video posted by longtime NBA trainer Chris Johnson.
Open run featuring fellow NBA players like Jaren Jackson Jr. showcasing Lonzo's jumper and some of that passing vision Bulls fans became fond of back in 2021. pic.twitter.com/zFmkZ6oofo
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) August 21, 2024
Sept. 30, 2024
Ball says at Bulls media day that he expects to play in the season opener Oct. 23, a road game against the New Orleans Pelicans. Ball and Donovan specify that the guard’s playing time will be severely limited throughout this season in an effort to preserve his long-term health.
Oct. 12, 2024
Ball is held out of training camp for a day because of knee soreness after sitting out the first two preseason games as well. Donovan says he isn’t concerned about the brief pause preventing Ball from playing in at least one preseason game.
Oct. 17, 2024
Ball makes his first NBA appearance in 1,006 days in a preseason outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He checks into the game at the 6-minute, 8-second mark of the first quarter, scoring a 3-pointer within his first minute on the court. Ball finishes with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting.
The team gave Lonzo the game ball
pic.twitter.com/ejpyeXLiFR
— Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) October 17, 2024
Oct 23, 2024
Ball makes his return to regular-season NBA action in the season opener against the Pelicans in New Orleans. He has five points and four assists in 14 minutes of the 123-111 loss.
Oct. 30, 2024
Ball is ruled out for at least 10 days with a sprained right wrist. He wears a splint on the sidelines while missing the ensuing six games. Ball says he suffered a Grade 2 sprain and that continuing to play with the injury could have elevated it to a Grade 3 sprain, which would require surgery. Donovan adds that this likely would have been a season-ending injury.
