Lonzo Ball Says Playing for Lakers Was 'Dream Come True' and 'I Don't Regret Nothing'

Lonzo Ball's NBA career is up in the air amid his continued struggles to recover from a knee injury, but he has no regrets about how things have gone to this point.

Ball said his entire time playing for the Lakers was a "dream come true" early in his career during an appearance on Trae Young's From the Point podcast.

"I don't think we ever got on the same page my rookie year," Ball said. "That kind of changed my second year when we got Rondo and Bron and some more vets around the team to really guide young guys. You know, that's really important, in the league, showing us the way and stuff like that. And...it was going good, but we all got hurt, that second year. But other than that, I don't regret nothing. Like you said, I played for my hometown team. That was a dream come true for me."

Ball played his first two seasons with the Lakers after being the No. 2 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He began having knee problems during his rookie season, suffering a sprained MCL in January 2018 and then undergoing surgery for a torn meniscus in July 2018.

While Ball managed to stay relatively healthy during his two-year stint in New Orleans, his knee issues derailed his career after he signed a four-year, $80 million contract with the Chicago Bulls. He has not played in a single game since January 2022 due to a mensicus tear that has required three surgeries.

The injury is on the same knee Ball originally hurt with the Lakers.

The Bulls have said they do not expect Ball to be available for the 2023-24 season. He has a $21.4 million option on his contract for 2024-25, which will be a no-brainer for him to exercise given his inability to stay on the floor.