Lonzo Ball has played in just 35 games since the conclusion of the 2021 NBA season, and he has confirmed that he’ll miss the entirety of the upcoming year as well.
Lonzo Ball Opens Up About His Most Recent Injury
“I feel bad just for the [Bulls] GMs just because I feel like they made the perfect team around me… I feel like we really had a chance and never got to see what it was.”
—Lonzo Ball
(via “From the Point by Trae Young”)pic.twitter.com/xIljRr9Igc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 21, 2023
Ball has had trouble remaining on the court for his entire career. In six years as a pro, he has played in just 252 of a possible 472 games for the Lakers, Pelicans, and Bulls. He has suffered multiple injuries to his knees which have required surgeries, keeping him out for multiple extended periods.
He’s been productive when he’s been able to stay on the court, though perhaps his statistics aren’t worthy of a former second-overall pick. Ball is averaging 11.9 points and 6.2 assists over the course of his career, but he enjoyed perhaps his best days just before his most recent injury.
Lonzo Ball joined the Chicago Bulls via trade ahead of the 2021 season, in which he lasted just 35 games. But he averaged 13 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.1 assists, and at the time of the injury, the Bulls had the best record in the Eastern Conference at 27-13. They would finish in 6th place, and Ball needed knee cartilage transplant surgery.
In a recent interview with fellow NBA player Trae Young, Ball talked about his disappointment with the situation, and how he felt like he was finally in the right spot to be successful:
I feel bad, just for the GMs. I feel like they made the perfect team around me. And I feel like that was the most I’ve ever been involved with an organization, and I finally feel like I got the perfect team to fit my game, and play my way, and really just do what I wanted to do…I felt like we really had a chance and never got to see what it was.
While it is certain that Lonzo Ball won’t be playing in any NBA games this coming year, his future beyond that is clouded with uncertainty. There is fear that he may never be able to play basketball again, due to the recurring and nagging injuries. And we may have something to point to in order to place blame.
Signature Shoes Could Be To Blame
Report: Lakers believe Lonzo Ball’s injuries were caused by his signature shoeshttps://t.co/hbfQjnUQy4
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 13, 2023
Ball entered the league amidst plenty of fan fare, thanks in large part to his father, who was in the headlines and media more than his children. One of Lavar Ball’s projects was the Big Baller Brand shoes, and the Lonzo’s Zo2 signature shoe. The production of the sneaker was rushed in order to have Ball make his NBA debut wearing them, and the design was poor enough that he had to change out shoes after every quarter because they would begin to fall apart.
There has been speculation that the sub-par quality of the shoes are the culprit for the knee issues that Lonzo Ball has been suffering, and could ultimately be the demise of his playing career.