Multiple national high school player of the year honors. Leading the nation in assists during college freshman season, breaking the UCLA assists record in a single season, and finally getting drafted as the No. 2 pick by the Lakers. This is a quick overview of the achievements of the eldest of the Ball brothers, Lonzo Ball, before his NBA career.

Zo has been nothing but phenomenal for the teams that he signed with. Unfortunately, his career can be pinned on the same level as Kawhi Leonard when it comes to injuries. The latest, of course, is his two-year absence thanks to a bevy of knee injuries. Having gotten traded to the Chicago Bulls in 2021, his defensive prowess and playmaking ability had turned him into an effective lead guard for the franchise.

And while Ball had kept us updated about his recovery, the latest news surrounding the 26-year-old is positive. Catching up with Zo at the Los Angeles International Airport, TMZ reported that his recovery was going well. And to the burning question on every Bulls fan’s mind as to whether he would suit up for the 2024-25 season, Lonzo Ball said, “[Fans can expect] me back on the court. That’s all I want to do.“

AWOL since January 2022, it was quite heartbreaking to see Chicago cripple down in Ball’s absence. But there wasn’t much to do. Ultimately, the health of the player is important. And in the case of the California native, injuries seem to have a special affinity towards him.

What happened to Lonzo Ball?

It’s been 30 months and 2 weeks (at the time of writing) since he stepped foot in the NBA hardwood. It all started with a meniscus tear in his left knee on January 14, 2022, during a matchup against the Golden State Warriors. On January 20, it was announced that he planned to undergo surgery which has an anticipated recovery time of 6-8 weeks. A month later, Zo, in an attempt to cheer his fans perhaps, posted a video on Instagram, dancing with his daughter.

But on March 19th, Coach Donovan revealed that the whole recovery process came to a standstill, courtesy of a bone bruise that he suffered prior to the meniscus tear. A 10-day rest following this was the initial diagnosis. Unfortunately, nothing worked and the Bulls were forced to shut him down for the season on April 6.

Two months passed in quick succession before the Executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas admitted that Zo’s recovery wasn’t going at the speed they were hoping for. In short, a Lonzo Ball return was likely going to take much longer. Despite an earlier update that there wouldn’t be a need for another surgery, Ball underwent an arthroscopic debridement on September 28. That pretty much shut down any hope of him attending the training camp. And the season.

Despite the four to six-week recovery window, there really wasn’t any progress. Lonzo hadn’t played basketball since Jan nor was he able to run fast. This was in November. And although January 2023 saw a slight upgrade given he posted IG videos of himself running on a curved treadmill or light dunking, Coach Donovan was careful not to give the fans too much hope.

Even so, his persistence in getting back to shape had increased the confidence to the point that Chicago was almost sure Zo would be back in time for the season opener. But on March 16, it was announced that Ball would require a third surgery. Just like that, he was shut down for the 2023-24 season, as well.

Anyway, the latest update is clearly much more positive and in line with the regular updates we have been receiving. So, there’s no doubt that this season, the Bulls might just find themselves on an uphill graph!