Video: Bulls' Lonzo Ball Calls out Stephen A. Smith for Injury Remark on 'First Take'

It appears Chicago Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball is doing better in his knee injury rehab than many people believe.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith caused a stir on Tuesday's episode of First Take when he declared that he's "heard it's even hard for [Ball] to get up from a sitting position" as he continues his recovery from multiple knee surgeries.

Ball responded directly to Smith with a video of him doing one-legged squats on his surgically-repaired left leg and excitedly delivering a message:

"Stephen A., who are your sources, bro? Please tell me who your sources are. Come on, man, you gotta stop yapping. And I actually like you, man. I don't even know you like that, but I like you. I'm coming back, man! Come on!"

Smith quickly responded to Ball:

Ball has not played since Jan. 2022 after he suffered a meniscus tear. He underwent cartilage transplant surgery in March, which was the third procedure on his knee since he's been sidelined. Bulls vice president Arturas Karnisovas said in June that the team doesn't expect him to play during the 2023-24 season.

However, it sounds like the 25-year-old is optimistic about his ongoing recovery. If he's able to return to the court, it would be a major boost to a Chicago team that went 40-42 last season and lost in the play-in tournament.